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Chapter 42
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THROUGH George Bird I made the acquaintance of the leadingsurgeons and physicians of the North London Hospital, where Ifrequently attended the operations of Erichsen, JohnMarshall, and Sir Henry Thompson, following them afterwardsin their clinical rounds. Amongst the physicians, ProfessorSydney Ringer remains2 one of my oldest friends. Both surgeryand therapeutics interested me deeply. With regard to thefirst, curiosity was supplemented by the incidental desire toovercome the natural repugnance3 we all feel to the mere4 sightof blood.

  Chemistry I studied in the laboratory of a professionalfriend of Dr. Bird's. After a while my teacher would leaveme to carry out small commissions of a simple character whichhad been put into his hands, such as the analysis of water,bread, or other food-stuffs. He himself often hadengagements elsewhere, and would leave me in possession ofthe laboratory, with a small urchin5 whom he had taught to beuseful. This boy was of the meekest6 and mildest disposition7.

  Whether his master had frightened him or not I do not know.

  He always spoke8 in a whisper, and with downcast eyes. Hehandled everything as if it was about to annihilate9 him, orhe it, and looked as if he wouldn't bite - even a tartlet10.

  One day when I had finished my task, and we were alone, Ibethought me of making some laughing gas, and trying theeffect of it on the gentle youth. I offered him a shillingfor the experiment, which, however, proved more expensivethan I had bargained for. I filled a bladder with the gas,and putting a bit of broken pipe-stem in its neck for amouthpiece, gave it to the boy to suck - and suck he did. Ina few seconds his eyes dilated11, his face became lividlywhite, and I had some trouble to tear the intoxicatingbladder from his clutches. The moment I had done so, thetrue nature of the gutter-snipe exhibited itself. He beganby cutting flip-flaps and turning windmills all round theroom; then, before I could stop him, swept an armful ofvaluable apparatus12 from the tables, till the whole floor wasstrewn with wreck13 and poisonous solutions. The dismay of thechemist when he returned may be more easily imagined thandescribed.

  Some years ago, there was a well-known band of amateurmusicians called the 'Wandering Minstrels.' This bandoriginated in my rooms in Dean's Yard. Its nucleus14 wascomposed of the following members: Seymour Egerton,afterwards Lord Wilton, Sir Archibald Macdonald my brother-in-law, Fred Clay, Bertie Mitford (the present Lord Redesdale- perhaps the finest amateur cornet and trumpet15 player of theday), and Lord Gerald Fitzgerald. Our concerts were given inthe Hanover Square Rooms, and we played for charities allover the country.

  To turn from the musical art to the art - or science is itcalled? - of self-defence, once so patronised by the highestfashion, there was at this time a famous pugilistic battle -the last of the old kind - fought between the Englishchampion, Tom Sayers, and the American champion, Heenan.

  Bertie Mitford and I agreed to go and see it.

  The Wandering Minstrels had given a concert in the HanoverSquare Rooms. The fight was to take place on the followingmorning. When the concert was over, Mitford and I went tosome public-house where the 'Ring' had assembled, and wheretickets were to be bought, and instructions received. Fightswhen gloves were not used, and which, especially in thiscase, might end fatally, were of course illegal; and everyprecaution had been taken by the police to prevent it. Aspecial train was to leave London Bridge Station about 6 A.M.

  We sat up all night in my room, and had to wait an hour inthe train before the men with their backers arrived. As soonas it was daylight, we saw mounted police galloping16 on theroads adjacent to the line. No one knew where the trainwould pull up. Ten minutes after it did so, a ring wasformed in a meadow close at hand. The men stripped, andtossed for places. Heenan won the toss, and with it aconsiderable advantage. He was nearly a head taller thanSayers, and the ground not being quite level, he chose thehigher side of the ring. But this was by no means his only'pull.' Just as the men took their places the sun began torise. It was in Heenan's back, and right in the other'sface.

  Heenan began the attack at once with scornful confidence; andin a few minutes Sayers received a blow on the forehead abovehis guard which sent him slithering under the ropes; his headand neck, in fact, were outside the ring. He lay perfectlystill, and in my ignorance, I thought he was done for. Not abit of it. He was merely reposing17 quietly till his secondsput him on his legs. He came up smiling, but not a jot18 theworse. But in the course of another round or two, down hewent again. The fight was going all one way. The Englishmanseemed to be completely at the mercy of the giant. I was sodisgusted that I said to my companion: 'Come along, Bertie,the game's up. Sayers is good for nothing.'

