NOBLE ART OF SELF-DEFENCE 249 



sister scream he bounded forward, and with one blow laid 

 the foremost of her assailants in the gutter. He was barely 

 over five feet, while these fellows were tall, raw-boned 

 coal-heavers ; and although one was hors de combat, I was 

 alarmed about the other, and shouted lustily for the watch. 

 My companion was not in the least daunted, however. ' You 

 take care of my sister,' he said, ' and if I cannot manage 



a pair of rascals like these I ought to be d d ! ' The 



second ruffian aimed a blow at me, but I avoided it, and 

 saved my fair partner from harm, while our little champion 

 rushed forward, received a blow on his arm, and returned 

 it with one in the pit of the stomach, which tumbled the 

 fellow headlong into an area at least three yards deep. 

 This was all the work of an instant, and our skilful 

 champion seizing hold of his sister's arm, we arrived 

 safely at his house. This will, I think, establish the 

 usefulness of pugilism. Had my friend known as little of 

 the science as the coal-heavers, the consequences might 

 have been serious unless he had had his sword, when 

 indeed he might have killed them in a gentlemanly manner. 

 The next day I put myself under a master of the art of 

 self-defence, and I consider a knowledge of boxing to be 

 as necessary to the education of a gentleman as Greek and 

 Latin." 



And even in these days a knowledge of boxing may 

 be a very useful accomplishment. I had this fact brought 

 home to me not so very long since, when I was a spectator 

 of a presentation to a popular clergyman in a suburb of 

 London. The police of the district publicly presented the 

 parson with a very handsome pipe, and his wife with a 

 valuable bracelet, in recognition of his plucky conduct in 

 rescuing a constable who was being brutally assaulted by 

 a mob of roughs. The policeman was down, and his assail- 

 ants were kicking him in a most savage fashion, when the 

 parson — a little, thick-set man — dashed in among them, 

 sent them flying right and left with hits straight from the 

 shoulder, and assisted the fallen man to his feet. Then the 

 two of them, back to back, fought the crowd till reinforce- 

 ments arrived and the currish crew incontinently fled. 



This same parson was in the habit of holding open-air 



