urveyed the sea of expectant faces. Both bore traces of
previous conflicts on their features, and their united ages aggregated
something just over thirty.

The Physical Training Officer again advanced to the ropes. "Final of
the Junior Officers' Light-weights!" he announced. "Midshipman
Harcourt on the left--green; Midshipman Mordaunt on my right--red," and
added the name of their ship. He looked from one to the other
interrogatively, and they nodded in turn. Stepping back he resumed his
seat amid a tense silence.

"Seconds out of the ring!"

Then the gong rang, and the two wiry figures rose to their feet and
stepped briskly to meet each other. The wearer of the green colours
was smiling, but his slim adversary looked grave and rather pale with
compressed lips.

Their gloves met for an instant, and the fight started. There was
little or no preliminary sparring. Each knew the other's tactics by
heart. It was just grim, dogged, ding-dong fighting. In height and
weight they were singularly evenly matched, but Harcourt soon gave
evidences of being unquestionably the better boxer. He boxed coolly
and scientifically, but what his opponent lacked in style he made up in
determination. Twice his furious attacks drove Harcourt to the ropes,
and twice the latter extricated himself nimbly and good-humouredly.
Between the thud of gloves and the patter of their feet on the
canvas-covered boards their breathing was audible in the tense hush of
the ring-side.

Ding! went the gong, and the first round was over. They walked to
their corners amid a tempest of appreciative applause, and were
instantly pounced upon by their anxious seconds.

In one of the chairs just below the ring, Thorogood removed his pipe
from his mouth and turned his head to speak to Mouldy Jakes, who sat
beside him.

"Good fight, eh?" he said, smiling. "Harcourt ought to win, of course,
but Mordaunt's fighting like a young tiger. He's no boxer, either.
I'm bothered if I know how he got into the finals."

"Guts!" said the other. "Sheer guts! He won't last, though.
Harcourt'll start piling up the points in the next round."

But when the second round started, Mordaunt developed unexpected skill
in defence. Harcourt led off with an offensive, but his opponent
dodged and ducked and guarded until the first fury of the onslaught
abated, and then a savage bout of in-fighting quickly equalised
matters, until as the end of the round approached disa