THE PRIZE RING. 

 Chapter XIX. 



Sayers and Heenan. — Bob Brettle was the only man Sayers ever 

 fought who was lighter than himself, and the two fights he had with 

 Aaron Jones summed up 148 rounds of five hours' fighting, and they 

 were going to tackle each other for the third time when Heenan came 

 on the scene, as is related at p. 323. 



Colours, Umpires, and Referee. — I have not described the men's 

 colours quite accurately at p. 326. Sayers' colours were — Standard of 

 England in the centre, British lion rampant in each corner on cream 

 coloured ground, with crimson border ; while Heenan's were red, 

 white, and blue borders, surrounding thirteen stars on white ground, 

 and bearing the motto " May the best man win." Mr. George Wilkes, 

 of the New York Spirit of the Times, was umpire for Heenan, Mr. 

 " Farmer " Bennett acted for Sayers, while Mr. Frank Dowling, editor 

 of BelVs Life, was the referee. It was the rule of the P.B. k. that if a 

 man held the Belt for three years in succession against all comers it 

 became his absolute property. I can't, therefore, understand why 

 Sayers was not given the original Belt two months after his fight 

 with Heenan, having won it from The Slasher on 16th June, 1857, and 

 it was never taken from him, but that question was no doubt settled 

 by Mr. Dowling when he brought about the arrangement mentioned 

 at p. 331. If, however, Heenan'a eyes had been lanced same as were 

 Keates' in his fight with Flowers (p 318), perhaps poor Tom might 

 have had a different record. 



Farnborough Field. — The scene of the great battle between Sayers 

 and Heenan was named after the little railway station on the South- 

 Eastern line, which is only a quarter of a mile off — the village of 

 Farnborough being much further away, and was not in those days run 

 close to by any railway as it now is, and can be got to from Waterloo 

 in about thirty miles ; whereas the old road from London Bridge via 

 Guildford is over fifty, which explains the length of time the journey 

 took (p. 326.) 



To visit the scene of any great event is to me at all times most enjoy- 

 able, so, in July, 1894, being at Aldershot for a day or two, I went off to 

 see again the famous Farnborough Field, and in case any of my 

 readers might like to do the same, all they have to do is to find their 

 way to the Ship Inn, which is about two miles and a-half from the 

 North Camp at Aldershot, and just beyond the Empress Eugenie's 

 beautiful demesne. They will find, about thirty yards on the near 

 side of the inn a small gate which opens on to a pathway, following 

 which they will come to Hook Cottage at the end of the field. Here, 

 unless they choose to go out of their way by continuing the path, they 

 must get as best they can across the railway, and, directly at the other 

 side, in Hampshire, is " Sayers' Meadow." In the snug little recess 

 at the top is where the ring was pitched, surrounded, as it still is, by 



