s muscles were on the alert, and
suddenly, from acute consciousness of every fibre of his body, he passed
to a splendid lightness, a complete ignoring of anything but poise and
spring. In that moment, so swiftly on the edge of the first circling
movement that Doughty, the slower of communication from brain to limbs,
thought it the same, he had rushed for his hitch.

He got him by the sleeve, and Doughty, surprised at the quick hold,
shyed away, but could not twist out of it. He grappled Ishmael more
closely to try and get full shoulder-play, but the only result was that
each obtained a hitch on the arm and breast of the other's shirt. The
"flying mare" was now out of the question for Ishmael this round, but
with a dexterous twist of his leg he got an inside lock on his
opponent's, and the next moment Doughty was sprawling. He was up the
second after, and, since his shoulders had not touched the ground, the
fall counted for nothing, and this time he rushed in at Ishmael. He was
very angry.

He stooped more, so as to keep his legs out of Ishmael's reach, and the
two strained to try and over-balance each other's body, using the
ordinary arm and breast hold. Ishmael, after a few moments of this
immobile straining, let go Doughty's arm to seize him by the back of the
collar, and Doughty, profiting in a flash by the steeper angle of
inclination, caught him square under the arms and raised him bodily in
the air.

Ishmael hung on grimly, making no effort to disengage himself, which
would only have given Doughty the further purchase needed to throw him.
Instead he began to work round in the other's arms. As soon as he had
sufficient twist on his hips he entwined his feet round Doughty's knees,
and with an effort that caused the blood to suffuse his face and
neck--for Doughty was fighting the movement with relentless pressure--he
got himself, by the hold his legs gave him, round so that his shoulders
instead of his chest were against the chest of his upholder. He flung
his arms backwards round Doughty's fore-arms, thus keeping himself
pressed upon the other, his stomach arched outwards, his legs curled
back each side round the other's knees, his arms, also backwards,
pressing the other's torso in a curve that followed and supported his
own with the disadvantage of having his full weight upon it.

They stayed apparently motionless, breathing heavily, save for that
laboured sound seeming like wrestlers of bronze. Slowly Doughty