e and appearance of the individual whom he had insulted,
stood for a moment motionless with surprise; but, recollecting himself,
he pointed at him derisively with his finger; the next moment, however,
the other was close upon him, had struck aside the extended hand with his
left fist, and given him a severe blow on the nose with his right, which
he immediately followed by a left-hand blow in the eye; then drawing his
body slightly backward, with the velocity of lightning he struck the
coachman full in the mouth, and the last blow was the severest of all,
for it cut the coachman's lips nearly through; blows so quickly and
sharply dealt I had never seen. The coachman reeled like a fir-tree in a
gale, and seemed nearly unsensed. 'Ho! what's this? a fight! a fight!'
sounded from a dozen voices, and people came running from all directions
to see what was going on. The coachman, coming somewhat to himself,
disencumbered himself of his coat and hat; and, encouraged by two or
three of his brothers of the whip, showed some symptoms of fighting,
endeavouring to close with his foe, but the attempt was vain, his foe was
not to be closed with; he did not shift or dodge about, but warded off
the blows of his opponent with the greatest sang-froid, always using the
guard which I have already described, and putting in, in return, short
chopping blows with the swiftness of lightning. In a very few minutes
the countenance of the coachman was literally cut to pieces, and several
of his teeth were dislodged; at length he gave in; stung with
mortification, however, he repented, and asked for another round; it was
granted, to his own complete demolition. The coachman did not drive his
coach back that day; he did not appear on the box again for a week; but
he never held up his head afterwards. Before I quitted the inn he had
disappeared from the road, going no one knew where.

The coachman, as I have said before, was very much disliked upon the
road, but there was an esprit de corps amongst the coachmen, and those
who stood by did not like to see their brother chastised in such
tremendous fashion. 'I never saw such a fight before,' said one.
'Fight! why, I don't call it a fight at all, this chap here ha'n't got a
scratch, whereas Tom is cut to pieces; it is all along of that guard of
his; if Tom could have got within his guard he would have soon served the
old chap out.' 'So he would,' said another, 'it was all owing to that
guard. How