“A flash of indignation now shot from Kelly’s eye, and with the speed of lightning he sprung within Grimes’s weapon,—­determined to wrest it from him.  The grapple that ensued was gigantic.  In a moment Grimes’s staff was parallel with the horizon between them, clutched in the powerful grasp of both.  They stood exactly opposite, and rather close to each other; their arms sometimes stretched out stiff and at full length, again contracted, until their faces, glowing and distorted by the energy of the contest, were drawn almost together.  Sometimes the prevailing strength of one would raise the staff slowly, and with gradually developed power, up in a perpendicular position:  again the reaction of opposing strength would strain it back, and sway the weighty frame of the antagonist, crouched and set into desperate resistance, along with it; whilst the hard pebbles under their feet were crumbled into powder, and the very street itself furrowed into gravel by the shock of their opposing strength.  Indeed, so well matched a pair never met in contest:  their strength, their wind, their activity, and their! natural science appeared to be perfectly equal.

“At length, by a tremendous effort, Kelly got the staff twisted nearly out of Grimes’s hand, and a short shout, half encouraging, half indignant, came from Grimes’s party.  This added shame to his other passions, and threw an impulse of almost superhuman strength into him:  he recovered his advantage, but nothing more; they twisted—­they heaved their great frames against each other—­they struggled—­their action became rapid—­they swayed each other this way and that—­their eyes like fire—­their teeth locked, and their nostrils dilated.  Sometimes they twined about each other like serpents, and twirled round with such rapidity, that it was impossible to distinguish them—­sometimes, when a pull of more than ordinary power took place, they seemed to cling together almost without motion, bending down until their heads nearly touched the ground, their cracking joints seeming to stretch by the effort, and the muscles of their limbs standing out from the flesh, strung into amazing tension.

“In this attitude were they, when Denis, with the eye of a hawk, spied a disadvantage in Grimes’s position; he wheeled round, placed his broad shoulder against the shaggy breast of the other, and giving him what is called an ‘inside crook,’ strained him, despite of every effort, until he got him off his shoulder, and off the point of resistance.  There was a cry of alarm from the windows, particularly from the females, as Grimes’s huge body was swung over Kelly’s shoulder, until it came down in a crash upon the hard gravel of the street, while Denis stood in triumph, with his enemy’s staff in his hand.  A loud huzzah followed this from all present except the Orangemen, who stood bristling with fury and shame for the temporary defeat of their champion.

“Denis again had his enemy at his mercy; but he scorned to use his advantage ungenerously; he went over, and placing the staff in his hands—­for the other had got to his legs—­retrograded to his place, and desired Grimes to defend himself.