to foot, with their fists
doubled and revolving, and a ring of boys around them.

Just at this moment the kitten, having found the process of licking
itself dry more fatiguing than it had expected, gave vent to a faint mew
of distress. It was all that was wanting to set Martin's indignant heart
into a blaze of inexpressible fury. Bob Croaker's visage instantly
received a shower of sharp, stinging blows, that had the double effect of
taking that youth by surprise and throwing him down upon the green sward.
But Martin could not hope to do this a second time. Bob now knew the
vigour of his assailant, and braced himself warily to the combat,
commencing operations by giving Martin a tremendous blow on the point of
his nose, and another on the chest. These had the effect of tempering
Martin's rage with a salutary degree of caution, and of eliciting from
the spectators sundry cries of warning on the one hand, and admiration on
the other, while the young champions revolved warily round each other,
and panted vehemently.

The battle that was fought that day was one of a thousand. It created as
great a sensation in the village school as did the battle of Waterloo in
England. It was a notable fight; such as had not taken place within the
memory of the oldest boy in the village, and from which, in after years,
events of juvenile history were dated,--especially pugilistic events, of
which, when a good one came off, it used to be said that "such a battle
had not taken place since the year of the _Great Fight_" Bob Croaker was
a noted fighter. Martin Rattler was, up to this date, an untried hero.
Although fond of rough play and boisterous mischief, he had an
unconquerable aversion to _earnest_ fighting, and very rarely indeed
returned home with a black eye,--much to the satisfaction of Aunt Dorothy
Grumbit, who objected to all fighting from principle, and frequently
asserted, in gentle tones, that there should be no soldiers or sailors
(fighting sailors, she meant) at all, but that people ought all to settle
everything the best way they could without fighting, and live peaceably
with one another, as the Bible told them to do. They would be far happier
and better off, she was sure of that; and if everybody was of her way of
thinking, there would be neither swords, nor guns, nor pistols, nor
squibs, nor anything else at all! Dear old lady. It would indeed be a
blessing if her principles could be carried out in this warring and
jarring