Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:45:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Pete Brown <petebrownuk@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Spoils Of War, Part 21

THE SPOILS OF WAR  by Pete Brown.  petebrownuk @ yahoo.com

Read all of Pete's stories in
groups.yahoo.com/group/petebrownseroticstories

Part 21

Even though I'd had such a spectacularly good tour, I
was still "just a gladiator" at Gleeson's Gladiators,
and so when we left the Colonel's office Lewis and I
went out to join all the other gladiators exercising
and working out, as usual.  So it wasn't until we were
all back in our room that night that my buddies could
all congratulate me - they'd seen the fights on TV, as
the Colonel thought that it was good for morale for
the others to watch one of their fellows fighting in
such a prestigious place as the second channel.    In
quieter moments a couple of the guys indicated they
wouldn't mind sleeping with me as they had been
impressed by my fucking, but I had Stu, so I wasn't
particularly interested - I only needed him for
relief, after all, as a guy gets tired of just jerking
off, doesn't he?

I was looking forward to crawling into my bunk that
night, and was planning to satisfy myself with Stu
first, but as usual Slug came and tried to get in.  "I
told you, kid, to fuck off and leave me alone".

"But Spike, Lewis said that I had to bunk with you
from now on... It was the Colonel's orders."

"Well fuck off, OK, go and find somewhere else...."

I looked up then, and there was Lewis, next to Slug.
"Spike, let Slug in with you.  It's the Colonel's
orders."

"But sarge, I was going to fuck Stu tonight, I've been
without it since my last fight...."

"You head the Colonel this morning, Spike!  He wants
you to learn to take dick as well as give it, and he
specifically ordered me to make sure that Slug gave it
to you.  So move over, and let the kid in..."

"Sarge, please... You can't mean it!  Just don't tell
the colonel... I'm not going to have sex with a
sixteen year old kid!"

Actually, whilst I'd been away, there had been a lot
of changes in Slug.  He'd put on some muscle, and
instead of being downright skinny, he was now more
"lean" and was getting to be nicely muscular.  And his
hair had grown, too - he had a nice dark blonde short
crop on his head, cut in the usual gladiator style,
which made him look much less of a kid.  There was a
little thatch on is pecs, too, with a wiry trail
running across his belly down to his pubes.  I saw
that he'd adopted the gladiator style here, too, even
though he wasn't yet fighting:   his balls were
smooth, and his pubes were trimmed to make a nice
short cluster generally to enhance the look of his
dick.  Thinking about it, he was probably closer to
seventeen now than to sixteen, and those months make a
huge difference at that age, don't they?  Actually,  I
could see that he was going to be stunningly handsome
quite soon - all the signs were there, and I was
slightly envious of him being so good looking.

     He'd been listening to Lewis, and now said
"Sarge, am I supposed to fuck Spike?"

"Yes, Slug.  That's what the Colonel wants."

"No way!", I interjected.

"Spike, we've talked about this, and you know what
will happen if you continue to disobey the Colonel....
Remember what we said about the caning?"  I shuddered
inwardly at the thought of being publicly fucked by
Slug, as Lewis lowered his voice so that the other
guys couldn't hear, and went on

"Look, Spike, I know it's hard for you.  But orders
are orders.  The Colonel said that you'd got to learn
to take dick, but he didn't exactly set a time
scale.... So if you allow Slug into your bunk, you can
sleep together and you can fuck him, and I can tell
the Colonel that you're bunking together.... I don't
think he'll ask me directly if Slug has fucked you,
but if he does, I can say, honestly, that I don't know
as once you're both under the sheets, who's to say....
He might ask you and Slug then, of course, and I think
you'd better tell the truth.... But it's up to you.
Now, let the kid in, or tomorrow, it will be public!"

Well, what could I do?  Fucking Lewis's sense of duty!
 It's a pity he didn't think more about us slaves
sticking together against the masters.  Very
reluctantly, I pulled back the sheet and moved to one
side of my narrow bunk, and Slug almost threw himself
in with excitement.  He pressed close against me, and
put his arms around my neck, and wriggled seductively,
making his body comfortable against mine.

"Oh, Spike", he whispered, "Thanks you.  I've wanted
to be closer to you for so long...."

"Shut it, kid.  Look, I don't fuck with kids, OK?
Now, I'm tired, I've got a hard day's training
tomorrow, and I want to sleep.  So shut the fuck up."

