"Do it! Why, you ought to do it with one hand tied behind your back."
But Bascomb was not so easily reassured.
"I have boxed with him," said the big fellow, "and I know he is not easy fruit for anybody."
"You boxed in the gym?"
"Yes."
"And there it was necessary to conform to certain rules."
"Of course."
"That wasn't much like a genuine fight."
"I know it; but I found it impossible to hit him a soaker with my left. He is up to all the tricks."
"That's all right. Fight him in the evening, where you are not liable to be interrupted till you have finished him. The darkness will be an advantage to you, for he cannot see to guard or avoid all your heavy blows, and you will soon do him up. If you work it right, you can get him into a straight fight from start to finish, so it will not be a matter of rounds, which would accrue to his advantage. Once you get at him, you can follow him up till he is done for."