, trials
of skill, might, prowess, and magnanimity by means of tilt, combat, or
archery, and all those knights who have been enrolled as true knights,
worthy to try their prowess in the tilts, are hereby invited to do so
without fee or reward, fear or distinction.

'GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.'

'Hurrah! hurrah!' said everybody, and then arose the flapping of white
pocket-handkerchiefs, the waving of flags, the sounding of horns, and
the beating of drums. The arena was cleared by Sam Swipes with a long
cart-whip, and opposite to each other, by separate entrances, appeared
the first two knights who were to engage--(1) The Knight of the Boiling
Fish-kettle, (2) The Knight of the Red-hot Copper. The Knight of the
Boiling Fish-kettle was armed with a splendid helmet of polished metal,
something resembling a double block-tin dish-cover, No. 3 on the
bottom; at the top was inverted a red-boiled lobster for a crest, over
which hung in graceful curves three black cats' tails duly charged with
electricity. A large pewter-dish formed the breast-plate of this knight,
while his arms and thighs were plated with bands of tin, which had an
exceedingly martial appearance. The shield of the knight was the lid of
the fish-kettle, a broad oblong defence, upon which was painted the
device of a leg of pork, with the motto 'Porkus est miceabus.' The
lance-pole of this knight was a clothes-prop, at the end of which a
pepper-box was duly fixed instead of a lance.

The Knight of the Copper was also mounted on a steed; it was of a
reddish-brown, and for his saddle-cloth he had chosen a rich damask
table-cover, which nearly covered the whole body of the animal. He had
on his head a copper cake-mould in the shape of a porcupine. His
breast-plate was a richly-figured japanned waiter. His armour consisted
of muffin-tins fixed over his arms and legs, his crest was a 'scalded
cat,' and his shield a copper-lid of wood. The copper-lid was painted
green, and it had for its device a calve's head, with a lemon in its
mouth, with the motto, 'Calve's head is best hot.'

The knights being set in due array and in proper position, at the sound
of the herald's trumpets spurred their nags, and went towards each other
with the velocity of lightning. At the first assault the pepper-box was
dashed to pieces against the copper-lid, and the fractured fragments
clattered about the combatants. The next charge upset the Knight of the
Boiling Fish-kettle and his Rosinante