swinging
blow that crashed on Pete's chin; and Pete dropped as if his legs had
suddenly broken under him, and lay in a grotesque attitude, his cheek
pressed to the earthen floor, while the assembled miners sent up yells of
excitement that presently settled into a babel of criticism.

Quigley made an effort to rise, but collapsed, and was lifted into his
corner, and freely sprayed and towelled by his seconds. Jim sat unmoved,
while Mike and an aristocratic digger, known as the Prodigal, fanned him
with the towels Mrs. Kyley had thoughtfully provided.

Quigley came up again at the call. He was still blinking and a little
dazed, but far from being beaten, and the first round had taught him a
lesson. He advanced more warily, displaying some little respect for his
enemy's darting left, but Jim's tactics puzzled and disgusted him. The
young man was as nimble as a cat, and no matter how Pete pushed him, he
always broke ground and slipped away when it seemed that his towering
opponent had him at his mercy.

'Why don't you fight, blast yer!' stuttered Pete, swinging on the runaway
for the third time in two minutes.

'Yes, stand up to it. This ain't a dancing lesson!' his second growled.

Jim's answer was a quick feint and a hard drive on the nose with the
left, following up quickly with the right on Quigley's ear. Both blows
sank in deeply, and Jim eluded Pete's rush, jumped out of his reach, and,
coming at him from the side, punched him heavily in the neck, whereat
Mike and his friends clamoured joyously. Quigley rushed at Jim, spitting
oaths, but he was a better fighter than he appeared to be, and was
prepared for the other's swift, cutting left hand by this, and, ducking,
he landed both fists on Jim's body. Jim countered on the ear and neck,
there was a fierce rally that set the crowd jumping and shouting madly,
and Jim slid out and skipped away, then got back at Pete before he had
quite realized what had happened with a powerful blow over the kidneys.

Pete's blood was up; he set his teeth, and went at Done with hungry
passion. The young man's style of fighting was new to most of the
onlookers, and few of them appreciated it. What they liked was to see
combatants stand up to each other, giving punch for punch, a system in
which the strong brute had all the advantage. Adroitness in avoiding
punishment was not regarded with favour; but, in spite of the derisive
cries of Quigley's backers, Jim kept strictly to his methods