THE LIFE OF A SPORTSINIAN 



thrashing the huge Entellus, shows that the use of the fists 

 was by no means beneatli the practice of a gentleman. Then 

 care has been taken to prove that a bullying manner rarely, if 

 ever, accompanies true courage and even consummate skill. 

 For example : when Hector, in the seventh book of the Iliad, 

 is made to challenge to single combat any of the Greek 

 leaders, Ajax remains silent, through modest reserve, till 

 Nestor's speech rouses him to an offer of meeting the defiance. 

 Again, when the lot falls upon him to be the champion on the 

 occasion, the same reserve marks his conduct. He merely 

 expresses a soldier's confidence in the result, and desires the 

 Greeks to pray to Jupiter for his success. Then, as I under- 

 stand is invariably the case with British pugilists, Homer 

 takes care to show that Ajax bore no personal ill-will towards 

 Hector when he went forth to fight him ; and it is on this 

 ground that Cicero, in his Tusoulan questions, offers an 

 apology for the gladiatorial exhibitions of his country.^ I 

 finished my exordium,' continued our hero, ' on British boxing, 

 with a short extract from Jackson's Stranger in America, 

 which I had written in my memorandum book for the express 

 purpose : — 



' " Gouging, in the State of Georgia," says the author, " is 

 thus practised : the best man throws his antagonist on the 

 ground, and gets up with an eye in his hand, which he has 

 turned out of the socket with the thumb-stroke ; — ' The first eye 

 for the honour of the State !!! ' They use their teeth, sharpened 

 with a file, and bite off ears and noses. A scufiie took place 

 among some sailors; one of them, a practised gouger, knocked 

 out the candle, gouged out three eyes, bit off one ear, tore a few 

 cheeks, and made good his retreat ! " ' 



' And what said your uncle to all this ? ' asked the 

 Captain. 



' Why, he gave a shudder, and expressed a wish to drop the 

 subject for the present.' 



' Had I been present at this conversation,' resumed the 



' Why Homer lias chosen to represent Ajax as a loser in all the games in 

 which he is engaged at the funeral of I'atroclus, is not easily exiilained ; especially 

 as they are of a nature in which his bodily strength and vigour would have fair 

 scope for exertion. We may suppose, however, that, having lixed his reputation 

 by making him the resource of his countrymen on all important occasions, it is 

 of little consequence that others excel him in sportive conflicts. 



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