Chapter Chapter 31 · BOOK III CHAPTER V

With one tiger-rush Locasto threw himself on his man. There was no

preliminary fiddling here; they were out for blood, and the sooner they

wallowed in it the better. Right and left he struck with mighty swings

that would have felled an ox, but the Jam-wagon was too quick for him.

Twice he ducked in time to avoid a furious blow, and, before Locasto

could recover, he had hopped out of reach. The big man's fist swished

through the empty air. He almost overbalanced with the force of his

effort, but he swung round quickly, and there was the Jam-wagon, cool

and watchful, awaiting his next attack.

Locasto's face grew fiendish in its sinister wrath; he shot forth a foul

imprecation, and once more he hurled himself resistlessly on his foe.

This time I thought my champion must go down, but no! With a dexterity

that seemed marvellous, he dodged, ducked and side-stepped; and once

more Locasto's blows went wide and short. Jeers began to go up from the

throng. "Even money on the little fellow," sang out a voice with the

flat twang of a banjo.

Locasto glared round on the crowd. He was accustomed to lord it over

these men, and the jeers goaded him like banderilleros goad a bull.

Again and again he repeated his tremendous rushes, only to find his

powerful arms winnowing the empty air, only to see his agile antagonist

smiling at him in mockery from the centre of the ring. Not one of his

sledgehammer smashes reached their mark, and the round closed without a

blow having landed.

From the mob of onlookers a chorus of derisive cheers went up. The

little man with the banjo voice was holding up a poke of dust. "Even

money on the little one." A hum of eager conversation broke forth.

I was at the ring-side. At the beginning I had been in an agony of fear

for the Jam-wagon. Looking at the two men, it seemed as if he could

hardly hope to escape terrible punishment at the hands of one so

massively powerful, and every blow inflicted on him would have been like

one inflicted on myself. But now I took heart and looked forward with

less anxiety.

Again time was called, and Locasto sprang up, seemingly quite refreshed

by his rest. Once more he plunged after his man, but now I could see his

rushes were more under control, his smashing blows better timed, his

fierce jabs more shrewdly delivered. Again I began to quake for the

Jam-wagon, but he showed a wonderful quickness in his footwork, darting

in and out, his hands swinging at his sides, a smile of mockery on his

lips. He was deft as a dancing-master; he twinkled like a gleam of

light, and amid that savage thresh of blows he was as cool as if he were

boxing in the school gymnasium.

"Who is he?" those at the ring-side began to whisper. Time and again it

seemed as if he were cornered, but in a marvellous way he wormed

himself free. I held my breath as he evaded blow after blow, some of

which seemed to miss him by a mere hair's breadth. He was taking

chances, I thought, so narrowly did he permit the blows to miss him. I

was all keyed up, on edge with excitement, eager for my man to strike,

to show he was not a mere ring-tactician. But the Jam-wagon bided his

time.

And so the round ended, and it was evident that the crowd was of the

same opinion as myself. "Why don't he mix up a little?" said one. "Give

him time," said another. "He's all right: there's some class to that

work."

Locasto came up for the third round looking sobered, subdued, grimly

determined. Evidently he had made up his mind to force his opponent out

of his evasive tactics. He was wary as a cat. He went cautiously. Yet

again he assumed the aggressive, gradually working the Jam-wagon into a

corner. A collision was inevitable; there was no means of escape for my

friend; that huge bulk, with its swinging, flail-like arms, menaced him

hopelessly.

Suddenly Locasto closed in. He swooped down on the Jam-wagon. He had

him. He shortened his right arm for a jab like the crash of a

pile-driver. The arm shot out, but once again the Jam-wagon was not

there. He ducked quickly, and Locasto's great fist brushed his hair.

Then, like lightning, the two came to a clinch. Now, thought I, it's all

off with the Jam-wagon. I saw Locasto's eyes dilate with ferocious joy.

He had the other in his giant arms; he could crush him in a mighty hug,

the hug of a grizzly, crush him like an egg-shell. But, quick as the

snap of a trap, the Jam-wagon had pinioned his arms at the elbow, so

that he was helpless. For a moment he held him, then, suddenly releasing

his arms, he caught him round the body, shook him with a mighty

side-heave, gave him the cross-buttock, and, before he could strike a

single blow, threw him in the air and dashed him to the ground.

"Time!" called the umpire. It was all done so quickly it was hard for

the eye to follow, but a mighty cheer went up from the house. "Two to

one on the little fellow," called the banjo-voice. Suddenly Locasto rose

to his feet. He was shamed, angered beyond all expression. Heaving and

panting, he lurched to his corner, and in his eyes there was a look that

boded ill for his adversary.

Time again. With the lightness of a panther the Jam-wagon sprang into

the centre of the ring. More than halfway he met Locasto, and now his

intention seemed to be to draw his man on rather than to avoid him. I

watched his every movement with a sense of thrilling fascination. He had

resumed his serpentine movements, advancing and retreating with

shadow-like quickness, feinting, side-stepping, pawing the air till he

had his man baffled and bewildered. Yet he never struck a blow.

