I'd just as well she hadn't. The man with the prize is always the center of conflict and to have a hundred or so of the most efficient killers in the system out after you is no way to live to a ripe old age. But I caught the emerald and the battle was on. I'd hardly got it into my belt before I heard a swish and a Mercurian _Bouncer_, the steel knives on his heels flashing, missed me by a fraction of an inch. Before it could jump again, a four armed Martian pierced it with a javelin. The Martian went down in his turn under a crushing blow from a _Slaber_. I ran backward quickly, knowing that where there's one _Bouncer_ there's another. They fight in a group of twenty or thirty. * * * * * Sometimes I wonder about that rule. Each planet is represented in the final free-for-all, the climax of the Interplanetary Meet, by weight. The Mercurians, who are about the size of Terran chickens, have thirty gladiators in the battle. The group from Calypso numbers eight, and looks like a gang of human dwarfs. Jupiter and Saturn have only one representative each because of their gigantic size. Mars has four, Terra three. The others have varying numbers. The other two gladiators from Terra tried to cover me, but went down in the rush. The first fell victim to the heavy, ponderous and nearly weapon proof gladiator from Saturn, victor of the last Interplanetary Meet. The Terran tried to run in close, beneath the other's guard, but was smashed with a sweeping blow that broke half the bones in his body. The crowd cheered for the nice try, and the Saturnian brandished his half ton club again and peered about near-sightedly for another enemy. My second companion in arms had an arm severed near the shoulder by a fast moving Plutonian _Gadaboot_. He fell to the ground bleeding profusely. At least, he'd probably survive and get back to Terra. I had seconds to live. As I said, we Terrans don't show up so well in the games. The gladiators from _any_ planet can take us. Oh, I don't mean that a Terran couldn't defeat _one_ Mercurian _Bouncer_, or _one_ Calypso _Dwoorf_, but face our three Terrans with the whole Calypso, or the whole Mercurian delegation and we don't last very long. I had seconds to live. They were all centering toward me, taking side swipes at one another if the opportunity allowed, but heading for me. Ordinarily, before a contest, my manager fills me full of last minute advice and instructions; but I'd hardly seen him in the past few months. I'd been too busy reading Suzi's books about the ancients. I was on my own. I didn't have time to figure it out. It just happened automatically. I remembered something and before I had time to place the memory, I had taken the emerald from my belt, held it up momentarily so they could all see it, and yelled, "For the greatest fighter of all," and threw it into the midst of them.