“Breave for all y’r worf,” grunted Hawker, as he mightily swung a big bath-towel in swift eddies, to drive refreshing air upon the heaving, panting body of his principal. Bear and Goate applied massaging hands with skilled violence. “By Jove, I thought you had him,” panted Goate as he kneaded triceps and biceps. “And then I thought he had you. It’s anybody’s fight, Matty—but _don’t_ try and knock him out. You couldn’t do it with an axe.” “No,” agreed Bear. “You’ve got to keep on your feet and win on points.” “I’ve got to kill _the Snake_,” hissed Dam, and his seconds glanced at each other anxiously. He felt that nothing could keep him from victory. He was regaining his faith in a just Heaven, now that the Snake had been compelled to face him in the puny form of a wretched pugilist. Some one had said something about an axe. It would be but fair if he had an axe, seeing that hitherto the Snake had had him utterly defenceless while exercising its own immeasurable and supernatural powers, when torturing him to its heart’s content for endless aeons. But—no—since it was here in human form and without weapons, _he_ would use none, and would observe the strictest fairness in fight, just as he would to a real human enemy. “Abaht that there little bet, ’Enery,” observed Seaman Jones, “I fink we’ll alter of it. I don’t wish to give no moral support to this ’ere Griller. T’other bloke’s only jus’ fresh from the Novice Class, I reckon, jedgin’ by ’is innercent young faice, an’ e’s aputtin’ up the werry best fight as ever I see. We’ll chainge it like this ’ere. We backs the ’orse-soldier to win, and, if he _do_, we drinks a gallon between us. If ’e don’t, we drinks _two_ fer to console ’im, an’ drahn sorrer, wot?” “So it are, Will’m,” agreed Henery. “Then we wins _either_ way! _You_ got a ’ead fer logger-rhythms. Oughter been a bloomin’ bookie. They ’as to be big an’ ugly——” “Seconds out of the Ring,” called the referee, and a hush fell upon the excited throng. Bear and Goate dropped to the ground, Hawker splashed water all over Dam’s body and, as he rose on the word “_Time_” snatched away the chair and joined his colleagues, who crouched with faces on a level with the boards. “Oh, buck him up, good Lord, and put ginger in his short-arm work, and O Lord, take care of his chin and mark,” prayed Trooper Bear, with deep and serious devoutness. No need to shake hands this bout—not again till the fifteenth, noted Dam, as he arose and literally leapt at his opponent with a smashing drive of his right and a feint of his left which drew the Gorilla’s guard and left his face exposed. The Gorilla received Dam’s full weight and full strength, and, but for the ropes, would have been knocked among the spectators. A tremendous yell went up, led by the Queen’s Greys.