28.—Ben again succeeded in reaching Nat’s cheek with his right, drawing the ruby, and Nat fell.
29 and 30.—After trifling exchanges in these rounds, Nat got down, much to the annoyance of Ben, who, however, preserved his good temper, and merely remonstrated with his cunning opponent.
31.—Nat dodged, and popped his left sharply on the mazzard, received the merest excuse for a blow, and dropped.
32.—In this round the exchanges were very slight, but Nat’s were straightest. As usual, he was down.
33.—Nat crept in, let go his left on Ben’s lip, which he cut, and Nat fell on his back from the force of his own blow.
34.—Ben, whose warbler was bleeding, rushed at Nat furiously, and regularly bored him down.
To go into details of the next few rounds would be merely a repetition of what we have already written. Nat feinted, dodged, timed his man with the greatest precision whenever he moved his arms, and, although his blows did not seem very heavy, they still were always “there, or thereabouts,” and poor old Ben’s mug began to be all shapes. The manly fellow, however, never grumbled; he went straight up to be planted upon, and although he occasionally got home a body blow or a round hit on the side of Nat’s knowledge box, still he left no visible marks. Once or twice Jemmy Shaw claimed “foul,” on the ground that Nat fell without a blow; but Nat was cunning enough to keep just within the pale of the law. There was not one round in which he did not go down, and Ben invariably walked to his corner. In the 43rd round Ben got the first knock-down blow on Nat’s forehead. In the 48th, he bustled in with desperation, but Nat met him full in the mouth, and then on the snorter, with his left, drawing the crimson from each, Ben returned on the top of the forehead, and Nat got down.
49.—Nat crept in craftily, and popped a little one on the snuffer-tray, and this led to a tremendous counter-hit, Caunt on the cheek, and Nat on the jaw very heavily, drawing more ruby. Nat fell, his nut first reaching the ground, and Ben staggered to his corner, evidently all abroad. By great exertions, and a little extra time, his seconds got him up to the scratch. Nat, however, was not in a much better state. Both were severely shaken.
50.—Nat on coming up, was evidently slow, but, to the surprise of every one, showed no mark of the hit in the last round, while Ben’s kisser was considerably awry, and he was scarcely himself. Now would have been Langham’s time, but he had not strength to go in. After a short spar, Ben got on to Nat’s jaw, staggering him; Nat returned sharply on the left eye and nozzle. After heavy exchanges on the body, Nat fell.
51.—In this round Ben just missed Nat as he was falling, and caught the stake very heavily with his left, which was thereby rendered useless, or nearly so. From this to the 60th and last round there was nothing to call for particular notice. Nat pursued his defensive tactics, and his pop for nothing when there was a chance. Still, however, old Ben kept swinging his dangerous limbs about, and every now and then got heavily on Nat’s body and left shoulder, and occasionally on the top of his head. Nat fell every round, but oftentimes be had to do it so quickly, owing to the close proximity of Ben, that he fell most awkwardly for himself, and must have been shaken severely. He gradually got tired, and Caunt, whose dial was much cut about, was evidently puzzled what to be at. At length, in the sixtieth round, after a little sparring and a slight exchange, they stood and looked at one another, and rubbed their chests. Neither seemed disposed to begin, and it was pretty clear that each had the same end in view—namely, to protract the battle until it was dark. Each, doubtless, felt that he was unable to finish that day, and did not feel disposed to throw a chance away by going in, and getting an unexpected finisher at close quarters. After standing several minutes, Dan Dismore came to us and said it was a pity that men who had been such close friends should proceed any further with hostilities, and suggested that it would be much better if they forgave and forgot their quarrel, and shook hands. We coincided with Dan in his kindly opinion, and he then took upon himself to go into the ring and suggest some such arrangement, and in doing so he said he would gladly give £5 out of his own pocket to see them bury their animosity there and then, and draw their stakes. Caunt said he was willing if Nat was, and after a little consideration Nat held out his mauley, which was cordially shaken by Ben, and then Langham went with Caunt into the corner of the latter, where he shook hands with Ben Butler, and also with Caunt’s son. Dan Dismore now left the ring, and on the referee asking him what had been done, Dan said, “It is all over; it’s settled.” The referee inquired whether they intended drawing altogether, and Dan said again, “It’s all done with; there will be nothing more done in it;” or words to that effect, but we believe these were Dan’s exact expressions. The referee at once, on hearing this, expressed his pleasure at so amicable an arrangement, and on the men quitting the arena he also left the ring side, his office of course ceasing, and on the faith of Dan’s statement he at once gave up what bets he held. After being some time on board the boat, however, he was somewhat staggered at being accosted by one of Nat’s Corinthian patrons and Jack Macdonald, who told him that Nat was quite astonished when they had mentioned to him that a draw had been agreed to, and had declared that such a thing never entered his head. He thought Dismore merely wished them to draw for the time being, and that the referee would name another day in the same week to fight again. The referee replied that his impression certainly was that an arrangement had been made to draw stakes, or he should not have vacated his post, and this application on Nat’s behalf took him so much by surprise that he did not know how his position was affected. It was a case that had never occurred before, and he must think it over. Nat’s backer said he also was impressed at the time with the notion that everything was arranged, and had left the ring side with that belief, but still he thought the referee had the power to name another day, as Nat had been no party to any final arrangement. At the railway station, on the arrival of the boats, the referee called both the men together, and asked them in the presence of each other what they had understood on leaving the ring. Caunt said he understood they were friends again, and were to draw their money, while Nat repeated the statement that had been conveyed to the referee by Jack Macdonald. Caunt seemed quite taken aback, as did also his friends. Dan Dismore now came up, and repeated the statement that he had previously made, to the effect that he had recommended the men to shake hands and be friends, and that he had certainly said he would give £5 out of his own pocket to see the matter settled. They had shaken hands at his recommendation, and at the time it certainly had been his impression that they would not fight again. He declined, however, to take upon himself the responsibility of saying that either man had actually said anything about drawing stakes. The referee was now completely nonplused, and said, at that time, and in such a crowd, he could not undertake to give an opinion either way. He then suggested that the men and their friends should meet at the Stakeholder’s office the following day to discuss the matter, when all were calm, and had had time to think over the affair.