But first of all he came from Nottingham to London and practised with the gloves for a time. He then challenged Tass Parker for ￡200 a side. A match was arranged, but on the eve of it Bendigo was arrested and clapped into jail, and the forfeit4 money was paid to Parker. The evidence with regard to this arrest is somewhat conflicting. There is no doubt at all but that it was made at the instance of Bendigo’s elder brother, John Thompson: the reason generally given being that he was afraid lest Bendigo should injure his knee again. “Thormanby,” however, assures us that John’s motive5 was his abhorrence6 of the Ring. The Thompsons were a family of quite marked respectability: one of their uncles had been a dissenting7 minister.... Brother John was a well-to-do manufacturer, of the most unctuous8 rectitude, and there were two great troubles in his comfortable life. One was his prize-fighting and disreputable brother William 94 and the second, sad to tell, was his mother. Mrs. Thompson was not at all the sort of person that you would anticipate in such a family. How she came to be the mother of John (and of other respectable children) passes comprehension. And Bendigo loved her dearly, and she was intensely proud of him. But she was so “coarse,” so violent—a big, jolly, generous creature. On the days when he was fighting Ben Caunt she would sit in her kitchen and listen to the clock ticking, and she would declare that it always ticked “Ben-dy Ben-dy.” “By Gosh,” she said, “if it’d ticked ‘Ben Caunt,’ I’d have oop and smashed its blasted face for it.” And we can see her, sitting there, comfortable, with her hair loose and untidy, her face red, big-mouthed, gap-toothed, with dark, small eyes, immoderately buxom—a jewel of a woman.
After some negotiation9 (which in the ‘forties of last century were almost as long drawn10 out and as exasperating11 as the corresponding negotiations12 of to-day) a third battle between Bendigo and Ben Caunt was finally arranged for ￡200 a side and the belt. This encounter was fought out, after principals and expectant onlookers13 had been hounded by the police from two different places, at Sutfield Green in Oxfordshire.
Now this battle with Ben Caunt has been branded as the most disgraceful affair in all the annals of the Ring, but it is representative of its period, and as such must be described.
Bendigo had been trained at Crosby, near Liverpool; Caunt at Hatfield, to which place Tom Spring used constantly to come from London to see how the big fellow was getting on. Caunt was now thirty-three, and before he began training he weighed 18 stone. During that very arduous14 process he reduced himself to 14 stone, without actually injuring himself. Bendigo was three years older and only 12 stone 1 lb. Both men entered the ring in fine condition. There were about 10,000 spectators with a remarkably15 strong leaven16 of roughs from Nottingham. These gentry17 came armed with bludgeons and yelled for Bendigo. The betting immediately before the fight was chiefly in the proportion of 6-4 on Ben Caunt.
The men came with their seconds to the scratch and, following 95 the old custom, all four crossed hands in the middle of the ring, the seconds presently retiring to their corners, leaving the antagonists18 facing one another. Caunt had won the toss for corners, and had his back to the sun. There was a good deal of difficulty about the choice of a referee19, and at last much against his own personal inclination20, Mr. Osbaldiston—“The Old Squire,” as he was everywhere called—consented to act. Bendigo walked a little lame21, but his activity in the ring was not much impaired22. Right foot foremost, he crouched23 with his left shoulder held high in an exceedingly awkward and ungainly position: but his jaw24 was thus well protected from Caunt’s mighty25 right. The giant, on the other hand, stood nearly square with both arms well out in the manner of Bill Neate. Bendigo, as befitted the smaller man, circled round, looking for an opening and biding26 his time. Caunt pivoted27 about slowly in order to face him. Each time he went round Bendigo got nearer and nearer to his man by imperceptible stages. Then at last Caunt let go, and Bendigo, who had deliberately28 drawn the blow, ducked it and sent in a heavy counter to his opponent’s eye. For an instant the big man’s face expressed rage and ferocity, and then he grinned. There was always something about Bendigo which made folk laugh. He was ever a merry-andrew, always playing the goat; you couldn’t help but grin even when he hurt you. And then in the next minute he had hit again, this time with a tremendous left which reopened an old scar, and Caunt bled profusely29. He lumbered30 in, trying to land a blow on the smaller man: but Bendigo ducked and dodged32 and sidestepped and avoided them all.
In the third round Caunt managed to catch hold of his opponent and threw him. But although his training had not exactly hurt him, his strength was not at its greatest, and Bendigo’s speed quite overwhelmed him. He hit him as he liked, smashed his face with left and right, and would get away without a reply: then lest the reply turned out to be belated but sure, Bendigo would slip down.
Once Caunt caught him up against the ropes and leaned on him there, and would most likely have hurt him seriously, but 96 that he overbalanced himself and fell down. Bendigo’s hitting was really terrific. Caunt was much cut about the face from the earliest rounds, but in the thirteenth round Bendigo sent in a left which is famous in the history of boxing. It struck Caunt on the right cheek with such force as to knock him clean off his legs, actually lifting his fourteen stone in the air. For a few seconds he was quite stunned33. A little later Bendigo split his man’s upper lip clean through, and the blood poured from it. Caunt was tremendously game, and though utterly34 beaten, hit for hit, stood up and fought. Bendigo was never a cur whenever he did suffer punishment, but his artful dodge31 of avoiding it by continually going down was detestable and ought to have been stopped at once. And towards the end of this fight, which lasted for ninety-three rounds and over two hours, Caunt was getting the better of it. Bendigo continued to drop directly he saw danger. Caunt’s supporters again and again appealed to the referee, but in the yelling and confusion about the ring they were either unheard or unheeded. Moreover, the proper way to appeal—according to the rules—was first to the two umpires, who in their turn referred to the higher authority. Backers and seconds frequently forgot this, and referees35 occasionally took advantage of the fact.