  But now the luck changed. The bull-dog tenacity19 and splendidcondition of Sayers were proof against these violent shocks.

  The sun was out of his eyes, and there was not a mark of ablow either on his face or his body. His temper, hispresence of mind, his defence, and the rapidity of hismovements, were perfect. The opening he had watched for cameat last. He sprang off his legs, and with his whole weightat close quarters, struck Heenan's cheek just under the eye.

  It was like the kick of a cart-horse. The shouts might havebeen heard half-a-mile off. Up till now, the betting calledafter each round had come to 'ten to one on Heenan'; it fellat once to evens.

  Heenan was completely staggered. He stood for a minute as ifhe did not know where he was or what had happened. And then,an unprecedented20 thing occurred. While he thus stood, Sayersput both hands behind his back, and coolly walked up to hisfoe to inspect the damage he had inflicted21. I had hold ofthe ropes in Heenan's corner, consequently could not see hisface without leaning over them. When I did so, and beforetime was called, one eye was completely closed. What kind ofgenerosity prevented Sayers from closing the other during thepause, is difficult to conjecture22. But his forbearance didnot make much difference. Heenan became more fierce, Sayersmore daring. The same tactics were repeated; and now, nolonger to the astonishment23 of the crowd, the same successrewarded them. Another sledge-hammer blow from theEnglishman closed the remaining eye. The difference in thecondition of the two men must have been enormous, for in fiveminutes Heenan was completely sightless.

  Sayers, however, had not escaped scot-free. In counteringthe last attack, Heenan had broken one of the bones ofSayers' right arm. Still the fight went on. It was now abrutal scene. The blind man could not defend himself fromthe other's terrible punishment. His whole face was soswollen and distorted, that not a feature was recognisable.

  But he evidently had his design. Each time Sayers struck himand ducked, Heenan made a swoop24 with his long arms, and atlast he caught his enemy. With gigantic force he got Sayers'

  head down, and heedless of his captive's pounding, backedstep by step to the ring. When there, he forced Sayers' neckon to the rope, and, with all his weight, leant upon theEnglishman's shoulders. In a few moments the face of thestrangled man was black, his tongue was forced out of hismouth, and his eyes from their sockets25. His arms fellpowerless, and in a second or two more he would have been acorpse. With a wild yell the crowd rushed to the rescue.

  Warning cries of 'The police! The police!' mingled26 with theshouts. The ropes were cut, and a general scamper27 for thewaiting train ended this last of the greatest prize-fights.

  We two took it easily, and as the mob were scuttling28 awayfrom the police, we saw Sayers with his backers, who werehelping him to dress. His arm seemed to hurt him a little,but otherwise, for all the damage he had received, he mighthave been playing at football or lawn tennis.

  We were quietly getting into a first-class carriage, when Iwas seized by the shoulder and roughly spun29 out of the way.

  Turning to resent the rudeness, I found myself face to facewith Heenan. One of his seconds had pushed me on one side tolet the gladiator get in. So completely blind was he, thatthe friend had to place his foot upon the step. And yetneither man had won the fight.

  We still think - profess1 to think - the barbarism of the'Iliad' the highest flight of epic30 poetry; if Homer had sungthis great battle, how glorious we should have thought it!

  Beyond a doubt, man 'yet partially31 retains thecharacteristics that adapted him to an antecedent state.'


