I can't risk my life in anything but a square fight." [65] The Gallic sun-god.
"Well," said Pratinas, after a few words with his companion, "how will this proposition suit you?
All expenses, before and after the affair itself, of course refunded; one hundred thousand sesterces clear gain for doing the deed, twenty-five thousand sesterces for every poor fellow we have to nail up to satisfy the law, and you to be guaranteed against any evil consequence.

Is this sufficient ?" "I think so," growled Dumnorix, in his mustaches, "but I must have the oath." "The oath ?" said Pratinas, "oh, certainly!" and the Greek raised his hands toward heaven, and muttered some words to the effect that "if he and his friend did not fulfil their oath, let Zeus, the regarder of oaths, destroy them," etc., etc .-- an imprecation which certainly, so far as words went, was strong enough to bind the most graceless.

Then he proceeded to arrange with Dumnorix how the latter should wait until it was known Drusus had gone back to Praeneste, and was likely to stay there for some time; as to how many gladiators the lanista was to have ready.

Dumnorix complained that the rather recent law against keeping gladiators at Rome prevented him from assembling in his school any considerable number.

But out of his heterogeneous collection of Gauls, Germans, Spaniards, Greeks, and Asiatics he would find enough who could be used for the purpose without letting them know the full intent with which they were launched against Drusus.