228 SPORTING STORIES 



" The mat was cleared of all persons save the setters-to. 

 The betting went on vociferously. The setters-to taunted 

 each of the birds with the other's presence, allowed them 

 to strike at each other at a distance, put them on the mat 

 facing each other, encouraged their crowing and mantling 

 until they were nearly dangerous to hold, then loosed them 

 against one another for the fatal fight. The first dart 

 into attitude was indeed strikingly grand and beautiful, 

 and the wary sparring for the first cut was extremely 

 curious. They were beak-point to beak-point until they 

 dashed up in one tremendous flirt — mingling their 

 powerful wings and nervous heels in one furious mass. I 

 can only compare the sound of the first flight to that of a 

 wet umbrella forced suddenly open. The separation was 

 death-like. The yellow bird staggered out drooping, dis- 

 mantled, bleeding. He was struck. Fleming and Nash 

 severally took their birds, examined them for a moment, 

 then again set them opposite each other. 



" The handling of the cocks was as delicate as though 

 they had been of foam or froth, or anything else that 

 would melt in the grasp. Fleming's bird staggered 

 towards his opponent ; but he was hit dreadfully, and ran 

 like a drunken man, tottering on his breast, sinking back 

 on his tail, while Nash's, full of fire, gave him a final stroke, 

 and the brave bird lay a draggled, motionless object upon 

 the mat. 



"The victor cock was carried away slightly scarred, but 

 rendered doubly fierce by the short encounter he had been 

 engaged in. He seemed to have grown double the size. 

 When the bets had all been settled, the two Nashes de- 

 scended with another cock. Sometimes the first blow was 

 fatal ; at others the battle was long and doubtful, and the 

 cocks showed all the obstinate courage, distress, and 

 breathlessness which mark the conflict of pugilists. I saw 

 the beak open, the tongue palpitate, the wing drag on the 

 mat, and even the sweat break out on the feathers. When 

 the battle lasted long, and the cocks lay helpless near or 

 upon each other, one of the feeders counted ten, and then 

 the birds were separated and set to at the inner circle. If 

 one bird did not fight while forty was counted, and the 