There wasn't all that much room in the bunk, and Slug
pushed his body back towards me.  We were kind of
"spooned" together, my chest pushed into his back, and
my dick pressing against his butt.  He reached out and
pulled my arm across his ribs, gave a sigh, and
evidently was very content.

But I wasn't!  I wasn't used to trying to sleep
without at least jerking off, and all day I'd been
thinking about fucking Stu.  I hadn't had proper sex
for days, and now I was really horny - I could feel my
dick reacting as I lay there, and Slug's young butt
was exciting it as it found a warm, moist valley to
nestle in.    I lay there, sleepless, and began to
wonder what the problem would be in fucking Slug -
after all, a lot of the other guys had, and he'd even
been awarded as a "prize" to some of the other rooms
whilst I was away.  And the kid liked me, he'd think
it was like Christmas if I gave him my dick, he'd
always wanted me to fuck him, and my dick did want
it...   But no, another part of me said, I wasn't
going to fuck this kid just because Lewis had said
that we had to bunk together.

I was so hard now that it was almsot hurting, and
there was no way that I could sleep.  My nose was kind
of pressed into the nape of Slug's neck as we lay
there, and to add to my intense discomfort I now found
the fresh, sweet smell of the sweat on his skin adding
to my difficulties - it's kind of intoxicating , isn't
it - that male scent?  I moved my body slightly to try
to get more comfortable, but that only succeeded in
rubbing my dick against Slug's butt cheeks, and made
it worse.    Quite unexpectedly, Slug turned around
completely, and his hand gripped my dick!

"Spike, let me jerk you off.... I can feel your dick
at my butt.... You need it, don't you?"

I put my hand on his to move it off me.  If anyone was
going to jerk me off, it was going to be me!  But as I
did so I brushed against his dick that was lying
almost alongside mine, and he too was rock hard.
"Jerk yourself off, kid", I whispered.  "And I'll do
me."

Well, it's all very well having good intentions, isn't
it?  But when two guys are pressed up close, and both
are jerking off, it's inevitable that something else
happens.  You just can't lie there stroking your dick
when there's another guy doing the same to himself and
there's no space between you.... Before long, after
our hands had banged into each other several times,
we'd moved on so that I'd got my hand wrapped around
both our dicks, that were lying side by side as we
faced each other in the narrow bunk.   I don't know
how I stopped myself from cumming - there's something
absolutely amazing about the feel of another dick
pressed against yours, isn't there, with both of them
being stroked by one hand?  And then, before I could
stop him, Slug's head went down and he started to suck
and nibble at my tit, and all I could do was throw my
head back and moan!

We both shot simultaneously, and as neither of us was
in any state to be able to catch it, his shot all over
my thighs, pubes and belly, and his went all over me.
We collapsed together, rubbing our slimy bodies
against each other, and now he was no longer nibbling
my tits, he was kissing me!  His tongue forced its way
 in to my mouth, and I just couldn't stop him - no,
that's not true - I didn't want o stop him:  somehow
this was one of the most exciting things that had ever
happened to me:  his tongue, pushing voraciously into
me, said something about how much he wanted me, how
much another man needed me.

Finally we drifted in to sleep, and it must have been
two or three in the morning when I woke: Slug was
cradled in my arms, our legs were intertwined, and his
head was resting against my shoulder - his warm breath
was playing on my nips, and I had an intense feeling
of contentment.  It could have gone on for ever, but I
began to think about the coming day, and then the next
weeks, and I suppose that something in my body's
attitude must have disturbed Slug, because I became
aware, without really being able to see him, that he
was awake, and looking at me.  You know how it is when
you wake up with another guy next to you - you can
just tell that he's awake too, and waiting for
something to happen.

Gently, ever so gently, he raised his head towards
mine, and now it was my nose filling with his hot
fresh breath.  His hands cradled my cheeks, and he
started kissing me again, rubbing his body against
mine as he did so that his dick massaged mine, and my
belly.  "Steve....", he whispered.  "Steve, fuck me,
please...."

I almsot jumped with surprise.  "How did you know my
name?", I whispered.

"Lewis told me.  He said the Colonel re-named you,
just as Leroy re-named me.  I can call you Steve, when
we're like this, can't I?  I want it to be special...
Just you and me, Steve.  And you can call me Brad...."

"No, Slug!  We're not going to be together, it's not
going to be special, OK?"

