I was suspicious of him at first, but Akmon told me that he was an excellent instructor, albeit a hard taskmaster. I did not doubt that, as all centurions seemed to have an inbred callous streak. Nevertheless, he was the man I needed and so I paid him a visit on an expanse of ground upon which stood dozens of upright wooden posts, and against these posts recruits equipped with wicker shields and armed with wooden swords were practising their skills. Domitus was obviously enjoying his position immensely, hurling a stream of obscenities against the men in his charge. I strolled over to watch him, cane stick in hand, walking up and down the rows of sweating soldiers stabbing at the posts, keeping their shields tight to their bodies and being careful not to overextend their sword arms. And every once in a while Domitus would hit a man with his cane (so much for not being allowed to strike his recruits), then scream at him the reason for the blow. I had the feeling that he could do this all day and all night, such was his delight.
