will come next. Now then. Ready?"

"Yes," we cried.

"Then you, Mercer, hit him in the chest."

"And what shall I do?"

"Don't let him. You've got your right ready, haven't you? Now then,
off!"

We were both terribly excited, and I was on my guard as Mercer hit at me
with his soft glove, and I caught the blow on my right arm.

"Good!" cried Lomax; "bravo! well stopped. But that's all you did,
because you didn't know any better. If you had known better, Master
Mercer would be sitting on the floor."

"What ought I to have done, then?" I said.

"You wait and I'll show you. Now, Mercer, hit at him again. Hit this
time. That's a boxing-glove you've got on."

"Well, I know it is."

"Oh, I thought you fancied it was a snowball that you were going to
throw at him."

I burst out laughing.

"Silence! 'Tention! Now then, again. Wait a minute. Now, look here,
Burr: as he hits at you, stop it with your right arm as you did before,
and just at the same moment you push your left arm out full length, and
lean forward straight at his face. Don't hit at him, only keep your
left out straight and lean forward suddenly--like this."

He showed me what he meant, and I balanced myself on my legs, and
imitated him as well as I could, to get the swing forward he wished, and
we prepared for the next encounter.

"I'm going to hit straight out this time, Frank, so look out."

"Oh yes, he'll look out," cried Lomax. "Now, then, take it on your
right arm, my lad. Off with you."

Mercer struck out at me awkwardly, and, as I received the blow at my
chest full on my forearm, I bent forward sharply, not striking, but
giving what seemed to me to be a push with my stiffened left arm
straight at Mercer's face, when, to my great astonishment, he went down
on the floor and sat there staring at me holding the soft glove up
against his nose.

"What did you do that for?" he cried angrily. "He said I was to hit,
not you."

"Because I told him," said Lomax, patting me on the shoulder. "Bravo,
bravo! That was science against brute force, my lad; I thought it would
astonish you."

"But he hit ever so hard," cried Mercer, "and it took me off my guard,
because it was I who was to hit."

"And so you did, my lad, as hard as you could unscientifically, while he
only just threw himself forward scientifically, and there you are on the
ground."

"But he hit so hard."

"Oh no. He just held his arm right, and threw the weight