“From the depth of the obscurity we could at first hear only what seemed like repressed breathing, and which was scarcely perceptible.
“Doubtless, each was upon the defensive, holding his breath, and acting with great circumspection which would not permit more active movements. But of all this we could see nothing—absolutely nothing; we could only guess at what was passing.
“However, each moment the agitation augmented in the darkness in which swarmed these terrible gladiators.
“The restrained chests began to dilate, and the vague and scarcely perceptible tumult of the first moments began to take a more pronounced form. It seemed to us that we could distinguish, at the least indication, the movements of the combatants.
“We imagined we could see them bounding from one end of the hall to the other, seeking to strike an adversary during the furious élan of their passage.
“Little by little, as the blood of the combatants became frenzied, the primitive incoherence of the battle was accentuated by a horrible murmuring. The impact of rushing bodies began to be distinguishable. The clear sound of the knife striking the flesh could be heard; and then falls and hoarse rattles.
“A little later, when the infernal tumult had swollen to its height, there were heard savage vociferations, sounds of suffocation, dull cries, and strange ejaculations uttered in no language and in no recognisable accent, but none the less horrible and lacerating.
“This fearful occurrence, rendered still more frightful by the profound darkness, lasted some twenty minutes.
“At the end of this time, somebody cried, in Italian—
“‘To the floor, everybody!’ and in a moment silence reigned, as if by enchantment.