The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-03-21
Captain Toms Fright.
CONTINUED

VI O VI Gill WA1Ou Adu DCCu n1IeQ ny
recent storm. / noted that Pete was
Sinking frightfully by. taking a
mighty small quantity of earth on his
spade, and throwing it as short a dis
lance as possible. He saw that | no
ticed him, and by muttered remark
to his companions he let them know
that he did In few minutes L saw
that the whole gang had word of the
Sinking of Pete and my observance
thereof. | made up my mind to have
it out with him, for the sake Of dis
cipline. had with me threeand-a-
half-foot stick which | always carried
for measuring purposes, a good, stout,
hard cane of hickory, of which, thanks
to long residence with an old Eng
fish backwoodsman, / knew also the
use in self defence. @s E
60 Pete, said I, if you don't do
your full share OF. work from this
time on, your name goes off the
roll, tomorrow night and you leave
by the next train Pete stopped
work and looked at me a moment
from under his shaggy .brows, then
leaned his spade against the ditch
side, hitched up his trousers, removed
his dudeen from his mouth and stuck
it in his hat, and then climbed slowly
out of the ditch. Pete's shillalah and
brown jug were never far from him,
and he walked coolly toward them,
remarking, Ye dirty spalpeenI I'll
brak' the head of We shure as me
names Pete McGee, an ye may tax
me name off the roll and be damned
to We. In an instant he had his bit
of black thorn in his hand, and
knocking off his hat, pipe and all, he
frightened his belt and came toward
me-, as ugly looking specimen as
you would wish to meet. I heard a
man remark, Boys, here's discus
sion wild shticks, shure enough, " and
saw the. hands stop work and watch
the progress of events with the en-
thusiastic interest of Irishmen when
they become aware that fight is ap-
preaching. My authority was at
an end if / backed out, whereas
if made agood fight | might retain
my authority, even if whipped So [
glanced round to see that there were
no rolling soones or the like to step
on, and made up my mind to fight it
out. Pete MCGEE" said I, as he
drew near, you'd better think twice
before you do it. Hold yer tongue,
will ye? I've stood yer tyranny long
enough" was the. only reply I re-
ceived, and in a. moment Pete had
struck. | had parried, and we were
at it. If any of you have happened
to see quarter-staf play on board a
man-of war, you will appreciate the
game. Some hundred men take the
sticks at time and pair off in two
long lines on the main deck. Very
often any two men who have a quar-
rel settle it by getting opposite one
another and pitching in Ihave seen
some pretty sharp fights at such
times. Pete was evidently an old
hand at the sticks, and had doubtless
figured in former days at many a
county fair in the old country. So /
stood on the defensive, catching blows
like fail-strokes, aimed at head, leg
ard side with astonishing rapidity.
Pete was evidently surprised
at finding me ou fat with the
sticks, and in truth / had
all / could do to keep him from break
ing my head. As it was, he gave me
an ugly crack on the left shoulder,
and hit me slightly elsewhere once or
twice before / let him know that /
could strike.
SAT length, emboldened by my con-
tinued attitude of defence, he attempt
ed to break my guard and head at the
same time by downward blow nearly
corresponding to the seventh cut of
the broadsword exercise. It is no
joke to parry a blow of that kind
struck by such a wrist as Pete had,
for slight detection of the blow will
disable your knuckles, and if you are
not up to the dodge, your own stick
will be driven down on to your head,
which will probably end the fight.
That blow, however, sealed Pete's
fate. | received it on my stick held
over my head and sloping sharply just
clear of my left shoulder, in fact,
slightly touching it. He tried
to check his blow, but had put
MS heart too much in it; his
shillalah glanced harmlessly past my
shoulder, while with a quick turn Of
the wrist and forearm, 1 laid the
whole weight of my blow fairly on the
crown Of, his head, and Pete McGee
measured his length ON the ground,
while an involuntary I" Murray rose
from the balance of the workmen
who forgot, in their enthusiasm for
the science, that their own CHAMPION
was defeated. :
Pete worked like Trojan after
that, and [ even grew more popular
with the hands, except when thew
were in liquor. It is a great thing
among such fellows to know that i6
muscle and pluck the boss is not in
ferior to the best of them. Two
weeks passed after my battle royal