[Illustration: _RUNNING SHOES._] CHAPTER XVIII. What Came of the Fight--Allen's Treachery--Attempts to Kill Ben in St. Louis. The fight itself, whatever may be the view taken of it, was unsatisfactory. It was marked from the beginning by a desire on the part of Allen and his friends to resort to foul means in order to win the stake. I make this assertion in the full confidence that any unprejudiced person who was present on the occasion will bear me out in its accuracy. The men stepped into the ring, and, in accordance with time-honored custom, shook hands with each other. The crowd pressed close to the ropes, the seconds took up their positions in opposite corners, and the event concerning which so much had been said became at last a reality. The first round lasted eight minutes. After some little sparring and cautious feelers on both sides, Ben got in a square right-hander, which drew the claret, and counted first blood for our hero. This he followed up by a knock-down, and succeeded in getting his antagonist into a corner, where he attempted to throw him over the ropes. This, it will be remembered, was the strategy resorted to by Heenan in his world-famous fight with Sayres. But Ben was not heavy enough to handle Allen in this manner, and so, instead of throwing him over the ropes, he knocked him underneath. This ended the round. The men responded promptly to the call of time, on the second round. This opened warily on either side, the pugilists standing off, and exchanging a series of scientific passes without any material advantage to either. Then Ben began to work Allen over towards the latter's corner, doing some splendid work in the way of dealing and warding off blows. It was at this point that Allen began the tactics to which allusion has already been made. After a feint with his left, he let drive with his right, striking Ben not only below the belt, but in a part of the body which is, perhaps, the most sensitive of any. Ben dropped at once. The physician who was in attendance, and who made a hurried examination of the wound, declared that he had been ruptured, and that it was impossible for him to go into the ring again. Before any explanation could be made, however, and even before Ben could enter his protest against the foul, which Allen had plainly been guilty of, Looney called time, and there was nothing to do but to respond to this call. The third round was a hot mill, lasting from seven to eight minutes. Some twenty blows were exchanged on each side, and then Allen again began his attempt at fouls. The crowd was quick to detect this, and equally quick to discountenance it. "Foul! foul!" was the cry on all sides. In another moment the ropes were cut, and the spectators pressed into the ring. Addressing Allen, some of them said: "If you can't lick this man by fair means, you can't lick him at all!" Talk became loud and furious, and some pistols were drawn, but without any serious results.