And Harrison went in, in such fashion that no man who saw him do it will
ever forget it. Crab Wilson, as game as a pebble, met him with a flush
hit every time, but no human strength or human science seemed capable of
stopping the terrible onslaught of this iron man. Round after round he
scrambled his way in, slap-bang, right and left, every hit tremendously
sent home. Sometimes he covered his own face with his left, and
sometimes he disdained to use any guard at all, but his springing hits
were irresistible. The rain lashed down upon them, pouring from their
faces and running in crimson trickles over their bodies, but neither gave
any heed to it save to manœuvre always with the view of bringing it in to
each other’s eyes. But round after round the west-countryman fell, and
round after round the betting rose, until the odds were higher in our
favour than ever they had been against us. With a sinking heart, filled
with pity and admiration for these two gallant men, I longed that every
bout might be the last, and yet the “Time!” was hardly out of Jackson’s
mouth before they had both sprung from their second’s knees, with
laughter upon their mutilated faces and chaffing words upon their
bleeding lips. It may have been a humble object-lesson, but I give you
my word that many a time in my life I have braced myself to a hard task
by the remembrance of that morning upon Crawley Downs, asking myself if
my manhood were so weak that I would not do for my country, or for those
whom I loved, as much as these two would endure for a paltry stake and
for their own credit amongst their fellows. Such a spectacle may
brutalize those who are brutal, but I say that there is a spiritual side
to it also, and that the sight of the utmost human limit of endurance and
courage is one which bears a lesson of its own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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