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 profess iQHxU     
v.声称,冒称,以...为业,正式接受入教,表明信仰
参考例句:
  • I profess that I was surprised at the news.我承认这消息使我惊讶。
  • What religion does he profess?他信仰哪种宗教?
2 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
3 repugnance oBWz5     
n.嫌恶
参考例句:
  • He fought down a feelings of repugnance.他抑制住了厌恶感。
  • She had a repugnance to the person with whom she spoke.她看不惯这个和她谈话的人。
4 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
5 urchin 0j8wS     
n.顽童;海胆
参考例句:
  • You should sheer off the urchin.你应该躲避这顽童。
  • He is a most wicked urchin.他是个非常调皮的顽童。
6 meekest 2a5107c1de829b1e3b48c24061ffc730     
adj.温顺的,驯服的( meek的最高级 )
参考例句:
  • Even the meekest little lamb can turn into a tigress. 多温柔的女人结婚后都会变成母老虎。 来自互联网
7 disposition GljzO     
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署
参考例句:
  • He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
  • He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
8 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
9 annihilate Peryn     
v.使无效;毁灭;取消
参考例句:
  • Archer crumpled up the yellow sheet as if the gesture could annihilate the news it contained.阿切尔把这张黄纸揉皱,好象用这个动作就会抹掉里面的消息似的。
  • We should bear in mind that we have to annihilate the enemy.我们要把歼敌的重任时刻记在心上。
10 tartlet tartlet     
n.小形的果子馅饼
参考例句:
11 dilated 1f1ba799c1de4fc8b7c6c2167ba67407     
adj.加宽的,扩大的v.(使某物)扩大,膨胀,张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyes dilated with fear. 她吓得瞪大了眼睛。
  • The cat dilated its eyes. 猫瞪大了双眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 apparatus ivTzx     
n.装置,器械;器具,设备
参考例句:
  • The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
  • They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。
13 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
14 nucleus avSyg     
n.核,核心,原子核
参考例句:
  • These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
  • These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。
15 trumpet AUczL     
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘
参考例句:
  • He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴,我吹喇叭。
  • The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。
16 galloping galloping     
adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The horse started galloping the moment I gave it a good dig. 我猛戳了马一下,它就奔驰起来了。
  • Japan is galloping ahead in the race to develop new technology. 日本在发展新技术的竞争中进展迅速,日新月异。
17 reposing e5aa6734f0fe688069b823ca11532d13     
v.将(手臂等)靠在某人(某物)上( repose的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • His parents were now reposing in the local churchyard. 他的双亲现在长眠于本地教堂墓地。 来自辞典例句
  • The picture shows a nude reposing on a couch. 这幅画表现的是一个人赤身体躺在长沙发上。 来自辞典例句
18 jot X3Cx3     
n.少量;vi.草草记下;vt.匆匆写下
参考例句:
  • I'll jot down their address before I forget it.我得赶快把他们的地址写下来,免得忘了。
  • There is not a jot of evidence to say it does them any good.没有丝毫的证据显示这对他们有任何好处。
19 tenacity dq9y2     
n.坚韧
参考例句:
  • Tenacity is the bridge to success.坚韧是通向成功的桥。
  • The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.运动员在比赛中表现出坚韧的斗志。
20 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的,新奇的
参考例句:
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
21 inflicted cd6137b3bb7ad543500a72a112c6680f     
把…强加给,使承受,遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
  • Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。
22 conjecture 3p8z4     
n./v.推测,猜测
参考例句:
  • She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
  • This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。
23 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
24 swoop nHPzI     
n.俯冲,攫取;v.抓取,突然袭击
参考例句:
  • The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
  • We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。
25 sockets ffe33a3f6e35505faba01d17fd07d641     
n.套接字,使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 );孔( socket的名词复数 );(电器上的)插口;托座;凹穴
参考例句:
  • All new PCs now have USB sockets. 新的个人计算机现在都有通用串行总线插孔。
  • Make sure the sockets in your house are fingerproof. 确保你房中的插座是防触电的。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
26 mingled fdf34efd22095ed7e00f43ccc823abdf     
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系]
参考例句:
  • The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
  • The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候,这一男一女就开始交往了。
27 scamper 9Tqzs     
v.奔跑,快跑
参考例句:
  • She loves to scamper through the woods of the forest.她喜欢在森林里的树林中穿梭嬉戏。
  • The flash sent the foxes scampering away.闪光惊得狐狸四处逃窜。
28 scuttling 56f5e8b899fd87fbaf9db14c025dd776     
n.船底穿孔,打开通海阀(沉船用)v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 );快跑,急走
参考例句:
  • I could hear an animal scuttling about in the undergrowth. 我可以听到一只动物在矮树丛中跑来跑去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • First of all, scuttling Yu Lung (this yuncheng Hejin) , flood discharge. 大禹首先凿开龙门(今运城河津市),分洪下泄。 来自互联网
29 spun kvjwT     
v.纺,杜撰,急转身
参考例句:
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
30 epic ui5zz     
n.史诗,叙事诗;adj.史诗般的,壮丽的
参考例句:
  • I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗,而写了这个小故事。
  • They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。
31 partially yL7xm     
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲
参考例句:
  • The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
  • The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静,宵禁部分解除。


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