nto his boots, I will. Watch me!"

As I stood with my back against the partition, the bar-tender slipped
round the end of the counter.

"Look here, guv'nor," he whispered with good intent, "the back door's
open,--run like the devil."

I turned to him in mild surprise.

"Don't be an ijit," he went on. "Git. Why! he's Tommy Flynn, the
champion rib cracker and face pusher of Harlford, here on his holidays."

"Tommy Flynn," I answered, "Tommy Rot fits him better."

"You ain't a-going to stand up and get hit, are you?"

"What else is there for me to do?" I asked.

He threw up his arms despairingly.

"Lor' lumme!--then I bids you good-bye and washes my hands clean of
you." And he went round behind the counter in disgust, spitting among
the sawdust.

By this time, Tommy Flynn, the champion rib cracker and face pusher,
was rolling up his sleeves businesslike and thrusting off his numerous
seconds in his anxiety to get at me.

"'Ere, Splotch," he cried to a one-eyed bosom friend of his, "'old my
watch, while I joggles the puddins out of this kid with a left 'ander.
My heye!--'e won't be no blooming golfing swell in another 'alf minute."

He grinned at me a few times in order to hypnotise me with his beauty
and to instil in me the necessary amount of frightfulness, before he
got to work in earnest. Then, by way of invitation, he thrust forward
his jaw almost into my face. I took advantage of his offer somewhat
more quickly than he anticipated. I struck him on the chin with my
left and drew my right to his body. But his chin was hard as flint and
it bruised my knuckles; while his great body was podgy and of an
india-rubberlike flexibility.

For my pains, he brushed my ear and drew a little blood, with the grin
of an ape on his brutish face.

He threw up his arms to guard, feinted at me, and rushed in.

I parried his blows successfully, much to his surprise, for I could see
his eyes widening and a wrinkle in his brow.

"Careful, Tommy!--careful," cautioned Splotch of the one eye. "He's a
likely looking young bloke."

"Likely be blowed," said Tommy shortly, as he toyed with me. "Watch
this!"

I saw that it would be for my own good, the less I let my antagonist
know of my ability at his own game, and I knew also I would have to
play caution with my strength all the way, owing to the trying ordeals
I had already gone through that day.

Once, my antagonist tried to draw me as he would draw a novice.