ght
before you six African bears from the Atlas, with six buffaloes from
the mountain Valley of Aurasia! a hippopotamus from the Nile, and a
rhinoceros; an elephant and three leopards, a powerful tiger--do you
hear him? Silence, Hasdrubal, till you are summoned--with a man in full
armour, who has been condemned to death."

"Aha! Good! That will be splendid!" ran through the Amphitheatre.

"And lastly,--as I hope Hasdrubal will be the victor,--the tiger will
fight all the survivors of the other conflicts, and a pack of twelve
British dogs."

Loud shouts of delight rang through the building.

"I thank you!" replied the director of the festival. "But we cannot
live by gratitude alone. Your Mercury also desires nectar and ambrosia.
Before we witness any more battles, let us enjoy a light luncheon, some
cool wine, and a graceful dance. What say you, my friends? Come, fair
Glauke!"

Without waiting for an answer--he seemed to be tolerably sure of it,
and it came in the form of still more vehement applause--he again waved
his staff. The heavy stone walls, separating the podium and the higher
rows of seats from the arena and the lower rows, sank and were
transformed into sloping stone steps that led down to the arena, into
which at the same time invisible hands lifted long tables, hung with
costly draperies and set with magnificent jugs, vessels, and goblets of
gold and silver, and large shallow dishes filled with choice fruit and
sweet cakes. In the centre of the arena rose an altar, its three steps
thickly garlanded with wreaths of flowers, the top crowned by a figure
closely wrapped in white cloths. From the sides of the building a
hundred Satyrs and Bacchantes flocked in, who instantly began a
pantomimic dance of pursuit and flight, whose rhythm was accompanied
by the noisy, stirring music of cymbals and tympans from the open,
wing-like sides of the Amphitheatre. Enraged by the uproar, more and
more furiously roared the Hyrcanian tiger.

CHAPTER XVI

Many of the guests--all who had been seated in the podium--descended to
the arena, helped themselves from the dishes, and ate the fruit and
cakes. Gayly dressed slaves carried the refreshments to others, who had
remained in the rows of seats.

As soon as the barriers between the arena and the spectators were
removed, the guests passed freely to and fro, sometimes down to the
arena, sometimes back to their places; nay, they even mingle