The 26 new gladiators were herded out onto the sands from the north gate, and the first glimpse of our girl perhaps gives us a pointer as to the style of gladiator she will be – with body paint and hair that some would describe as a cross between Xena Warrior Princess and Loana from ‘One million years BC’, she strutted forth with arrogance and pride.
The lions, as usual, were sent in from the south, and that three hundred yards of distance between life and death once again caused confusion and panic in the new fighters. Testimony varies depending where in the stands you were sitting – clearly the group were spread as they had decided that they didn’t need to be the fastest fighter in the Arena to survive, simply not being one of the slowest would probably do it, but somewhere along the lines, the two fighters nearest Mathilda! lost their footing, and the male lion, always keen to avoid expending effort, took the hindmost.
Nobody interferes with the male lion while he eats, and as confusion and carnage reigned in the rest of the arena, our girl quietly seemed to almost be standing guard on her pet lion as it ate it’s fill. Thus ended the inaugural appearance of Mathilda!
Final score – 26 people went in, 14 people walked out, and two people were carried out alive but with significant injuries. 6 lions went in, 6 lions came out again. A usual Saturday feeding.