ii6 SPORT. 



changed countenance, turning with a puzzled and 

 almost alarmed expression to his second, as he saw 

 all around the slender body of his opponent the 

 similitude of a large serpent, tattooed with most 

 artistic skill in varied colours on his white skin, wn'th 

 its many convolutions ending in the flat head skilfully 

 depicted as biting into his heart, or half-buried in his 

 breast. The *' Crusher's " friends afterwards confided 

 to my informant that the spectacle seemed to " double 

 him up." What manner of man was this ? Young 

 as he was, though not so young as he seemed, the 

 " dandy " had been in many and strange lands, where 

 he had experienced many and strange vicissitudes, 

 and this was a somewhat startling memorial of one 

 of them. Anyhow, if it did not make the giant forget 

 his "swashing blows," they fell harmless on his lithe 

 opponent, who, being a perfect master of the art of 

 self-defence, twisted about and evaded them as if 

 endowed with the sinuous tortuosity of the reptile 

 emblazoned on him, till at last, substitutinQ^ attack for 

 defence, he dealt the exhausted q^iant such a blow 



