."

They had been at it nearly half an hour, and Crawley, who had been
taking hard exercise daily and leading a healthy temperate life, was as
strong as when he first took his jacket off. He could hardly see out of
his right eye, and his face and neck were so bruised and tender that
every fresh blow he received gave him exquisite pain. But his wits were
quite clear, he had not lost his temper, and when down, in a few minutes
he was ready to stand up again. He easily warded off a nerveless blow
of his antagonist, returned it with one from his left hand on the body,
and then sent his right fist for the first time straight into Saurin's
face. Saurin got confused and turned half round; Crawley following up
his advantage, followed him up step by step round the ring, and at last
fairly fought him down amidst cheers from the boys, the tide of
popularity turning in his favour again.

"You have marked him now, and no mistake," said Buller to Crawley as he
sat on his knee. And there could be no doubt about that. The revulsion
of feeling Saurin had gone through was great. After establishing his
superiority, and feeling confident of an easy victory, to find his
adversary refuse so persistently to know when he was beaten! To see him
come up time after time to take more hammering without flinching was
like a nightmare. And he felt his own strength going from the sheer
exertion of hitting; and when he knocked Crawley down he hurt his left
hand, which it was painful to strike with afterwards. Again, the body
blows he received and thought little of at first began to make him feel
queer, and now, when the other took a decided lead, he lost his head and
got wild. For he was not thoroughly "game:" he had not got that
stubborn, somewhat sullen spirit of endurance which used to be so great
a characteristic of the English, and we will hope is not extinct yet,
for it would be sad indeed to think that it had passed away. A
brilliant act of daring with plenty of spectators and high hope of
success is one thing; but to stand at bay when all chance seems gone,
determined to die hard and never give in, is quite another. I like to
see a fellow spurting when he is distanced; catching his horse,
remounting, and going in pursuit after a bad fall; going back to his
books and reading harder than ever for another try directly the list has
come out without his name in it--never beaten, in short, until the last
remotest chance is over. That i