FIGHT. 175 



the reins, and taking off his coat, jumped 

 out of the vehicle and went up to the fellow. 

 My friend was a fine tall athletic man, as 

 I have elsewhere said, and fit, in a military 

 point of view, to be the right-hand man of 

 ten thousand ; but the waggoner overtopped 

 him by an inch or more, and was stout 

 in proportion. As he pulled his smock 

 frock over his head, and they put them- 

 selves in attitude, I could not help apply- 

 ing, or perhaps misapplying, the words of the 

 Mantuan bard " Fortemque Gyam fortem- 

 que Cloanlhum." It did not take me long 

 to be satisfied that my friend had far the 

 best of it in science, distinctly visible by the 

 not very gentle taps he repeatedly admin- 

 istered to the astonished index of his oppo- 

 nent's countenance. His choler rising with 

 such unpleasant admonitions, he doubled 

 himself up, and with his head down, to avoid, 

 as he thought, any more of such unwel- 

 come communications to his visual or nasal 

 organs, went at his adversary with the 



