52 Silk and Scarlet, 



Cii'bb V. Moli- I was. Now, that was just first-rate. All 

 neux. ^j^g magistrates in the county of Rut- 

 land were there. It was the Saturday magistrates' 

 meeting at Oakham ; and they all come off to the 

 fight when they'd done — the whole kit on 'em. They 

 pulled down hedges, and got their gigs through ; no 

 end of trees broke down. They fought at Crown 

 Point, near Thistleton Gap. There was such a song 

 made about it. It's stifftsh land, a good deal of 

 plough. The farmer wanted fifty pounds for his field. 

 He wouldn't take a cheque — he knew nothing about 

 them things ; wouldn't let 'em fight till he had some 

 name on it he knew. So Mr. George Marriott come 

 forward and signed ; he was wonderful fond of a bit 

 of fun. They fought on a stage. I was on horseback 

 — a mare of my own, I gave Mr. Harper eighty pounds 

 for her — not ten yards off them ; I was crowded in, 

 and I drawed my legs up and stood a top of the 

 saddle all the time they were fighting. I'd hard work 

 to get them down again. There must have been ten 

 thousand people. I thought at first go off Molineux 

 would have killed him ; he was a reg'lar rusher. Cribb, 

 he kep drawing away, and fought him all round the 

 stage ; he wanted to blow him. Captain Barclay was 

 in a carriage close aside of me ; and I see him get out, 

 and go up to Cribb, and tell him after the second round 

 to alter his fighting. In the third and fourth round, 

 Cribb had the best of it. I could hear the blows as 

 plain as a drum ; he did punish him then. Cribb had 

 a place under his eye as big as a goose's ^gg, and 

 Gully lanced it for him. They only fought eight 

 rounds. Barclay had Cribb in Yorkshire to train ; he 

 made him plough, and fill a dung-cart — all the hard 

 work that ever he could put him to. He was in beau- 

 tiful condition, fine as a star, just like snow aside a 

 black man. The black wur fat — that licked him as 

 much as anything. We ran over the very spot where 

 the stage was, the day Captain White's Jupiter was 



