e was nothing for him but to
fight his way back slowly and cautiously. So he kept his head, coolly
resisting the attack of the big fellow with whom he was engaged,
guarding himself from blows to the best of his ability, and paying
little heed to the torrent of abuse which accompanied the blows the big
fisher lad tried to shower upon him, and always backing away a few
yards, as he could, nearer to the way down to his boat.

By this time the word was passed along the top of the cliff that there
was a fight on, and the fishermen began slowly to take themselves off
the rail and descend the slope to see the fun, as they called it. They
did not hurry themselves in the least, so that there was plenty of time
for the encounter to progress, with Aleck still calm and cool, warding
off the blows struck at him most skilfully, and mastering his desire to
retaliate when he could have delivered others with masterly effect.

But a change was coming on.

Enraged by his inability to close with his skilful, active adversary,
the big lad made more and more use of his tongue, the torrent of abuse
grew more foul, and Aleck more cool and contemptuous, till all at once
his adversary yelled out something which was received with acclamations
by the excited ring who surrounded the pair, while it went through Aleck
like some poisoned barb. He saw fire for the moment, and his teeth
gritted together, as caution and the practice and skill he had displayed
were no more, for, to use a schoolboy phrase, his monkey was up and he
meant fighting--he meant to use his fists to the best effect in trying
to knock the vile slanderous words, uttered against the man he loved and
venerated, down the utterer's throat, while his rage against those who
crowded around, yelling with delight, took the form of back strokes with
his elbow and more than one sharp blow at some intruding head.

But it was against the lout who had spoken that the fire of his rage was
principally directed, and the fellow realised at once that all that had
gone before, on the part of the stranger from the Den, was mere sparring
and self-defence. Aleck meant fighting now, and he fought, showering
down such volleys of blows that, at the end of a couple of minutes, in
spite of a brave defence and the planting of nasty cracks about his
adversary's unguarded face, the big lad was being knocked here and
there, up, down, and round about, till the shouts and cries about him
lowered into a dull,