We determined that the challenge should be accepted that night. With Mr. Albert Fleming to act as agent, we went at once to the Aquarium. When Samson appeared on the stage he gave the usual challenge. Apparently to his surprise, Mr. Fleming accepted it, asking him if he had the £100 at hand. Samson replied that there would be no difficulty about the money, but Mr. Fleming insisted on seeing it, and the note was accordingly produced. Samson was then asked if he had the £1,000 ready, and he promised that it would be forthcoming in the event of the defeat of his pupil. The preliminary arrangements having been completed, and the note for £100 handed to Captain Molesworth, the manager of the Aquarium, I walked up to the stage. Seeing me in evening dress, the audience were unable to realise that I stood the slightest chance of defeating the strong man and his pupil. They even shouted to Samson not to heed me, but to get on with his performance. It seemed evident to them that I was unequal to the task that had been undertaken, and Samson himself burst out laughing when he saw me. The coolness and indifference of this first reception in London were not, perhaps, unnatural, for in evening dress there was nothing, as everyone said at the time, specially remarkable about my appearance. But when I took off my coat, and the people could see the muscular development, the tone of indifference changed immediately to surprise and curiosity. Samson and Cyclops themselves shared the general astonishment, though they did not allow their surprise to be shown for more than a moment, Samson being heard to remark, “We will beat him, anyhow.” The first feat which Cyclops performed was to lift over his head two weights of 56 lbs. each, lowering them with arms fully extended. This performance I repeated. Cyclops next took the bar bell, weighing 240 lbs., and with two hands lifted it from the ground over his head. When the audience saw that for the second time the same feat could be accomplished with ease they began to cheer; and I repeated the performance, after Cyclops, using only one hand. All this time Samson, anxious of the issue, kept asking me in asides in French to let him know my history. As, however, he did not, or would not, speak in German, he had to remain in ignorance. The performance proceeded, and now Cyclops took with one hand a dumb-bell weighing 210lbs., and extending it at arm’s length, bent down and raised over his head with the other a second dumb-bell, of 100lbs. weight.