And so it goes. Superstition is part of human nature. The world’s most famous fighters have used rabbits’ feet, praying beads, lucky charms, the lucky handshake, the wife’s or sweetheart’s handkerchief, and many other talismans to bring them luck in the ring. BOOK FIVE [Illustration] [Illustration: 22] ADVENTURES ABROAD I was struck with the wanderlust at an early age. I liked traveling and made up my mind in my youth that I would see the world, and I carried out my plan successfully as I grew older. From the time I was fourteen to the present day, the aggregate mileage I’ve covered would go many times around the globe. Collecting material for sports stories, visiting places of interest to better acquaint myself with world boxing conditions, hunting for world boxing talent, and on occasions officiating as referee in international bouts, both amateur and professional, enabled me to meet the leading sportsmen and sports writers of our country, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Prior to World War Two, I frequently acted as third man in the ring in contests in Spain, Germany, Venezuela, Panama, Cuba, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Including matches in the United States, I officiated in more than 1,000 boxing bouts, and probably refereed in more foreign countries than any other American. Most of my trips were taken by air, though in the days when I was Sports Editor of New York dailies, I made many sea voyages, particularly to Central and South America. In 1948 I flew close to 60,000 miles to attend world boxing conferences, to see international contests and to study boxing conditions. That year I made three flights to Europe, four to various parts of Canada, three to Central America and one to South America, in addition to many in our own country. On one of the European trips I flew to London, Dublin, Glasgow, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Lisbon to look over youthful boxing talent. Such long journeys were the rule rather than the exception. Twice in 1951 and again during April, May, and part of June of 1952, I journeyed almost as far on behalf of boxing. In 1954 I flew around the world twice. I was in Panama the year that the Canal was finished and opened for navigation and the following year, 1912, I made another trip to spend a vacation with the Duke family, owners of the Panama Railroad, the bank, and practically every other worthwhile financial enterprise in that old Spanish city, including the lottery. Two of the Duke boys were football players at Fordham University, and that’s how I became acquainted with them. I was still with the _Press_ at that time, and had taken a three months’ leave of absence in order to gather material for special series which I had decided to write on “Sports in the Caribbean.”