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Agelaus slapped him on the back. "You're very bright and can do whatever you set your mind to."
Paris bent down to pick up a stick and drew a rectangle in the dirt. "The front should face Mount Ida, so I'd have a view of the sunset, or would it be better to face the rising sun instead?"
"The rising sun," his father said. "It's a good way to greet the day."
Paris felt as though he had greeted too much that day. He rose and tossed the stick aside. "I need to think of everything first."
"It's always wise to have a plan," Agelaus agreed.
As they started for home, Paris turned to walk backwards and faced his father as he spoke. "What do you think of having our bulls fight? The bulls would do all the work, and I could gather all I'd need from the men's wagers."
"Ah, now there's an idea." Agelaus had a good laugh over it, and then grew serious. "Our red bull has never been the friendly sort. The black is too tame to do more than turn and run. We'll need to find a man with a bull he thinks can beat ours. I won't wager our bull though. A cow perhaps, but we won't bet the bull himself. If I brag a bit, there will be someone who believes his bull is stronger. Give me a chance to inspire some interest, and we'll see what happens."
Paris broke into a wide grin. "We could use the ring for animals in town. From what I've seen, bulls don't need a great deal of room."
"No, they like to butt heads and paw the ground, but they don't race around each other. Let's not tell your mother about this yet. She'll think us daft for sure."
"A secret it is," Paris agreed and went off whistling.
* * *
Unfailing good humor made Agelaus popular in the village. When he mentioned his family owned a particularly mean-tempered bull, speaking as though he were seeking only a sympathetic ear, two men immediately offered their bulls for a match.
"I don't know," Agelaus mused thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want either of you to lose a bull to injury and blame me."
Edremus was a short, portly man with close-set eyes who loved a bit of sport wherever he could find it. He rubbed his hands with jovial enthusiasm. "I've never seen a bull suffer more than a scratch he'd scarcely feel. Bring your bull to town on the next market day, and I'll bring mine. We'll see which bests the other."
"My bull will fight the winner," Manyon quickly offered.
"We could all use some entertainment," Agelaus admitted. "But there ought to be a prize for the winner. What do you say to three young cows? Will you wager that much?"
"Yes, of course," Edremus agreed. "I'll be happy to bet cattle I'll never lose."
"We'll have to wait and see," Agelaus answered. "I'll have Paris bring the bull to the next market day, but remember that I've warned you both about him."
His friends nodded, chuckling over the certainty of a win.
* * *
Paris feared he wouldn't be able to coax the red bull into walking to the village unless the beast grew accustomed to being led by a rope. The bull grew bored with the lessons early each day, but they made slow, steady progress.
"What a fine bull you are!" Paris praised him repeatedly. "Every cow will be in love with you." The red bull snorted and regarded him with a fierce bla
ck-eyed gaze, but undaunted, Paris persevered. On the day agreed upon, the red bull came willingly, as though he's learned several fine cows were to be his reward.
Agelaus whispered, "We're reluctant to do this, remember."
"Of course," Paris responded. "Red should be the first bull to enter the ring so he'll have a chance to grow used to it."
They arrived early and released Red into the ring. The wood-fenced enclosure was more often used for sheep than cattle, but it was large enough for the bull to circle at an easy lope. When Edremus led a brown and white spotted bull into the ring, Agelaus warned him again of how foolhardy this challenge might be.
"Talk to me after the bulls become acquainted," Edremus replied. He jostled another man aside for a better place to stand outside the ring and watch.
Paris had great confidence in Red, but the brown and white bull was of an immense size, and he feared the match might be closer than they'd anticipated. "Are we the ones being foolish here?" he whispered to his father.
Agelaus dipped his head. "Just watch."
Red turned when the brown and white bull was led into the ring. He lowered his head and snorted what had to be an insulting bovine taunt. The brown and white bull stood still with no more than a swish of his tail. Red pawed the earth scattering clods of dirt. When the spotted bull made no move to respond, Red charged and the beasts butted heads with a loud thump. Red was a powerful bull with shoulders thick with muscle. He kept his head down and shoved the brown and white bull back with a force that made the crowd cheer.
