The rules looked simple enough. Men in loose shepherd’s outfits grabbed hold of each other and tried to throw their opponent to the ground. As far as James could make out the loser was the man who bit the dust two times out of three.

There was more betting on the wrestling, and Zoltan and Ugo seemed to have a major wager on between them. It all came down to the last bout. The two wrestlers paraded round the square whipping up the crowd’s excitement and Zoltan and Ugo chose their favourites.

Just before the bout began, however, James saw Ugo whisper something to a guard, who darted over and had a quiet word with one of the wrestlers. The wrestler looked towards Ugo and nodded.

The man lost the bout and Ugo collected his money from a disappointed Zoltan.

‘I’m not exactly an expert on Sardinian wrestling,’ said Perry, ‘but I’d say he deliberately lost that m-match.’

‘It certainly looked that way,’ said James.

Just then Ugo spotted James and called him over.

‘I must apologise for my anger at the palazzo, James,’ he said. ‘I was feeling a little tense. This is an important day for me, and perhaps I was rather too quick to lose my temper. Where is your servant now?’

‘He’s left,’ said James. ‘Gone home.’

‘You must tell him when you see him that I bear him no ill,’ said Ugo. ‘I was merely being…’ he paused while he thought of the right word, ‘playful.’ He looked round and smiled. ‘These must be the other boys from Eton,’ he said. ‘When I heard they were on the island I knew I must invite them. Eton is a good school. A school for aristocrats.’

‘Hello, pleased to m-meet you. Perry M-Mandeville,’ said Perry, shaking Ugo’s hand before he knew what was happening. ‘Jolly good show you’ve put on. We were just saying how m-much we enjoyed the wrestling.’

‘Ah,’ said Ugo. ‘The mountain men love to wrestle. “Prima bevono, poi stringono!”’

The boys looked blank and Zoltan translated for them.

‘“First they drink, then they fight,”’ he said.

‘You British boys are famous for your games,’ said Ugo. ‘You must put on a display. We have shown you our Sardinian sports. Now you will show us your sports. Do you wrestle?’

‘Wrestling is not thought one of the more noble sports in England,’ said Zoltan. ‘But boxing is much enjoyed, I believe.’

‘Do you boys box at school?’ said Ugo.

‘M-most of us,’ said Perry.

‘Splendid! Then it is decided,’ said Ugo. ‘We shall have a competition of English boxing! I will choose my champion and Zoltan, you will choose yours.’

‘I choose James Bond,’ said Zoltan. ‘He is not the biggest, or the oldest, but he looks the fiercest.’

The other boys cheered and jostled James, who stood there reluctantly, not wanting to be made a spectacle of.