The
bigger boys were given to fighting, and used to have mills every
Saturday afternoon, with seconds, bottle-holders, and everything
complete, except the ropes and stakes. We little chaps used to
imitate them among ourselves as best we could. At first, when they
made me fight, I shut my eyes and cried; but for all that I managed
to catch the other fellow tight round the waist and throw him. After
that it became a regular joke to make me fight, for I always cried.
But the end of it was that I learned to keep my eyes open and hit
straight. I had no trouble about fighting then. Somehow, I could
tell by instinct when the other fellow was going to hit me, and I
always hit him first. It's the same with me now in the ring; I know
what a man is going to do before he rightly knows himself. The power
that this gave me, civilized me. It made me cock of the school; and
I had to act accordingly. I had enough good-nature left to keep me
from being a bully; and, as cock, I couldn't be mean or childish.
There would be nothing like fighting for licking boys into shape if
every one could be cock; but every one can't; so I suppose it does
more harm than good.
"I should have enjoyed school well enough if I had worked at my
books.
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