I felt his whole body tense, and then somehow sag.  He
stopped his kissing and caressing, and was just
slumped.  Suddenly, I felt a wave of pity sweep over
me - this kid was only sixteen, well, almost
seventeen.  He'd been sent away from home for most of
his life, and then made a slave, a slave to a guy
who'd beaten him up!  It was hard enough for me to
adapt to being a slave, and I was much older, and
tougher - being in the Marines is no joke, after all:
you soon learn to be mentally tough, as well as
physically so.   I felt a shudder run through him, and
I guessed he was on the edge of tears.  That wouldn't
be good for him - he was learning how to be a man, and
I wouldn't want him to slip backwards.

"Hey, I'm not going to call you Brad, because it's too
hard for me to do it when I'm exercising and working:
I'll forget, and then everyone will know our 'private'
name.  But I'll call you Sluggo  - that will be a
special name, just between  you and me.  And if I use
it when we're around the base, the other guys will
just think I'm teasing you by calling you 'little
Slug'.  OK?"

"Thanks, Steve.  We'll be special buddies, with our
special names. But why won't you fuck me? Don't you
like me?  You really put yourself out to rescue me
from Leroy... I though it was because you liked
me...."

"I do like you, Sluggo!  I like all the guys here.
But I don't fuck guys, in general...."

"You fuck guys on TV, Steve.  And you fuck Stu...."

"Look, I have to fuck them in the arena - I'm a
gladiator, and it's fuck or be fucked!  And as for
Stu, well, it's just a bit of relief for my dick,
nothing serious..."

He pushed himself closer to me, so my dick was pressed
up to get trapped between out bellies.  He whispered
"You need relief now, Steve... I can feel it....."

Before I could say anything, he'd pulled away from me,
then with one hand grabbing my balls, used the other
to push my shoulders firmly but gently back onto the
bunk.  I could easily have resisted him, of course, as
I was much stronger, but with a guy's hands around
your balls your body reacts strangely, doesn't it?
I'm sure Sluggo wouldn't have hurt me, but his gentle
insistence somehow made me happy to do it.

He was starting to almsot giggle, and I put my hand up
over his mouth to warn him to be quiet, as he'd
otherwise wake up all the other guys, and as I did so,
he slipped a leg over me so that he was straddling  my
belly - I could feel his hot ass against my skin, and
my dick was against his butt.  With another shuffle he
was half crouched above me, and had his hand around
the base of my dick, and started to rub it up and down
his ass crack that was now open as he knelt there.

Well, that was it!  I'd been hard before, but once my
dick head had started to get those incredible
sensations from the moist skin of his ass crack, and
was teased every time my piss slit passed over his
pucker, I was gone!  I couldn't stop him - no, I
didn't want to stop him - as he squatted down, my dick
went up into his ass.

It was him then who had to put his hand down over my
mouth to silence me as he rode up and down on me.  I
was away somewhere else, as those overpowering
sensations you get when you're fucking flooded through
me.  I had all those fragmentary flashes of silly
feeling s you get at times like that - I was dimly
aware of my hand running along his thigh, feeling the
new hair there;  my shoulders rose and fell onto the
mattress;  my hips were thrusting upwards, trying
almost to synchronise exactly out of phase with his
riding, as if I needed to get even deeper and harder
into him;  my tongue licked at his fingers that were
over my mouth;  I raised my other hand and almsot
savagely tweaked one of his nips, high above me.....
It went on and on, it seemed to me, but it can at most
only have been a couple of minutes, as the sheer
eroticism of it all completely overtook me and I felt
my dick contract and fire.  He kept on and on, though,
riding me as if nothing had happened, and now I was
weak and almsot hurting with the sensation.  I started
to moan, and he clamped my mouth shut, then stopped,
leaned forward, pulled himself gently off my dick, and
lay along the length of me.

Absolutely reflexively I wrapped my arms around him,
as if wanting to pull him into me and make us one, and
at the same time we were kissing and nuzzling.

"Hey, Steve, not bad for an older guy who doesn't fuck
kids....", he whispered, and we both almsot woke the
whole room up as we had to try to stifle our laughter.

