been freshly aspersed by the
objectionable Seekamp. "I offered," she said, "though merely a woman,
to meet him with pistols, but the cur who attacks a lady's character
runs away from my challenge. He says he will drive me from the
Diggings. Well, I intend to turn the tables, and to make Seekamp
de-camp. I very much regret," she added, "having been compelled to
assert myself at the expense of Mr. Seekamp, but, really it was not my
fault. His attacks on my art were most ungentlemanly. I challenged him
to fight a duel, but the poltroon would not accept."

In the best tradition of the _Eatanswill Gazette_, the _Ballarat Star_
referred to the _Ballarat Times_ as "our veracious contemporary and
doughty opponent," and alluded to the "unblushing profligacy of its
editorial columns." The proprietor of the United States Hotel and the
solicitor for Lola Montez also sailed into the controversy and
challenged Mr. Seekamp to "eat his words." That individual, however,
not caring about such a diet, refused to do anything of the sort.

The matter did not end there, and a number of correspondents took up
the cudgels on behalf of Lola Montez.

"Is it possible," wrote one of them to the editor of the _Star_, "that
Mr. Seekamp can, in his endeavour to blacken the fair fame of a woman,
insinuate that he is also guilty of the most shocking immorality? I
blush to think it." There was also a letter in a similar strain from
"John Bull," and another from "An Eton Boy," animadverting upon Mr.
Seekamp's grammar.

Feeling herself damaged in reputation, Lola's next step was to
instruct her solicitor to bring an action for libel against Seekamp.
The magistrate remitted the case to the superior court at Geelong.
But, as an apology was offered and accepted, nothing more was heard of
it.

This, however, was not the end of her troubles at Ballarat, for
horse-whips were again to whistle in the air. But, this time Lola got
more than she bargained for. She was using her whip on one Mr. Crosby,
the manager of the theatre there, when that individual's spouse--a
strong-minded and muscular woman--wrested the weapon from her and laid
it across her own back.

The account given by an eye-witness is a little different. "At
Ballarat," he says, "Lola pitched into and cross-buttocked a stalwart
Amazon who had omitted to show her proper respect."

"Cross-buttocked" would appear to be an expression which, so far, has
eluded the dictionary-makers.

In other pa