Mr. George and Rollo continued to ascend the different staircases which they met with in their wanderings, until at length they had reached a great elevation; and yet so immense was the extent of the interior of the edifice, that they were not at all too high to see the arena to advantage. Here Rollo crept out upon one of the sloping platforms, where there had formerly been seats for spectators, and calling to Mr. George to follow him, he sat down upon a great square stone, which seemed to have formed a part of the ancient foundation of the seats.
"Come, uncle George," said Rollo, "let us sit down here a few minutes, and make believe that the games are going on, and that we are the spectators."
"Yes," said Mr. George, "we will. In that way we can get a better idea of what the Coliseum was."
"I wish we could bring it all back again," said Rollo, "just as it was in old times, by some sort of magic."
"We must do it by the magic of imagination," said Mr. George.
"Only," continued Rollo, "the things that they did down in the arena were so dreadful that we could not bear to look at them."
"True," said Mr. George. "The spectacles must have been very dreadful, indeed."
"Such as when the lions and tigers came out to tear and devour the poor Christians," said Rollo.
"Yes," said Mr. George; "but generally, I suppose, when wild beasts and men were brought out together on the arena, it was the beasts that were killed, and not the men. It was a combat, and I suppose that the men were usually victorious. It was the spectacle of the fury of the combat, and of the bravery which the men displayed, and of the terrible danger that they were often exposed to, that so excited and pleased the spectators."
"I should not have thought that they could have found any men that would have been willing to fight the beasts," said Rollo.