I don't know how we slept then!  The bunk was a wreck,
covered in our sweat, cum, and my ass juices.  But it
didn't seem to matter - we were entwined together, and
soon our passionate kissing and stroking slowed, and I
realised Sluggo was starting to drift into sleep -
something I needed, too, as I knew there would be no
let up in the exercise programme later that day.  Mind
you, it was a bit embarrassing when we did have to get
up - Lewis woke us, with a great slap to my butt,
which is most unusual as I normally wake up at the
right time, and I was completely disoriented for a
moment, again something I'm not used to as I come wide
awake almost instantly.  I realised that Sluggo was
still wrapped around me, and that all the other guys
were standing there grinning as they looked down at
us, and at the bunk with its oh so obvious signs of
our sexual athletics.

"Trust Spike!", someone said. "He's not only a great
fighter, he's a great fucker.... Take a look at
that... I  wonder that Slug can walk this morning!".
There was a bit of a dissenting voice from another
guy, though, as I heard him muttering "You think he'd
have been a bit gentle on the kid, wouldn't you...."

 I was going to say something, maybe even punch him
out, when it struck me that it wouldn't do my
reputation much good if I said it was basically Slug
who'd raped me, well, would it?  So I just kind of
grinned, pulled my self to my feet, pulled Slug to his
and gave him a gentle slap on the butt, and we trotted
off to the showers.

The rest of the week was much the same, but perhaps
not as intense.  Slug came into my bunk each night,
and we spent a lot of time just in exploring each
others bodies, and whispering to each other.  It was
kind of odd to be called Steve again, when everyone
else, all day, was calling me Spike, but it somehow
made this time special and different.  Sluggo was
always needing more sex than me - I suppose those
years difference in our ages had something to do with
it - I mean, at seventeen, your dick's dripping almost
constantly, isn't it?  And his time with the other
guys in our room, and with Leroy and his buddies, and
so on, had made him very, well, "inventive".  Look,
when I fucked a guy, it was just that:  on his knees
or on his back, then straight in, and fuck away.  But
Sluggo liked to play - he wanted us to tease each
other's nips, to kiss, to push our tongues into each
others ears, to fondle our balls, to suck each other's
dicks, to tease the asshole before entry, and so on.
A session with him seemed to go on and on, and I have
to admit it was kind of fun.

Lewis took me aside a few days later as we were coming
off the assault course - Slug was somewhere else, on
another exercise.  We sat there, both utterly
exhausted, covered in sweat, and kind of
companionable, as you are in those circumstances.
"So, Spike.... I can't help but notice that you seem
to have overcome your inhibition about sex with
kids...."

"Sarge, Slug isn't a kid!  He was sixteen when he came
here, so it's all perfectly legal, and now he's
seventeen, and he's as much a man as any of us....
'Kids' mature much earlier these days, than you and I
did at that age."

"I was only teasing you, Spike!  No need to get so
defensive!  I know Slug was a man all this time... And
he's developing nicely, too."

"Yes.  It's amazing what the hard work, the food, the
exercise, is doing to him."

"Well it's only like boot camp, isn't it?  Do you
remember how you were when you first joined up?"

"Sure!  I thought I was a pretty fit guy, until I was
in the Corps.  But those first few months.... Well,
sheer unadulterated bloody hell."

"Yes, Spike.  And I guess it's the same for Slug.
Except that there's no hazing or bullying here - I
guess we all feel a bit sorry for him."

"Yes, sarge, he's a nice guy, and he ought to be
enjoying life, not stuck here as a slave...."

"Well I think he is enjoying life, actually, Spike.
The full horror of it all hasn't really set in.  I
think he thinks he's going to be a gladiator, always
have a lot of good buddies, always have a lot of
sex...  It's probably not as bad for him as it is for
you and me."

"You don't sound very sure, sarge..."

"Well its just the rise of these 'rubbish' bouts:
we're all trained fighters, our skills honed and
practised.  But with all the influx of the Arabs,
there's started to be a lot of bouts where they just
take the guys, strip them (and that's pretty funny in
itself, as their religion says they shouldn't be
naked, and some of them are so superstitious that they
believe it!), and toss them into the arena and let
them beat the shit out of each other.  The critics
have started to say it's more 'authentic' to have
these young terrorists perform like that, rather than
see skilled gladiators.  I'm not sure there's a long
term future for gladiators like us.  So poor Slug may
yet be disappointed...."

"But sarge, what happens to him - and us - then?"

"I don't know, Spike.  But what I do know is that I
think you've been doing a lot of fucking this week....
But you know what the Colonel has ordered, don't you?"

"No, I can't.... And not with Slug...."

"So shall I fuck you then?"

"No, sarge!"

"So what's the problem with Slug?  He'd be up your ass
like a shot, I bet, if you let him."

