2.—Harry came up laughing, and nodded at the Tipton, who laughed and nodded in return. Nothing was the matter on either side. Slasher followed Broome, who retreated to the ropes. “Get nearer, Harry,” cried Brother Johnny. “Don’t go after him,” said Molyneaux, and the Tipton in turn retired to the scratch, to which he pointed down with his index-finger. Harry stepped right up to his head, and delivered his left flush on the Slasher’s mouth. (Cheers.) There was a momentary pause, Slasher pursued Harry to the ropes, where the latter jumped into a close, and caught his opponent round the waist. Harry tried to get the lock, but both were down, Tipton having hold of the upper rope with his right.
3.—Broome was all confidence and elasticity. He went up to the Slasher, and reached his head, then retreated from the return. “He’ll stand it,” cried Callaghan. The Tipton got in his left on Harry’s right cheek, who, in return, gave him a sounding flush hit on the olfactory organ. The Slasher let fly right and left, and the men closed near the centre stake. Harry got an unmistakable outside look with his right leg over the crooked knee of the Slasher. There were a few seconds of severe struggling, when Broome, having fixed his hold, brought the Slasher over on his back. Down he came, shaking the earth with the concussion, his shoulders, neck, and back part of his caput first saluting the ground, while Harry rolled over on him. The effect was electrifying: even “Peter the Great” gave an audible grunt in unison with the “thud” that accompanied the Slasher’s downfall. There lay the crooked Colossus prostrate, till his active seconds, seizing him by the legs and wings, conveyed him to his corner, whither Harry followed him with inquiring eyes.
4.—Tipton came well and boldly, but not till time had been several times vociferously called, the Broomites evidently in most hurry. Harry shifted round and round the corners, the Slasher following him. Harry reached the Tipton’s mouth smartly, who let go both hands. The hit sounded. Broome closed, and tried the lock again. The Tipton avoided his hips, and both were on the grass.
5.—The Tipton had shaken off the effects of his fall. He tried to gammon Harry within reach of his formidable right by short feints with the left. As this did not have the desired effect, he went in, hitting out with both hands. Harry nailed him on the frontispiece, and as he came on again, administered an upper-cut. It was not quite close enough, or it might have told tales. In the close the Tipton was under at the ropes, but it was no detriment.
6.—Broome went to the Slasher’s head in the most manly style, and popped in one. “Fortune favours the brave.” Tipton retorted, but missed one very mischievous hit. The men closed, Harry hit up, catching the Tipton on the nose, and both were down in the scramble—the Tipton, if either, first.
7.—“First blood” for Broome, which was unmistakably distilling from the Slasher’s nose, to which he put his hand as if to feel it. The Tipton forced Broome to the ropes, threatening with his right, where they closed, and after some not very effective fibbing, Broome brought the Tipton down on his back, falling on his stomach with his latter end. (An offer to take evens on Broome.)
8.—Smart active sparring and a bustling exchange. Harry gave the Slasher a very heavy hit on the jaw, producing a slight cut. The Tipton retorted with a nobber, and also sent home a body-hit. Whether the Tipton’s right hand had lost its cunning or not, these ribbers did not seem to stagger the Young One as they did former adversaries. Still, the old one rattled in, and in the scuffle was jobbed in the head, till at the end of the round Broome pushed him from him sideways with both hands, when he got down. Bellows to mend on both sides.
9.—The Slasher came up grinning, but his merriment looked rather forced, although the hitting had left but little traces on his hard features. He hit very short with his left, and Broome walked round smiling. There was a close at the ropes in Harry’s corner, in which the Tipton got Broome awkwardly over them, and hung on him, holding the rope with his right, his left hand being across Harry’s face. The rope was slacked, and Harry was let down. The referee was appealed to, who ordered the fight to proceed.
10.—Exchanges: Harry gave the Tipton a blow on the left eye that raised a lump, then swung round and broke away from the return. He jobbed the Slasher as he advanced, but was driven to the ropes, whence he suddenly sprang forward, took a half-arm hit, and making his favourite grip, brought the Tipton over—a heavy fall—tumbling on him with his knees. As Harry lay on the grass, he blew like a grampus.
11.—The Slasher came slowly up. There was a short pause, when again Broome went up to his head. The Slasher’s right reached Harry’s body, who put in a sharp left-hander that cut the Tipton’s lip; there was some quick half-arm hitting, in which Broome delivered a clever upper-cut with his right, and both were down. Broome uppermost, the crimson fluid from the Slasher’s nose and lip smearing Harry’s frontispiece as they embraced.