Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 95: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE ORIGIN OF WRESTLING. forehead is so low and whose neck is quite as short?” Instantly Sappo replied: “ There is Achmides, the Corinthian, who is with- out forehead or neck at all and who is shaped so like a cask that coopers con- stantly are putting hoops around him by mistake.” “Go then,” said Themistocles. “ Bring hither Achmides, the Corinthi- an, for the goddess Pallas Athene has hit me between the eyes with an idea for a new sport.” When Achmides arrived Themis- tocles said to the barrel-shaped men: * Now each of you will endeavor to put the other on his back. ‘To the win- ner [ will give one talent in gold. Be- in.” Whereupon Sappo and Achmides be- gan to wrestle. According to the Greek calendar the bout lasted for ten days, the men being equally matched. The populace of Athens came to the Acropolis to witness the sport and most of them brought their bedding and ra- tions for a week. All other municipal activities were suspended as the people of Athens cheered on the gladiators. - On the afternoon of the tenth day the bout ended abruptly. It seems that 'Achmides, overcome by a desire to sleep, rolled over on his back and be- gan to snore lustily. Hearing the first snore the clever Sappo claimed a victory. There was quite a protest when ‘Themistocles awarded the decision to him, as it was seen that sleep and not the power of Sappo had overcome the Corinthian, But there was no appeal from the de- cision of ‘‘hemistocles, who had the reputation of being one of the squarest sports in old Athens. Of course, the men were rematched a few weeks later, and the crowd that assembled at the Acropolis packed the inclosure. This time Achmides had been doing some thinking despite the fact that his narrow forehead gave him very little material to think with. As he passed through a street where 233 the ascent to the Acropolis began, Ach- mides walked through a little group of Athenian children at play. They were chanting the very ancient children’s rime which has been traced back to the time of the Pharaohs. It ran: “Feney, meeney, miney mo, Catch a bimbo by the toe, If he hollers, let him go. Keney, meeney, miney mo.” Instantly a complete thought perco- lated the thick, hard skull of Achmides. The ancients, of course, maintain that the thought was put into his head by Pallas Athene herself, the goddess of thought. This superstition, naturally cannot be considered at all as even a lady possessed of supernatural powers could not make a thought enter the head of a wrestler even by using a gim- let. However the thought got there, the fact remains that it did arrive. Of course, this historian maintains that it got there by purely natural means, per- haps spontaneous combustion, or it may have sprung into being through the fumes of Samian wine. Once again Achmides faced Sappo on the mat at the Acropolis. This time the Athenian, naturally was a heavy favorite over the Corinthian. The bout had gone only two days when Achmides suddenly seized the big toe of Sappo’s right foot and began to twist it. Sappo complained to the referee, but got little or no sympathy. By this time Achmides had complete- ly forgotten the second couplet of the verse which said, “ if he hollers let him go.” Instead of letting go, Achmides not only retained his toe-hold, but be- gan to grip it with greater firmness and Sappo’s moans could be heard by the sailors far out on the A’gean Sea. After a little more of this Sappo held up one hand as a signal that he had enough. Achmides was pulled from his victim by four husky helots—slaves— and Sappo rose to his feet limping. “Are you not going to wrestle any COPMIE MOO KS (E@)