The crowd set up a shout, but Paul felt chilled through and through.
"I have no quarrel with this man," he called to Alvarez, "and I will not fight him." "You have no choice," replied Alvarez, and the more savage in the crowd, who wished to see barbaric sport, shouted their approval.

But some were silent.

Long Jim struggled with four men, and exclaimed, "It's murder! He's only a boy!" But the four held him fast.
The swordsman, grinning in the certainty of easy triumph, advanced upon Paul.
Now Paul understood.

He was there to furnish sport, terrible, deadly sport, and he must fight if he would save himself.

As Alvarez truly said, no choice was left to him.