“WELCOME THE TRAVELLER"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 October 1939, Page 12

“WELCOME THE TRAVELLER"

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

ARTHUR HARDY.

CHAPTER XXI. (Continued). A mighty shout heralded the approach of McGinty. He came striding down the aisle to the ring, raising his hands high above his head and shakhis clasped hands in acknowledgement of the applause. His broad face was stretched in a happy grin, his step was springy, his air triumphant. He could not have looked happier had he just won the fight. He mounted the steps with a swagger and moved about the ring, facing this way and that, gesticulating flamboyantly. He made the crowd laugh with his antics, and drew cheers from them with his grimaces. This was life to McGinty. Robert found himself wondering what would happen to McGinty when he had to do without the glamour of the ring.

The preliminaries seemed never ending. -Examining the boxing gloves, breaking them; the bandaging, the introductions, the M.C.’s announcements, the referee’s cautions, the shaking of hands. During this time Robert had some diffcul'ty in breathing, regularly and deeply. He stared about him at a blank void seeing nothing. He avoided glancing at McGinty, indeed scarcely saw him until they stood face to face and gripped hands. McGinty’s glove tightened over his. The American’s rasping voice echoed dully in Robert’s ears. ‘‘l shan’t make too much of a mug onto you. I’ll let you go a few rounds, see. But about the four round I'll fix you’’ The referee pushed them gently apart and Robert went back to his corner where he stood with his gloved hands grasping the ropes, scraping the soles of his shoes in the resin, his back turned to McGinty. “Watch that left of McGinty’s. Don't let him rub open your eye as he did Dan’s. Take it easy. Bob. Don't rush the fighting." It was Daniel Shelton speaking. Dan added a last word. "Good luck, Bob. You can beat him. Be careful when you go into holds, or he may try something. Give him one for me.” “Seconds out” —the bell. Robert's- brain cleared with the call to action and an icy hand seemed to stroke him' down the spine. He could actually count his heart beats and found them throbbing strongly and regularly. He faced about and went infighting. Robert Berry had no difficulty in seeing McGinty now. The big bodied American was there in front of him, towering, bulky. He came quickly from his corner, tight lipped and menacing, his deep-set eyes were cold, like a snake’s. He was carrying his guard high and as they came within striking distance Robert saw ■ the American’s left hand move.

As quick as lightning Robert hurled a right hook to the jaw with the solid shock of bone and muscle behind it. McGinty stopped in his tracks and Robert sent the left to the body and the right to the jaw again, sending McGinty. Whatever happened after this and knees.

McGinty stared up blankly with one knee raised. A roar as of thunder shook the packed arena. Robert Berry stood back watching grimly, waiting. He was satisfied. He had hurt McGitny. Whatever happened after this McGinty would not feel so sure of winning in the fourth round. McGinty was up at the count f eight and moving back, arms and gloved hands covering face and body, head down. Robert followed him, keeping distance nicely, snapping in left jabs, one, two, three, each stabbing blow rocking McGinty's head back. McGinty clinched, worked his left hand and arm under Robert's right armpit. As they moved arcund,McGinty snapped a low punch home with the right, then broke loose and swung the left, hooking, for the head. Robert ducked, and as McGinty lost balance drove the left in the face again. McGinty crept in launched a smashing right cross, only to find it turned aside, and took a left uppercut on the chin. He closed, held; they were forced apart. McGinty clinched again, hit in holds, but without much power. The referee was walking between them when the bell rang. Berry had won the round easily and a hurricane of applause followed him to his corner.

Robert was not nervous now; his nerves were icy. Now that he was under the guns he was master of himself. From his stool he shot a quick glance across the ring at McGinty, and saw Vance Sherwood, Mike's manager. handing out advice. McGinty, leaning back, with eyes half closed, nodded impatiently. The bell! They were up again and fighting. McGinty at once went into a clinch. He began to dig away at Berry's middle with short sharp blows. He leant nil his weight on Berry. He loosed his left arm and sent in a vicious uppercut. Robert's protecting arms served to shield him. Nicely balanced, he pressed against the crushing weight and eased his head backward when McGinty drove the dome of his head up in an attempt to gash the eye. “Break, you're holding, McGinty.”

