252 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



" I'll have a look into " 



" Hell ! " said the slow-of-wrath Jack, and his 

 fist went straight from the shoulder and smote 

 the Hun on the point of the jaw. It was a 

 terrible blow, dealt with all the force of a 

 trained athlete, and inspired by every impulse 

 which a man holds dear ; and the half-drunken 

 brute fell like a stricken ox. Catching the club 

 from the falling man, Jack made a sudden lunge 

 forward at the face of the nearest foe. 



" Now, Jim ! " he shouted, as the full fever 

 of battle seized him. His forward lunge had 

 placed another miner hors de combat, and Jarvis 

 sprang forward and secured the wounded man's 

 bludgeon. 



" Back to back, Jack, and mind your guard ! " 



The odds were eighteen to two against the 

 young men, but they did not heed them. Back 

 to back they stood, and the heavy clubs were 

 like feathers in their strong hands. Their skill 

 at "single stick" was of immense advantage, for 

 it built a wall of defence around them. The 

 crazy-drunk miners rushed upon them with the 

 fierceness of wild beasts; they crowded in so 

 close as to interfere with their own freedom of 

 movement ; they sought to overpower the two 

 men by weight of numbers and by showers of 

 blows. Jack and Jim were kept busy guarding 

 their own heads, and it was only occasionally 

 that they could give an aggressive blow. When 

 these opportunities came, they were accepted 



