The Argosy — page 309: what you’re looking at

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

288 The Fair of Cuers his form wholly devoid of muscular development. ‘That, however, was his affair, not ours. Retiring behind a little knot of his companions, he stripped himself completely naked, and remained so, with the exception of a pair of bathing drawers, throughout the encounter. When he appeared on © the sawdust, he looked lke a lath. Never had we seen a form so utterly devoid of those bunches, or protuberances, on any legs or chest which are usually held to indicate strength. His colour was that of a Red Indian, his appearance that of a lad of seventeen. His professional opponent, on the contrary, was a very mass of muscles, which hung about him like knots, reminding one of the cartoons of Raphael or the paintings of Rubens. To it they went with a will, at first warily stretching out hands to lay hold of hands, then striking arms or feeling fora grip at the waist. Presently, the professional had his man round the body, and lifted him about like a straw, but somehow he could never throw him fairly down. ‘The youth’s feet seemed to feel the ground even when dangling in the air; he turned himself about like a snake, he fell on hands or feet, or laid himself on the ground flat upon his stomach, while the athlete danced round him, pulling, tugging, twisting in vain —for to gain the battle it 1s necessary to make both the shoulder blades of the fallen foe touch the ground. For a good quarter of an hour the youngster butted like a bull with his head down, slipped out — of the most deadly grips, and sometimes threw his adversary with great violence, yet without making his shoulders touch the earth. The professional got wary ; he was evidently a little afraid, yet never doubted the final issue of the fray. At last they joined and wrestled furiously, struggled, fell—the youth under the giant ; one more turn and it would be all over with the poor boy, when suddenly he caught the athlete round the neck, squeezed, as in a vice, his jugular, lifted him clean up into the air, planted him as flat as a pancake upon his broad back, and rose the victor of as fine a struggle as ever mortal eyes beheld. We pitied the poor professional, for he looked very downcast ; but the amateur we admired so much that we offered him money, which he refused, showing that he belonged to the better class, and was no confederate. Before parting, we made a tour of the town, visiting especially the dark, heavy and gloomy church, which has some points of attraction, from an architectural point of view, although it is ill kept and dirty. One could not help remarking its desolate emptiness, while so many people were congregated outside its walls, especially when one is old enough to remember how, but twenty or thirty years ago, there used to be almost a pile of baskets at the doors of the churches, left there by their owners—the marketing country people—while they said a few prayers before their favourite shrines within. All that seems passed away. Even the women are absent; or, if there, they come but as a faithful remnant, leaving the vast majority behind. Havinga peculiar ECOPMIC LOOKS, (E)