34.—The Deaf’un extremely deliberate in his movements, and slow to the scratch. Castles not so quick as heretofore; after looking at each other and dodging, Castles shot out with his damaged left, but was stopped; a rally and counter-hits exchanged, when Burke again got down on his knees; Castles pointed at him derisively, but the Deaf’un “took a sight” with both hands, and flourished his digits; Castle walked to his corner, mortified at Burke’s dropping, while Burke was carried to his.
35.—Castles’ left hand getting worse, and he did not seem inclined to lead off so quickly as heretofore; the Deaf’un ogled the damaged fin with great satisfaction, and, after a short pause, led off with his left, and planting his blow got down on his knees; Castles looked “unutterable things,” and, after regarding him for a moment, gave him a contemptuous slap on the cheek, at which the Deaf’un smiled, as much as to admit he was playing “the artful dodger.”
36.—The Deaf’un a decided favourite, and 2 to 1 offered on him. He was clearly the stronger man, while his left hand was still sound and in working order; on getting up he waited quietly for the attack, looking slyly down at Castles’ fist; Castles offered to commence, but the Deaf’un retreated; a considerable pause, when Castles led off: the Deaf’un countered heavily, and after a sharp rally, in which some severe exchanges took place, the Deaf’un again got down, still playing the old soldier.
37 and last.—The Deaf’un pursued his waiting game, and was clearly gaining strength; Castles also paused and was in no hurry to begin; the Deaf’un rubbed his chest, and then his thatch with both hands, and grinned, as much as to say, “I’m in no hurry.” Castles tried a feint with his left, but if would not do; the Deaf’un was wide awake, and showed that he was determined not to throw a chance away. Castles tried his left at the body, but the blow was not effectual, at last he let go at the Deaf’un’s head, and a brisk rally followed, when the Deaf’un finished the round by giving Castles, for the first time, a heavy fall. This was the closing act of the drama. Castles found his opponent the stronger man, and, from the state of his left hand, feeling that he had not a chance, he prudently determined to give in at once, declaring that fortune was on the side of his opponent, and he had not the power to turn the scale. The Deaf’un immediately approached, they shook hands, and all was over in one hour and ten minutes.
Both men were immediately conducted to the contiguous public-house, where every attention was paid to them, and where their wounds were dressed, and their contusions reduced as much as possible. Poor Castles was heavily punished, his left eye in total eclipse; his face exhibited not a square inch without a mark, and a deep incision over the right eye showed the severity of the Deaf’un’s hitting. His left hand, too, had become perfectly useless; in truth a more perfect specimen of a courageous and undaunted submission to hard hitting we have never witnessed—the best evidence that if by nature timid, by force of mind he resisted all approach to the charge of cowardice, a species of valour even more creditable than that which mere instinct and the gift of creation has planted in the carcases of many animals. Burke had also what he called his “shares;” but with a hardier and more robust frame than Castles, as well as a head that might vie in quality with the rind of a cocoa-nut, his sufferings were not so severe. Yet we doubt whether in any of his former encounters his receipts were of so severe a character; he confessed he got much more than he expected, and was disagreeably surprised at finding “Mister Bobs so dangerous a customers.”
Castles lost this battle principally from his eagerness in the latter part of the fight, and a want of judgment in not hitting and getting away. He was too fast, while the Deaf’un cunningly waited and popped him as he came in, thus giving a sort of double impetus to his deliveries. Had Castles rattled in with more determination when Burke was amiss, about the eighth round, the issue might have been different. Burke felt his position, and had recourse to all the strategems of an old soldier, husbanding his strength, getting down, and never attempting to wrestle or unnecessarily exhaust his powers; by this means he preserved his physical energies, and made the best use of them at the proper time. Castles, on the contrary, was always first to the call of “time,” and till the last few rounds “made all the running,” thereby realising the fable of the hare and the tortoise. In trying to throw the Deaf’un, too, he diminished his powers; still, with all this, we are inclined to think, had his left hand not given way, a result almost inevitable from the frequent repetition of heavy hits on the Deaf’un’s granite nut, he would have come off victorious; as it is, with all his faults, he proved himself superior in pluck and moral courage to most of the modern men of his weight, and deserved the generous consideration of those who prize such qualities. The Deaf’un showed unflinching game throughout, and fighting up-hill as he did, with his right arm seriously, though not fatally damaged, he proved that “all was not lost that was in danger;” and that in confiding in his tact his admirers were not trusting to “a broken reed.”
The battle money was given to Burke at Young Dutch Sam’s, the “Old Drury Tavern,” Brydges Street.
The re-embarkation followed in good order, and all reached Waterloo Bridge at seven o’clock—the combatants proceeding under the care of their friends to their respective quarters. As an appropriate pendant to the prosaic version of this “crowning victory” we append
A TRIUMPHANT EPISTLE FROM DEAF BURKE TO BOB CASTLES.
My sarvice, friend Castles, once class’d with the nobs,