Continued from "The Restored Cleopatra", page 17 - We have just come from the Temple of Isis, onboard Cleopatra's barge. The gods have "come alive" and tormented Cleopatra. Rufio has come to tell her that Antony has been located. She requests that his men not know about this, and gathers a group to find him herself. Having left the temple, they are now on the dock of Actium Bay. Cleopatra, accompanied by Rufio and Apollodorus, with Ramos discreetly following in the rear, passes among the men loading the galleys. The activity is at its height now, and Egyptian overseers are using whips on their men. One of them makes the mistake of slashing a Roman Legionnaire, who viciously pulls the Egyptian to himself by the whip itself and wraps the whip around his throat, throttling him with it. They are torn apart. Cleopatra's party passes on, past irate Romans, being herded toward the galleys by officers. One of the men breaks away, rushes up to Canidius who stands watching impassively...

The Roman is dragged off. Canidius stares after him. The scene dissolves to a waterfront dive of a tavern in Actium. Squalid and crowded. In the background are a few stone steps leading down from the street level. Unsavory types - both male and female, and quite a few mercenary soldiers - neither Roman nor Egyptian, all in their bizarre costumes. In the center of the room, ringed by rough tables with customers seated and standing, is Antony. He holds a loaded wine-skin on his shoulders. He is declaiming for the pleasure of the company. They find it enjoyable. The scene begins with a roar of laughter at him. While they laugh, he drinks sloppily from the skin - the wine running down his chin. He wipes it with the back of his hand, and continues what has been a list of suggested epitaphs for himself...

Another laugh. He says, and grins foolishly...

More laughter. He squirts at a girl. She squirts back. In the background, Cleopatra, Rufio and Apollodorus make their entrance, unobserved by Antony.

Apollodorus stays by Cleopatra, as Rufio and Ramos make their way toward Antony.

Tears come to Cleopatra's eyes, and she hides her face even more. The crowd is quiet now - puzzled by his savage outburst. Antony squirts the musicians playing nearby. Rufio and Ramos draw near to him...

Rufio stands beside him. Befuddled, he stares at him...

He turns from Ramos and sees, near the entrance, Apollodorus. Cleopatra, beside him, her face covered, is turned away...

[Here, Antony lets it be known that he is aware of the love between Apollodorus and Cleopatra.]

Rufio claps a hand over his mouth. He and Ramos take Antony under the arms and start him out. Antony struggles drunkenly, the patrons protest - a minor riot is imminent. Apollodorus shelters Cleopatra. From within her cloak, she hands him a purse of coins.

He showers it out over the customers. They scramble greedily for them as Cleopatra and the others make their way out with Antony. The scene dissolves to the lower deck of Cleopatra's barge. Apollodorus and Ramos deposit Antony upon the bed. He is completely out. They make him comfortable. Rufio stands with Cleopatra...

She shakes her head.

Ramos and Apollodorus join them...

They bow and go out. She is alone with Antony. She crosses to the bed and looks down at him. His cuirass has been loosened and his boots unlaced; he is sprawled on his side of the bed - leaving hers vacant. Then she sits beside him, takes him into her arms as a mother might a child...

The scene dissolves to the morning, on the waterfront and galleys. A rank of Roman horns is lifted and sounded as a signal for assembly. On the lower deck of the barge, Antony is turned face down upon the bed. The space beside him is still undisturbed - except for Antony's armor, neatly laid out. Cleopatra sits in a chair nearby, her eyes on him. The sound of the horns is heard. Antony stirs...

He sits up and turns as he calls. He sees Cleopatra. Quietly, she indicates the armor...

He starts to get into his armor. From time to time, when necessary, she helps him...

He is in his armor. He pours wine and drinks. Cleopatra struggles to maintain her offhand exterior...

Suddenly, Cleopatra's hand goes to her mouth. She sinks to a chair and turns from him. Antony eyes her curiously...

Antony crosses swiftly, drops to one knee beside her. He turns her face to his...

Gently, they kiss. As their lips part...

Once more, the Roman horns are heard. Nearer, now. Antony's cutter is heard coming alongside. He rises...

He turns and goes abruptly. Cleopatra rises and looks after him. The scene switches to Antony in his cutter, approaching his battleship. He comes abreast of it and is hoisted onboard. The scene continues as we see it in the film. The battle begins, and as he said he would, Antony goes straight through the center of the Roman fleet in pursuit of Octavian. Back at the topo table, Euphranor warns, "They've let him through. The Roman line will close in behind him." Cleopatra comes up from below deck and is informed Antony is already through the center of the enemy line. Antony orders the ballistas to be fired on Octavian's ship to slow it down.

At the topo table, Euphranor's voice is taut with anxiety. He gives quick orders to various officers. Messages are flashed to the ships with a reflecting board.

During the above, the messages have continued to be flashed. A message is rushed over. With some excitement, an officer moves Octavian's model broadside - and heads Antony's toward it...

Her voice cuts like a knife through the confusion. Everything stops.

Cleopatra glares triumphantly across at Euphranor.

Euphranor returns her look impassively, then turns his look toward the topo-table. The scene continues as we see it. Octavian's ship is rammed by Antony's. Antony and his men invade Octavian's ship. Antony screams for Octavian, who comes up from below wearing his armor and insignia. They battle and Antony overtakes him, pulling off Octavian's helmet only to find...it's not Octavian. Antony demands, "Where is Octavian?" The impostor replies, "My Lord Octavian is not on board." Antony releases the man, rises and turns - in a daze of awareness that he has been tricked. The impostor starts to rise slowly, too. then suddenly leaps for his sword. Just in time, Ramos intercepts his attack on Antony and kills him. Antony, still dazed, turns in reaction. He smiles gratefully at Ramos and claps his arm in thanks.

They look off to see two other ships of Octavian's fleet open up their fire at very close and quite accurate range, putting Octavian's ship in immediate jeopardy. The scene switches to Agrippa's command post...

The scene continues uncut. At the topo table, a messenger delivers information to the officer in charge, who then sets Antony's model ship on fire. Directing her words to Euphranor, Cleopatra asks, "Would you say, Admiral - that Lord Antony is dead?" His somber silence answers her. She gives orders to sail for Egypt. Antony, seeing Cleopatra's barge retreating into the distance, realizes she is leaving. He is consumed with the thought of Cleopatra, "...leaving me!" Thinking of nothing else, he abandons his men and, using a small dispatch craft, takes off after her. From the deck of Octavian's ship, Ramos struggles to his feet. An officer runs in and they both stare after Antony...

He turns and leads the officer back into the fight. The scene continues in Agrippa's cabin. He bursts into it and crosses to his bed where a sea-sick Octavian is lying down. Agrippa lets him know Cleopatra is leaving and Antony is following her...."We have won a great victory!" Octavian waves him away. He could not care less. Antony's dispatch galley catches up with Cleopatra's barge. He is helped onboard. In the attitude of the military men who help him, there is a faint trace of contempt - faint but present. What he has done will echo around the Mediterranean for centuries to come as an astounding and puzzling desertion of his own men. Shaking away the help offered him, Antony lurches to the mast, leaning his back against it for support. Rufio, drawn by the change in the beat of the oars to allow Antony to board, comes out on deck. He stares unbelievingly at Antony, then the battle still raging on the horizon. He turns away without expression and goes below.