"No, sarge, I can't....."

"Spike, you're being stupid!  I know you like to be in
charge, that you like to win, that you're a natural,
aggressive top.  But it's in your own interests to
experiment - you're going to lose in the arena one
day, and I've seen other guys like you who are
absolutely devastated the first time they have to take
dick.  So with Slug, why don't you practice?  No one
is asking you to do it all the time, just to get to
know what it's like so you can recover quickly.  View
it as part of your training - you don't mind having
combat lessons, even though you're already a skilled
fighter, do you?  So have 'sex lessons', even though
you're pretty good at using your dick!  And young Slug
is just the one to give them to you."

"Well, I don't know.... I mean, put like that...."

"Look, Spike, I don't like having to lie to the
Colonel.  I can tell him that you and Slug are
together, and it would be so easy just to move on that
one last stage....  Why don't you give it a try?"

I kind of shrugged, but we never finished the
conversation as it was time to get on to the next
activity that afternoon.

In my bunk that evening, Sluggo was messing around as
usual, playing and teasing me, driving me wild as he
kept stopping me getting my dick in him as he wanted
to endlessly prolong the foreplay.  At one point he
was stroking my dick as he scratched gently at my ass,
and I was bucking and writhing in response to it all.
Then, suddenly, he pushed his finger further into my
ass.  I was kind of used to this, after all, as I was
always stretched and lubed before a bout, but to have
Sluggo do it was a bit much.  I went to stop him, but
as I did he kissed me deeply, gave my balls a
comforting squeeze, and pushed a second finger in and
began massaging me.

When I was being prepared for a fight I'd never
enjoyed this part of it - perhaps I was too much on
edge, too nervous, or something, but I'd never liked
being stretched.  But now, with Sluggo's body all over
mine, and with his constant teasing of me and his
kissing, I found it wasn't so bad at all - in fact, I
was almsot enjoying it.

I'd had a bit of a tough time with my combat
instructor that afternoon, and I'd taken a bit of a
tumble at some point and my shoulder was hurting.  I'd
winced several times as we'd messed around, and Sluggo
had noticed this:   there wasn't any real injury to
make it worthwhile to go to the medical room, but I
was just uncomfortable.  As I moved under him just at
that moment, I winced again, and Sluggo stopped
fingering my ass, half sat up, and said "Hey,
Steve....  That shoulder.... Roll over, and let me
massage it...."

I lay there on my belly, Sluggo straddled my back - I
could feel his dick resting on the base of my spine -
and he began to gently rub his fingers deep into my
shoulder muscles.  He wasn't a rained masseur or
anything, but it did feel good, and I think a lot of
the problem was tension, which he was certainly
dissipating.  I began to feel drowsy as the massage
went on,  as you do, and gradually Sluggo's body
slipped down mine, so that he was first almost
squatting on my butt, and then kneeling between my
legs.    He just carried on kneading my back and
generally stroking me, and I felt so fantastic, so
warm, so safe, somehow.... That when he began to rub
his dick up and down the outside of the crack in my
butt, I just carried on lying there, enjoying it, and
even giving a slight moan of pleasure.
And I didn't make any effort to stop him when I felt
his strong fingers gently prying my butt cheeks apart,
so that his dick could now slide up and down deep
inside my crack..... Although I know I did squirm and
moan audibly as his dick head, leaking pre-cum, first
brushed my hole.

I can remember lying there thinking that I should tell
him to stop.  It would have been easy enough.  If I'd
said the word, he'd have stopped - and even if he
hadn't, I could easily just have rolled over and
thrown him off- although he was a lot more muscular
and strong now than when he'd first come, he was still
considerably less powerful than me.  But I didn't.  I
just lay there.  And I felt the insistent pressure on
my hole as he pressed forward.

He knew something special was happening, too -
generally Sluggo was very active, always messing
around, nipping, kissing, tweaking, and so on  But now
he was still, and quiet, completely focussed on what
he knew he was doing, and what he knew I'd said I
wasn't going to do.  It was as if he was waiting for
me to do something, to make some noise or some gesture
to get him to halt, but I didn't.

And then, of course, he was in.  I felt my sphincter
pop, and I kind of relaxed, and his dick slid into me.
 Ever so slowly and gently, as if he was expecting
some sort of explosion at any moment, he inched his
dick forward, until I felt his belly against my butt,
and his wiry pubes against my sensitive skin.  He sort
of leaned forward, so that his head was as close to
mine as possible, and whispered in a low, sexy voice
"Yes, Spike... My dick's in you now, you're spiked on
my dick, Spike.  Are you OK, Steve?"