Robert Berry stepped neatly away as they came apart and went in at once, jabbing with his left, one, two, three, The short sharp blows shook McGinty’s head like a jelly. Berry knew that knock down at the start of the. first round had shaken McGinty; ho knew very well that it is hard for a fighter to recover from such- a punch, McGinty tore in. launching a succession of left and right hand punches, delivered with lightning speed, that made Berry back away. Robert was on the ropes. He felt the rasping rub of the fibre on his back, covered up, blocked the nasty upper cuts, and tint-1 ing it, got away cleverly. McGinty pounced, hooking with the left high up on the temple gnd screwing the glove, dragging it down as it made

contact. It was with such another punch McGinty had opened the gash above Dan Shelton’s eyes in his last fight. Robert was conscious of the tear and scrape of the leather as it tore downwards; he knew, then, how it was McGinty gashed the men with whom he fought. Mechanically he moved his head so as to ride the punch and hit McGinty to a standstill with a right hook that threatened to splinter the jawbone.

McGinty did a comical skip with one foot as he made for his corner; Robert had hurt him. Vance Sherwood met him with a spongeful of water thrown into the face. Daniel Shelton, as he tended Robert, out of one eye saw McGinty’s seconds fumbling as they rubbed the American’s legs or flapped their towels. That last blow, landing where the first knock-out punch had landed, had not improved McGinty’s chanches, and Mike’s seconds knew it. Daniel smiled grimly. Things were going all right now. He looked at Robert and saw that the skin of forehead and eyelid was dyed an angry red. The flesh was near to being opened. McGinty was at his old tricks again. "Watch that left hook to the eye, Bob,” Daniel advised. Robert could feel the burn of the nettled flesh. McGinty would be sure to make play at the sore spot. He knew it might turn the tide of battle if he could open a cut.' Robert raced to meeting McGinty at the start of the third round. He scored with a lightning fast left jab and pulled back quickly from the counter. McGinty was short. Berry went in again, showing superb footwork, jabbed, jabbed, jabbed again, stepping, or sliding away from McGinty's counters. He watched McGinty’s eyes. A faraway look had crept into them. Robert cast a swift glance at McGinty’s legs. They gave a little at the knees. Robert made play, drew a couple of left leads, caught them on his gloves, and drove a hard left home on the nose. McGinty sniffed and tore in angrily, aiming at the eye. Robert let him have it, right cross and straight left, drove McGinty to the ropes, and kept'him there. In a rally McGinty butted viciously, jabbed low at the body, but in the exchange of punches Robert scored heavily with sharp digs, short jolting upper-cuts, and overhand swings to the head. He's tearing McGinty to pieces,” said Daniel Shelton to son Dan, as they knelt side by side with their chins almost resting on the ring ledge. McGinty broke free by sheer force, but his body was heaving like a bellows and his stare was vacant. He was paying a heavy price for his neglect of training. Making McGinty miss, Berry let him have it left and right. The bell stopped the slaughter, and McGinty forced a painful grin as he straightened up. "I told you —remember—the next round ” he said to Robert. Robert quickly gained his corner. Save for the red flush over the eye, he was unmarked. McGinty, on the other hand, looked as battered as a storm tossed ship. Robert’s eyes were bright with confidence. The skip McGinty had repeated when going to his corner had told a tale. McGinty was really hurt. Robert determined not to let him recover. A fifteen stones man with a punch is dangerous as long as he is standing on his feet.

The bell sent Robert after his man all out. McGinty did not flinch, took a left in order to give a counter. He changed his tactics, and began to make a street fight of it, launching punches from all angles, swinging wildly. A wild right hook shook Berry, hurt him. A savage dig in the body did not add to his comfort. But he did not care. He. could hit as hard at McGinty. He risked damage to his eye, taking McGinty’s vicious left-hand blows so that he could get in close enough to land a right counter. As Robert felt McGinty’s glove jar the sore spot, ne drove the right home on the jaw, choosing the old mark. A lump had risen there. He felt McGinty shake as they clinched. They broke away and Berry took the left again in order to connect with his own damaging right. He pulled back, looked at McGinty, and saw two dazed and bewildered eyes peering vacantly at him. McGinty’s legs were giving way. Robert cut loose, moving swiftly, striking with tremendous power. McGinty hall swung away, backing towards the ropes. As Robert hit him again he saw his man come forward, a sign that a man is nearly all in. Robert swept the protecting gloves aside and let him have the right, crisply, on the jaw.

McGinty began to slide to the floor, but before he was down Robert gave him a lightning left hook that finished it. McGinty landed face down and lay still.

The fight was over—in four rounds.

(To be Continued?