Tom felt the wisdom of the counsel, and saw already that he couldn't go in and finish the Slogger off at mere hammer and tongs, so changed his tactics completely in the third round. He now fights cautiously, getting away from and parrying[30] the Slogger's lunging hits,[31] instead of trying to counter,[32] and leading his enemy a dance all round the ring after him. "He's funking—go in, Williams;" "Catch him up;" "Finish him off," screamed the small boys of the Slogger party.
"Just what we want," thinks East, chuckling to himself, as he sees Williams, excited by these shouts and thinking the game in his own hands, blowing himself in his exertions to get close quarters again, while Tom is keeping away with perfect ease.
They quarter[33] over the ground again and again, Tom always on the defensive.
The Slogger pulls up at last for a moment, fairly blown.[34]
"Now, then, Tom," sings out East, dancing with delight. Tom goes in in a twinkling, and hits two heavy body-blows, and gets away again before the Slogger can catch his wind; which when he does he rushes with blind fury at Tom, and being skilfully parried and avoided, overreaches himself and falls on his face, amidst terrific cheers from the School-house boys.
"Double your two to one?" says Groove to Rattle, note-book in hand.
"Stop a bit," says that hero, looking uncomfortably at Williams, who is puffing away on his second's knee, winded[35] enough, but little the worse in any other way.
STEADY ALL.
After another round the Slogger too seems to see that he can't go in and win right off, and has met his match or thereabouts. So he too begins to use his head,[36] and tries to make Tom lose his patience, and come in before his time. And so the fight sways on, now one, and now the other getting a trifling pull.[37]