He sounded so worried and anxious that all I could do
was give the same sort of low, quiet response "Yes,
Sluggo."

And that was it, really - I mean, once you've got a
dick buried in you, it's not all that much extra to
get fucked properly, is it?  And Sluggo was so worried
about upsetting me, that he was extra careful and
gentle as he slid in and out, very slowly and very
carefully.  I felt somehow secure, and warm, and like
a lot of things it was absolutely not like I'd
imagined it.  Having him riding me like this somehow
brought him closer than we'd been before, and I liked
it.   I was even intrigued when he put his hand under
my belly, and gently pulled me up onto my knees, so he
could get at me better.  And then, of course, I found
out how much alike Sluggo and I were - just as I do,
his sexual passion built, and his fucking got faster,
and harder.  There's no way I could stop him now, even
if I'd wanted to - he literally slammed in and out of
me, and I heard those characteristic "slap, slap,
slap" sounds as his flesh collided with mine.  That
exquisite dull ache, almost a deep pain, flooded my
ass and all through me as he continued to fuck me
vigorously

I felt like screaming out.  It's not that I couldn't
stand the pain, the ache... No, it was more that  I
wanted to be part of what was happening.  I wanted to
grunt in time with his thrusts, I wanted to scream
"Yes, yes, yes" as he fucked away.  But I was a bit
inhibited by the thought of all my buddies listening,
so I buried my face into the mattress and gritted my
teeth.  And then it was over - I knew he'd cum.  And
it's funny, isn't it:  although a lot of the stories
say so, it's just not true, is it - you really can't
feel the hot streams of cum searing your guts, or
whatever!  The only way you know the guy's shot his
load is when he half collapses with exhaustion.

He was lying on top of me now, and  I could feel his
heart racing as his sweaty skin was pressed against
mine.  As he pulled out of me and moved his face close
to mine, he whispered "Oh Steve....", but he couldn't
finish the sentence... He was almsot laughing, almost
crying :  it was joy, it was ecstasy.  And, I
realised, I was the same - not only because my body
was telling me I'd had a great time, but because I
knew I'd bought such incredible happiness to another
man..

Look, I'm not saying that I let him fuck me very
often, as I really do like to "top" myself.  But in
the next two weeks I let him do it sometimes, and that
whole time became very special.   All the guys knew we
were "together", and normally this didn't happen - I
mean, there was no point in getting really close to
another gladiator when you might have to beat the shit
out of him in the arena, was there?  So although there
was a lot of sex, it was just casual encounters
between two men who just wanted a night's fun.  But
they all saw that there was something different
between Sluggo and me:  as there was no fear that I'd
have to fight him, we could go further, beyond the
mere satisfying of our physical needs as men, towards
being real friends, sharing everything, completely
open and honest with each other.

And then the blow fell.  As we were kissing before
getting into my bunk one night, Lewis came up.  "No,
not tonight, guys.... You're fighting in three days,
Spike, and you know what that means...."

"OK, sarge, we'll just cuddle up close...", Slug
began.

"No, Slug!  I couldn't trust either of you!   You know
the rules - Spike has to abstain for these three days,
and neither of you is strong willed enough to make
that happen.  So Spike's going to sleep alone, and I'm
even going to cuff his wrists to the bunk, to make
sure he doesn't jerk off!  And you, Slug, you get over
to my bunk... I've listened to you two for so long now
that I'm eager to see what you've learned!"

It was  to be a big honour.  President Prexmire had
some important foreign heads of government or
something for a banquet at the White house - yes, the
South had actually chosen DC as their capital!  Rather
like the Germans in WW II who made the French sign the
Armistice in Compiegne, the same place that the French
had insisted the Germans sign at the end of WW I, so
the South had decided that the former capital was now
"theirs" and was really rubbing the North's nose in
it.  Anyway, at the end of the banquet, as an after
dinner entertainment, President Prexmire had requested
a gladiator bout and they were constructing a special
mini arena in the "U" of the banquet tables.  And I
was to be one of those gladiators.

As it was such a relatively short distance, Lewis was
not even going to be sent along with me - just a
simple bus ride to DC, then the President's staff and
the Secret Service would take care of me, they said.

End Of Part 21