Only when he saw the feverish light in Crocus’ eyes as he leaned forward in his saddle, every muscle tensed, did Constantine realize that the Gallic nobleman intended to give the supposedly sham encounter all the appearance of a real fight. The point of Crocus lance was hardly a length of the weapon’s shaft away by then and, when it suddenly veered toward him, Constantine saw that Crocus intended to pass the shaft between his body and the shield, using the tremendous leverage thus gained to twist his opponent from the saddle and send him crashing to the ground.
Remembering Dacius’ instructions, Constantine swung his body away from the point of the lance and in the same movement pulled the shield in close to his body. The jarring impact as the metal point of Crocus’ lance struck and glanced off the shield, shook him from teeth to toes, but he managed to stay in the saddle. The sudden maneuver disturbed his own aim, however, and the point of his lance barely touched Crocus’ shield, as the two horses passed each other almost directly in front of the reviewing stand.
Constantine’s quick action in shifting his body and pulling his shield against it saved him from being thrown. But the sudden change of position made it difficult for Crocus to control his own lance. Glancing from the shield, it struck downward, and Constantine felt the point drive home into the body of his mount just behind the saddle, followed immediately by the jarring impact of steel against bone deep within the horse’s body.
The wound was lethal and, as the forelegs of the dying horse buckled, Constantine was forced to use the shaft of his spear like a pole, and vault from the saddle before he was pinned under the body of his mount. He landed a short distance from the stricken animal, but still in possession of his weapons and his shield. Crocus, meanwhile, had managed to pull his own lance from the body of Constantine’s dying horse, though almost unseated in the action.
Constantine glanced toward Galerius
As the Gallic prince wheeled his charger about a hundred paces away, Constantine glanced toward Galerius sitting upon the throne with his trumpeter standing beside him. He expected to hear the blast of the cornu that would end the now decidedly uneven exhibition, but the sound did not come. And with a start he realized that Galerius intended to let it go on to whatever might be its termination.
Turning quickly, Constantine saw Crocus bearing down upon him again, his lance extended for another blow. With the full momentum of horse and rider now behind Crocus’ lance, Constantine could see little chance of escaping without a severe wound, or even death. Fortunately he remembered just in time the trick by which the footsoldier hoplites of Alexander the Great had managed to defeat the swift slashing attack of Persian cavalry.
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