l and for
Oxford in particular, and I was brought up and sent to Yale with the
full understanding that St. Bridget's, Oxon., was the place where I was
to be "finished." I left Yale at the end of Junior year and crossed the
ocean in the crack steamer of the then famous Collins line. I do not
believe any young American ever had a more favorable introduction to
England than I had, and the wonder is that, considering the
philo-Anglican atmosphere in which I was educated, I did not become a
thorough-paced renegade. I was, however, blessed with a tolerably
independent spirit, and kept my nationality intact throughout my
university course.

Like Tom Brown, I felt myself drawn to the sporting set, and, as I was
always an adept at athletics, soon won repute as an oarsman, and was
well satisfied to be looked upon as the Yankee champion sundry amateur
rowing-and boxing-matches, as well as in the lecture-room. Of course, I
was the mark for no end of good-natured chaff about my nationality, but
was nearly always able, I believe, to sustain the honor of the American
name, and so at length graduated in the "firsts" as to scholarship, and
enjoyed the distinguished honor of pulling number four in the "'Varsity
eight" in our annual match with Cambridge on the Thames. Moreover, I
stood six feet in my stockings, had the muscle of a gladiator, and was
physically the equal of any man at Oxford.

After the race was over my special cronies hung about London for a few
days, usually making that classical "cave" of Evans's a rendezvous in
the evening. Two or three young officers of the Guards were often with
us, and one night, when the talk had turned, as it often did, on
personal prowess, the superb average physique of their regiment was duly
lauded by our soldier companions. At length one of them remarked, in
that aggravatingly superior tone which some Englishmen assume, that any
man in his troop could handle any two of the then present company. This
provoked a general laugh of incredulity, and two or three of our college
set turned to me with--"What do you say to that, Jonathan?"

"Nonsense!" said I. "I'll put on the gloves with the biggest fellow
among them, any day."

This somewhat democratic readiness to spar with a private soldier led to
remarks which I chose to consider insular, if not insolent, and I
replied, supporting the principle of Yankee equality, until, losing my
temper at something which one of the ensigns said, I delivered m