of the garden, formed by the junction of two walls, and screened by
by some rubbish. On his asking me if I was satisfied with the
ground, and on my replying Yes, he begged my leave to absent
himself for a moment, and quickly returned with a bottle of water
and a sponge dipped in vinegar. 'Available for both,' he said,
placing these against the wall. And then fell to pulling off, not only
his jacket and waistcoat, but his shirt too, in a manner at once
light-hearted, business-like, and blood-thirsty.

Although he did not look very healthy--having pimples on his
face, and a breaking out on his mouth--these dreadful preparations
quite appalled me. I judged him to be about my own age, but he
was much taller, and he had a way of spinning himself about that
was full of appearance. For the rest, he was a young gentleman in
a grey suit (when not denuded for battle), with his elbows, knees,
wrists, and heels considerably in advance of the rest of him as to
development.

My heart failed me when I saw him squaring at me with every
demonstration of mechanical nicety, and eyeing my anatomy as if
he were minutely choosing his bone. I never have been so surprised
in my life, as I was when I let out the first blow, and saw him lying
on his back, looking up at me with a bloody nose and his face ex-
ceedingly foreshortened.

But, he was on his feet directly, and after sponging himself with
a great show of dexterity began squaring again. The second great-
est surprise I have ever had in my life was seeing him on his back
again, looking up at me out of a black eye.

His spirit inspired me with great respect. He seemed to have no
strength, and he never once hit me hard, and he was always
knocked down; but, he would be up again in a moment, sponging
himself or drinking out of the water-bottle, with the greatest satis-
faction in seconding himself according to form, and then came at
me with an air and a show that made me believe he really was going
to do for me at last. He got heavily bruised, for I am sorry to
record that the more I hit him, the harder I hit him; but, he came
up again and again and again, until at last he got a bad fall with
the back of his head against the wall. Even after that crisis in our
affairs, he got up and turned round and round confusedly a few
times, not knowing where I was; but finally went on his knees to

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