"Well, I knowed it from the start!"
"Let un alone," cried Simon, "'e've got another chance yet."
"Much good it'll do 'im!"
"Ah! might as well give in now, and take 'is thrashin' and ha' done wi' it."
That my ruse had succeeded with the crowd was evident; they—to a man—believed I had done my best, and already regarded me as hopelessly beaten. My chance of winning depended upon whether the smith, deluded into a like belief, should content himself with just beating my last throw, for, should he again exert his mighty strength to the uttermost, I felt that my case was indeed hopeless.
It was with a beating heart, therefore, that I watched him take his place for the last throw. His face wore a confident smile, but nevertheless he took up the hammer with such a businesslike air that my heart sank, and, feeling a touch upon my arm, I was glad to turn away. "I be goin' to fetch a sponge and water," said Simon.
"A sponge and water!"
"Ah! Likewise some vinegar—theer's nothin' like vinegar—and remember—the chin, a little to one side preferred."
"So then you think I shall be beaten?"
"Why, I don't say that, but it's best to be prepared, aren't it now?"