The roughs who had come to support Bendigo were known as the “Nottingham lambs,” and they were indeed a pretty crew. Time and again they tried to cut the ropes when Caunt had forced Bendigo against them, and one blackguard aimed a blow with his bludgeon at Caunt’s head, missed, and caught Tom Spring, who was by the ropes at the moment, on the shoulder. To the last the big man hoped by getting in one frightful36 smasher to end the fight, but towards the last they were both using foul methods, Bendigo hitting below the belt, Caunt trying to use his knee. In the ninety-third round Caunt knocked Bendigo down—so Bell’s Life tell us—and turned away, naturally supposing that the round was over. Bendigo leapt to his feet, however, and dashed after his man, hoping to be able to hit him at a disadvantage before he could turn. As his arm was poised37 to deliver the blow Caunt 97 abruptly38 sat down. An appeal was at once made by Bendigo’s seconds, Ward and Hannan, together with others, direct to the referee, who decided39 that Caunt had deliberately gone down without a blow, and that Bendigo was the winner. It must be remembered that when Bendigo went down as he did, over and over again, it was in a less obvious manner; that is to say, at the end of a sharp rally when he was close to his man. His position in this way would be more equivocal than Caunt’s.
Jack40 Randall
born Nov. 25 1794 5 feet 6 Inches high weighs 10st, 6lb; has beaten Jack the Butcher in 20 minutes, Walton in 10 minutes Geo Dodd in 25 minutes, Ugly Borrock the Jew in 12 minutes, West Country Dick in 33 minutes, Holt in 25 minutes & only 8 rounds. Belasco in 51 minutes & only 7 rounds, Parish in 53 minutes & only 11 rounds, Turner in 2 Hours & 16 Minutes, Martin in 53 Minutes & many others of late note, in sport he has never been beaten.
Reviewing the evidence, it certainly does seem that the referee made an error of judgment41. Having made it, he stuck to it, as he should. He was, of course, accused of being intimidated42 by the ruffians whose heavy sticks were close about his head. The facts of the case were presented to “The Old Squire” afterwards, especially Caunt’s quite natural supposition that the round had ended. The referee replied that he had given his decision to the best of his ability from what he saw. His view of the proceedings43 was constantly being interrupted, and it was quite possible that he did not see everything. He pointed44 out, further, that against his wishes he had been chosen as referee by both the parties.
It is perfectly45 useless to make any comment other than that the referee should certainly have been stricter in the earlier stages of the fight. On this occasion the principals themselves, especially the winner, were not blameless: but the chief fault, of course, lay with the person or persons who organised the band of ruffians from Nottingham. These men had no silly idea of putting money on the chances of Bendigo and backing their sanguine46 opinion. They intended to subscribe47 a certainty.
Caunt and Bendigo were bitter enemies for a long time after this, but in 1850, they had a great joint48 Benefit, at which they at last shook hands and became fast friends.
Bendigo was a bit of rapscallion, certainly; but he was a born clown, with the keenest sense of fun, which lasted almost to his dying day. His acrobatic feats49 even when he was an old man were the astonishment50 of his contemporaries and the delight of children. He was, as you might say, a funny mixture: a great gardener, a patient fisherman, in bouts51 a drinker who, with 98 very little liquor in him, went clean off his weak head, and once cleared a butcher’s shop in his drunken rage, hurling52 legs of mutton at the jeering53 crowd upon the pavement. At the considerable risk of his own he saved a man’s life from drowning in the Trent, and indignantly refused a material reward. In 1870, some revivalists seeing the peculiar54 possibilities of this brand if he could only be snatched from the burning, “converted” him; and “Thormanby” tells the story of how Lord Longford, his old backer, once meeting him in a London street dressed in a black coat and a white tie, stopped him and asked, “Hallo, Bendy! What’s your little game now?”
“Truly, my lord,” Bendigo answered with an impeccable unction, “I am fighting Satan now, and Scripture55 saith that victory shall be mine.”
“Hope so, Bendy,” said his lordship, “but if you don’t fight Beelzebub more fairly than you did Ben Caunt, I’ll change sides.”
Like other converts Bendigo occasionally fell from grace: but the family bias56 towards evangelical assiduity swung him periodically towards uprightness till his death in 1880.
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1
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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forfeit
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| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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7
dissenting
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| adj.不同意的 | |
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unctuous
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| adj.油腔滑调的，大胆的 | |
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negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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exasperating
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| adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式 | |
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12
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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13
onlookers
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| n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 ) | |
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14
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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16
leaven
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| v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响 | |
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gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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18
antagonists
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| 对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药 | |
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19
referee
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| n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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21
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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biding
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| v.等待，停留( bide的现在分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临 | |
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27
pivoted
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| adj.转动的，回转的，装在枢轴上的v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的过去式和过去分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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30
lumbered
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| 砍伐（lumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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32
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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referees
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| n.裁判员( referee的名词复数 )；证明人；公断人；（专业性强的文章的）审阅人 | |
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36
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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38
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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39
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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40
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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41
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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42
intimidated
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| v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的 | |
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43
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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44
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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45
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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46
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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47
subscribe
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| vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助 | |
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48
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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49
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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50
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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51
bouts
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| n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作 | |
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52
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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53
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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54
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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55
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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56
bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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