THE MANLY ACT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 213, 8 September 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE MANLY ACT.

(By H. DOHERTY, 49, Ardmore KoaJ, Heme Bay.) Boxing? You want a boxing story? Well, now I come to think of it, I don't know many boxing stories. But Etay! Yes, I do. I'll tell you about the time Davies ran into a snag. The snag was Smith, and it happened this way. I belonged to a gym. I don't now. One day I tried to do a back-flip on the horizontals and when I woke up they told me I got flipped back. Smith also belonged to this same gymnasium and he and I were more or less on good terms. You see, he was a decent sort of joker and besides—besides, the way he used those fists! It was a lesson. By all this rambling balderdash, I mean to say that Smith was a real hot scone; a fast laddie. A regular card.

Often he would put the gloves on with me and as we sparred—for you can bet

your last red cent I never forced the pace—as we sparred he would show me a few points here and ther. Occasionally he would let out and, speaking from personal experience, I can say that he carried a punch like the crack from a whale's tail.

Then, ono day, Davies joined. He, also, was a bird. But he was not the sort of bird Smith was. Smith was good. Davies was not. He had floral ears and his nose had the appearance of having been hit with, say, a sixteen pound sledge-hammer. In front, his teeth existed only as a minus quantitv and his chin had the pugnacious appearance of the prow of a battle ship. His eyebrows ran right across his brow, which was low enough to make you feel nervous, aud his eyes were those of a typical worm. I don't mean he had worm's eyes, but a worm's eyes. You see the difference? You do"? Better than me, then.

Well, at any rate, this luw-brow chappie joined up and instantly started to leant boxing in real earnest. I was his first sparring (?) partner. ( 'Now," said the instructor, "vou stand like this—feet well apart, left arm forward, left leg forward, left arm slightly bent, right leg behind the left, but resting all your weight on the left." Davies took up the attitude. "Now," continued the man in charge, "this is the lead you've got to learn. A straight left stops anything, from an engine to a flea.

Davie a gave an evil grin and looked at me and I wondered whether he was thinking of an engine or a flea. But the laddie who knew was still meandering on.

Lead for his nose, and the instant you are blocked, or stopped, or hit him, lead a cross right. This ia how vou do it.' He i ho wed Davies how 'twas done and the rogue grinned. "Does it alwavs work?" he said. "Yes," was the answer '•only, you've got to be quick." "HI be quick," he replied. "Good. Well just practise that, will vou boys? And don't forget it's'sparring. Go at it like friends. Don't try to hurt each other. Just easy sparring, see?" \es,' said Davies, the blooming hypocrite. ® F . W eU> we> started off. I did- the leading first, just to show him how to do it and how to block. I led lightly and slowly, but even then I thought his parries came a bit heavily and a bit quickly. Then he did the leading. I stood, guard open, mouth open, eyes open, givi*®? f ° r a light > elow left lead. He took it, only he led a killing bashing, lightning left and followed it with a twinging, a in-in--' £ A ot me \ i°°' Just where would do the most damage. On the left temple j,, caught me end I went 32?® a thf »Wdl* & the floor, think-

ing that I tad received everything that Heeney had, (I believe I came to about half an hour later.) Murder -will out. Smith had beerfi matching our friendly little bout, and next, night he offered to put 'em oa •with Ananias. He, of course, This chap would only be another AH'b grist that comes to the h® ; thought, and was feeling so he came across and told me to keep my: guard a little higher and I'd be all right then. Well, they started. Smith did a few leads and generally acted the giddy-; goat. Then Smith left himself a bit"' open and Davies hopped in to do somadirty work. When they took him home that night' (about four hours later) they say hr was weeping and crying out all the way along the road, and from what I could gather, this was the general theme of his mutterings: 'He —hit —me —when I wasn't—looking! A —foul —blow ! Hard—abaft— the gizzard! Unfair! Why didn'tja— stop him? Eh?"

We've never eeen liiia since.