The new South. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1862-1867, 1864-01-09

down in his all-powerful grippe. His face soon be-
came frightfu spectacle, although far less hide
than at the close of his battle with SayerS. At
last even the dull and Opaque humanities of his
friends were stirred, and, after another merciless
round, in which the failing strength of the great
gladiator was no longer capable of afording him
a shadow of defence, he was, at the close of the
twenty fourth round, withdrawn reluctantly by his
friends, though himself finsensbe. Thus the cruel
contest ended, leaving for the moment little to
choose between the condition either of victor Of
vanquished.
Such was the end of the fight, after nearly forty
minutes Of hard, quick, desperate fighting, be-
tween two of the most powerful men that have
probably ever entered the ring. 1t was fought out
fairly and truly to the bitter end, neither man
taking any advantage of the other No hand was
laid upon them but that Of their own seconds from
the moment they both entered the ring until the
American laid senseless, bruised and beaten out Of
all semblance Of the man who in the pride of man.
hood and strength had stood there only half an
hour before.
There were great cheers as King won to which
for few moments he was very deaf, for the pace
had been rapid, and, all powerful as he was the
heavy falls had shaken his vitality, and the giant
who had strobe into the ring an overmatch for all
could scarcely close his fingers round the glass of
water which was to keep him from fainting. Yet
there must be a soul Of goodness even in things
evil, for the first really conscious thought that fit
ted through his mind was a wish to make friends
with his late antagonist, and as he said it he
lunged heavily through the crowd of his admirers
to a little knot of curious lockers on, amid whom
what seemed the corpse of the redoubtable Heenan
now lay.
Sayers was with him, and kept with him but
better advice was needed than any pugilist ought
to he called upon to give; for Heenan, though net
nearly so much punished as when he fought at
Marlborough, was evidently much more injured
He was pulseless at the wrists, and even over
the heart the palpitaton was futtering, faint and
low. Yet he had not tainted.
1t was the insensibility of exhaustion, the sheer
want of vitality, though almost till he collapsed SO
suddenly he was supposed to be the winner. One
man was trying to heave up his immense jnani-
mate form while another stripped the wet draw
ers, stained deep with Iris own blood, from the
limbs of the stunned athlete There was dread
full significance in the way in which he was hauled
about limb by limb, as warmer clothes were drag
ged over his unconscious form, like dressing q
corpse. Yet noone seemed to mind much, for all
were crowding round the victor, who, with very
little signs of punishment about his face, came
gaily up in the train back to town.
Heenan was left with his seconds on the field he
had fought to win No one seemed to think much
of him-he was beaten man, and among pugilists
there is no mercy for the defeated. Fair or foul,
there is as yet oply one morality with them
success.
Still there are men alive who think they can re-
vive the prize ring. 1t would be as easy to restore
the sports Of the arena.