52.—Tom again went to work, caught Langham on the side of his nut; Nat returned on the left peeper, and then slipped down.
53.—Tom led off, got home on Langham’s left eye, but the blow lacked force, and Nat fell, Sayers falling over him.
54.—Sayers stepped in with his left, but was short; he tried it again, catching Nat on the waistband. Langham attempted a return, but Sayers jumped away. Nat again lunged out, but, overreaching himself, fell.
55.—Nat seemed to shake himself together, went up to his man, led off with his left on the right cheek, and got away. Sayers followed him up, when some sharp exchanges took place, Nat reaching Tom’s damaged snout, and once more turning on the tap. Tom returned the compliment on the left cheek, and Langham fell weak, Tom falling over him, not much better off.
56.—It was now clear that Tom’s peepers had not many minutes to remain open, and he therefore at once led off, but was out of distance; in a second attempt he caught Nat over the left peeper, but received another hot one on the nose in return. He would not be shaken off, however; he followed Nat and let fly his left on the jaw. Sharp counter-hits followed, Sayers on the mouth and nose, and Nat on the right ogle, and Langham fell.
57.—Tom at once rushed in, but was stopped. His next effort reached Nat’s mouth, and the latter got down.
58.—Both were nearly pumped out, and it was evident that a chance hit might finish Langham, while Sayers, if he could not deliver that hit, must soon “cut it.” The men let fly simultaneously, each getting it on the frontispiece. A break away followed, after which Tom reached Nat’s left eye, but not effectively. A close, in which Tom caught his man with his right as he went down, and then fell on him.
59.—Langham went to his man, delivered his left heavily on the nose, and received a little one on the jaw. He then rushed at Sayers, who stepped back, and Nat, missing his mark, fell.
60.—Sayers’s fate was sealed; like Jack Broughton in the memorable account of Captain Godfrey,[25] he might have exclaimed, “I can’t see my man; I’m blind, not beat. Only let me see my man and he shall not gain the day yet!” Tom rushed in open-handed. Nat stepped on one side, met him as he came on the left peeper, and then beside the nose. Tom persevered, but Langham easily avoided him, and then propped him in the mouth heavily. Tom continued to bore in, and got in a round hit on the side of Nat’s head, whereon Nat returned with his left just behind Tom’s ear, and both fell. Sayers evidently all abroad.
61 and last.—It was beyond a doubt now that Sayers could not see what he was doing or where he was going, and there were loud cries from his backers of “take him away,” which Alec Keene was anxious to do; but Tom, full of pluck as ever, resolutely refused to give in, and swinging his arms, walked deliberately to the scratch. He lunged out, but could not judge his distance, and Nat, waiting for him coolly until he came again, hit him heavily on the right eye. Poor Tom struck out wildly and altogether at random, and Nat getting out of his way delivered a heavy left-hander on the left eye, which put up the other shutter, and he rather fell than was knocked down. On being helped to his corner, despite his entreaties, Alec Keene, seeing there was no hope, threw up the sponge, and Langham was proclaimed the victor in this truly gallant struggle, after a contest that had been protracted for two hours and two minutes. Immediately the fiat had been pronounced in his favour, Nat walked across the ring to shake hands with his defeated opponent, who shed bitter tears of disappointment and humiliation, while Nat, seeming to acquire fresh strength from the consciousness of victory, contrived to leap over the ropes, although five minutes before he could hardly stand on his legs.