All this seemed to be getting on Locasto's nerves. He was going steadily

enough, trying by every means in his power to get the other man to "mix

it up." He shouted the foulest abuse at him. "Stand up like a man, you

son of a dog, and fight." The smile left the Jam-wagon's lips, and he

settled down to business.

I saw him edging up to Locasto. He feinted wildly, then, stepping in

closely, he swung a right and left to Black Jack's face. A moment later

he was six feet away, with a bitter smile on his lips.

With a fierce bellow of rage Locasto, forgetting all his caution,

charged him. He smashed his heavy right with all its might for the

other's face, but, quick as the quiver of a bow-string, the Jam-wagon

side-stepped and the blow missed. Then the Jam-wagon shifted and brought

his left, full-weight, crash on Locasto's mouth.

At that fierce triumphant blow there was the first dazzling blood-gleam,

and the crowd screeched with excitement. In a wild whirlwind of fury

Locasto hurled himself on the Jam-wagon, his arms going like windmills.

Any one of these blows, delivered in a vital spot, would have meant

death, but his opponent was equal to this blind assault. Dodging,

ducking, side-stepping, blocking, he foiled the other at every turn,

and, just before the round ended, drove his left into the pit of the big

man's stomach, with a thwack that resounded throughout the building.

Once more time was called. The Jam-wagon was bleeding about the

knuckles. Several of Locasto's teeth had been loosened, and he spat

blood frequently. Otherwise he looked as fit as ever. He pursued his

man with savage determination, and seemed resolved to get in a deadly

body-blow that would end the fight.

It was pretty to see the Jam-wagon work. He was sprightly as a ballet

dancer, as, weaving in and out, he dodged the other's blows. His arms

swung at his sides, and he threw his head about in a manner insufferably

mocking and tantalising. Then he took to landing light body-blows, that

grew more frequent till he seemed to be beating a regular tattoo on

Locasto's ribs. He was springy as a panther, elusive as an eel. As for

Locasto, his face was sober now, strained, anxious, and he seemed to be

waiting with menacing eyes to get in that vital smash that meant the

end.

The Jam-wagon began to put more force into his arms. He drove in a

short-arm left to the stomach, then brought his right up to the other's

chin. Locasto swung a deadly knock-out blow at the Jam-wagon, which just

grazed his jaw, and the Jam-wagon retaliated with two lightning rights

and a nervous left, all on the big man's face.

Then he sprang back, for he was excited now. In and out he wove. Once

more he landed a hard left on Locasto's heaving stomach, and then,

rushing in, he rained blow after blow on his antagonist. It was a

furious mix-up, a whirling storm of blows, brutal, savage and murderous.

No two men could keep up such a gait. They came into a clinch, but this

time the Jam-wagon broke away, giving the deadly kidney blow as they

parted. When time was called both men were panting hard, bruised and

covered with blood.

How the house howled with delight! All the primordial brute in these men

was glowing in their hearts. Nothing but blood could appease it. Their

throats were parched, their eyes wild.

Round six. Locasto sprang into the centre of the ring. His face was

hideously disfigured. Only in that battered, blood-stained mask could I

recognise the black eyes gleaming deadly hatred. Rushing for the

Jam-wagon, he hurled him across the ring. Again charging, he overbore

him to the floor, but failed to hold him.

Then in the Jam-wagon there awoke the ancient spirit of the Berserker.

He cared no more for punishment. He was insensible to pain. He was the

sea-pirate again, mad with the lust of battle. Like a fiend he tore

himself loose, and went after his man, rushing him with a swift,

battering hail of blows around the ring. Like a tiger he was, and the

violent lunges of Locasto only infuriated him the more.

Now they were in a furious mix-up, and suddenly Locasto, seizing him

savagely, tried to whip him smashing to the floor. Then the wonderful

agility of the Englishman was displayed. In a distance of less than a

two-foot drop he turned completely like a cat. Leaping up, he was free,

and, getting a waist-hold with a Cornish heave, he bore Locasto to the

floor. Quickly he changed to a crotch-lock, and, lastly, holding

Locasto's legs, he brought him to a bridge and worked his weight up on

his body.

Black Jack, with a mighty heave, broke away and again regained his

feet. This seemed to enrage the Jam-wagon the more, for he tore after

his man like a maddened bull. Getting a hold with incredible strength,

he lifted him straight up in the air and hurled him to the ground with

sickening force.

Locasto lay there. His eyes were closed. He did not move. Several men

rushed forward. "He's all right," said a medical-looking individual;

"just stunned. I guess you can call the fight over."

The Jam-wagon slowly put on his clothes. Once more, in the person of

Locasto, he had successfully grappled with "Old Man Booze." He was badly

bruised about the body, but not seriously hurt in any way. Shudderingly

I looked down at Locasto's face, beaten to a pulp, his body livid from

head to foot. And then, as they bore him off to the hospital, I realised

I was revenged.

"Did you know that man Spitzstein was charging a dollar for admission?"

queried the Prodigal.

"No!"

"That's right. That darned little Jew netted nearly a thousand dollars."