Read The Gladiator for Free Online Page A

vessel steadily settle in the swell and reducing its already slow speed to a crawl.
    The mate stared down into the water, noting a dark patch of sub- merged rocks projecting beyond the point. He straightened up and pointed towards a strip ofshingle below the cliffs on the opposite side of the bay. ‘I’m going to beach the ship over there. She’s not going to stay afloat for much longer, sir, ‘ he explained. ‘If she’s beached, then at least she can be salvaged, along with what little is left of the cargo. ‘
    ‘Fair enough, ‘ Cato conceded. ‘However, I doubt there’s any chance ofhaving the ship repaired in this port for a while. Or come to that, any port on this side of the island. What happened here is going to be the same everywhere else. ‘
    ‘Do you really think so?’Julia said with a surprised expression.
    ‘You saw the wave. What was to stop it carrying on all the way along the coast, and then out to sea? Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had continued all the way to Syria before it died away completely’ Cato gestured towards the shore. ‘That wave and the earthquake. will have destroyed almost everything. ‘ His mind went back to the slave camp they had seen crumble the previous day. ‘There will be hundreds dead. Maybe thousands. And it looks like hardly a building has been left standing. Who knows what we’ll find when we get ashore. It’ll be chaos. Complete chaos. ‘
    ‘But we have to get the ship repaired, ‘ Julia insisted. ‘So we can return to Rome. If all the other ships are smashed, we have to repair this one. ‘
    ‘And who will repair it?’ Cato asked. ‘The docks are gone. The shipmakers’ workshops have gone, and most of the carpenters will have been caught by the wave and are probably dead. ‘
    Julia thought a moment. ‘Then what are we going to do?’ Cato wearily ran his fingers through his salt-encrusted hair. We’ll go ashore, and try to find out who is left in authority. Perhaps when they hear that your father is with us they might provide some help and shelter. ‘ ‘Shelter?’ Macro gave a dry laugh. ‘That’s a good one. What shelter? As far as I can see, there’s only a handful of structures still standing, and most of those are just shacks. ‘
    ‘True, ‘ said Cato. ‘But I was thinking of shelter in a somewhat wider sense. ‘
    ‘Eh?’
    ‘Think about it, Macro. The island’s been turned upside down. You saw what happened to the slave compound yesterday.Those slaves are loose now. I imagine the same thing has happened on every estate. Everyone will be looking for food and a safe place to ride out the disaster. Soon they’ll be fighting for it. We’ll need to find some protection somewhere, or make our own. At least until help arrives, and order is restored. ‘
    Macro looked at him sourly. ‘By the gods, you’re a cheerful soul, Cato. We’ve barely escaped from drowning, and already you’re looking for the downside. ‘
    ‘Sorry. ‘
    Macro glanced at Julia. ‘Are you sure you want to marry him, miss? Mister the amphora’s-always-half-empty. ‘
    She did not reply, but moved in closer to Cato and grasped his arm.
    Under the mate’s command the
Horus
edged across the bay towards the strip of beach, and as they drew closer to shore they could see a thin layer of flotsam strewn across the shingle. A handful of bodies sprawled amongst splintered lengths of wood and tangles of vegetation. The ship steered steadily towards the shore, with the mate constantly looking over the side to gauge the depth as they approached. As the cliffs loomed over them, Cato felt a gentle lurch beneath his feet, then the deck was motionless.
    ‘Let fly the sheets!’ the mate shouted to his crew. Then, as the sail billowed in the gentle breeze, he drew a sharp breath and gave another order. ‘Lower the sail!’
    The men untied the ropes fastening the makeshift spar and carefully lowered the spar and sail to the deck. Then, overcome by the exhaustion and