, would very likely have cracked it. The
plastramengro, however, received it partly on his staff, so that it did
him no particular damage. Whereupon seeing what kind of customer he had
to deal with, he dropped his staff, and seized the chal with both his
hands, who forthwith spurred his horse, hoping by doing so, either to
break away from him, or fling him down; but it would not do--the
plastramengro held on like a bulldog, so that the Rommany chal, to escape
being hauled to the ground, suddenly flung himself off the saddle, and
then happened in that lane, close by the gate, such a struggle between
those two--the chal and the runner--as I suppose will never happen again.
But you must have heard of it; every one has heard of it; every one has
heard of the fight between the Bow street engro and the Rommany chal."

"I never heard of it till now."

"All England rung of it, brother. There never was a better match than
between those two. The runner was somewhat the stronger of the two--all
these engroes are strong fellows--and a great deal cooler, for all of
that sort are wondrous cool people--he had, however, to do with one who
knew full well how to take his own part. The chal fought the engro,
brother, in the old Roman fashion. He bit, he kicked, and screamed like
a wild cat of Benygant; casting foam from his mouth, and fire from his
eyes. Sometimes he was beneath the engro's legs, and sometimes he was
upon his shoulders. What the engro found the most difficult, was to get
a firm hold of the chal, for no sooner did he seize the chal by any part
of his wearing apparel, than the chal either tore himself away, or
contrived to slip out of it; so that in a little time the chal was three
parts naked; and as for holding him by the body, it was out of the
question, for he was as slippery as an eel. At last the engro seized the
chal by the Belcher's handkerchief, which he wore in a knot round his
neck, and do whatever the chal could, he could not free himself; and when
the engro saw that, it gave him fresh heart, no doubt; 'It's of no use,'
said he; 'you had better give in; hold out your hands for the darbies, or
I will throttle you'."

"And what did the other fellow do, who came with the chal?" said I.

"I sat still on my horse, brother."

"You?" said I. "Were you the man?"

"I was he, brother."

"And why did you not help your comrade?"

"I have fought in the ring, brother."

"And what had fighting in the ring t