While this talk was going on, willing hands had removed the planks and trestles which formed the table, the forms were pushed back, and a space in the centre of the room cleared.
Directly Jack had dashed the cloth in Napper’s face, Will Hodson, seeing that trouble was bound to follow, had announced his intention of seeing Jack through; but Tom Gallon, who bore the marks of Napper’s brutality upon his chin and mouth, with hatred shining in his eyes, cried, ‘Let me stand by Blair, Will; I can do more for the man who’s got pluck enough to face that cowardly hound than anybody else will.’
‘All right, Tommy; we’ll both back him, for he’s got all his work cut out against Napper.’
Lumsden continued to persuade his chum that a good strapping was what Jack wanted, and pointed out that a full bandsman was lowering himself to fight with a raw recruit.
It flashed across Jack’s mind that if Lumsden and Napper combined, the one holding him while the other strapped him, he would stand a poor chance, and his opportunity of obtaining a victory over Napper would be lost. He therefore stepped up to the pair, and, looking at Lumsden, cried, ‘Now, is your man going to stand up or is he going to apologise for his language?’
Lumsden looked at Jack and broke into a loud laugh. ‘Upon my soul, Sammy,’ he said, ‘he’s the cockiest kid I’ve seen yet. I do believe you’ll have to lick him after all.’
Napper required no second bidding. He sprang into the ring formed by the spectators and made a furious rush at Jack. This the latter, who was as active as a panther, avoided, getting in a sly tap on Napper’s ribs as he rushed past him.
Then they faced again, Jack falling back before Napper all the time, keeping away from his sweeping, sledge-hammer blows and his hug, for he saw at once that at close-quarters he would stand a poor chance against his older and heavier opponent.
The way in which Jack eluded his savage rushes and sweeping blows maddened and annoyed Napper, who began to get pumped with his exertions; but he presently got in a blow which caught Jack on the left cheek and made his teeth rattle again.
‘Time!’ cried Hodson, and he and Callon ran in to their man.