OF ALEXANDER. 139 



were wet and slippery he soon got the gun 

 away from me. 



We had now been at it about ten minutes, 

 and were both pretty well blown, still I had 

 plenty of fight in me. I sprang to my feet and 

 seeing that he was feeling for a knife, kept on 

 twisting him round so that he could not get 

 at it. I had nothing to defend myself, or attack 

 him with now, and as fast as I approached him 

 he kept prodding me with the gun barrel, 

 and kicking at me. Cocking the gun, he shouted 

 to me to stand off or he'd be the death of me, 

 but, luckily, in the struggle amongst the brush 

 wood, both caps had fallen off the nipples, so 

 I escaped unhurt. Finding this, he clubbed 

 the gun and threatened to smash my brains out. 

 I was very much nettled, for although I could 

 see that he hadn't much more fight left in him, 

 he had the gun, so what could I do ? He was 

 much bigger and stronger than I, and weighed 

 I should say, over fourteen stone, whilst I only 

 weighed between eight and nine stone ; but 

 what I lacked in strength and weight I made 

 up for in youth and toughness ; for he must have 



