So in this cosy room they gathered, after they had sufficiently dried themselves, and eagerly waited for dinner to be served.  To them suddenly reappeared Sam Weller, accompanied by no less a person than the notorious Mr. Pott of the Eatanswill Gazette—­who, that worthy had discovered, was also staying in the hotel.  He was on his way to the great Buff Ball, to be held at Birmingham the next evening.  Needless to say, he was heartily welcomed and an agreement was made to club their dinners.  Mr. Pott soon began to entertain the company with gossip about his mission and firebrand intentions, taking the opportunity of letting off some of his best abusive expletives at the expense of his rival paper, the Eatanswill Independent, and its editor.

Incidentally he extolled the genius of one of his staff, and revealed the great secret of how he “crammed” for an article on “Chinese Metaphysics” by turning up the two words in the encyclopaedia and combining his information.  He was in the midst of enlivening the proceedings with extracts from his own lucubrations, when his great rival, whom he was abusing, drove up, unknown to him, and booked abed for himself at the same hotel.  Mr. Slurk was also making for the great Buff Ball at Birmingham, and, having ordered some refreshment, retired to the kitchen (a custom in those days) to smoke and read in peace.

“Now some demon of discord,” writes Dickens, “flying over the ‘Saracen’s Head’ at the moment,” prompted Bob Sawyer to suggest to his friends that “it wouldn’t be a bad notion to have a cigar by the kitchen fire.”  They all agreed that it was a good idea, and forth they went—­only to find, to their surprise, Mr. Slurk there before them deep in the study of some newspaper.  The rival editors both started at each other, and gradually showed symptoms of their ancient rivalry bubbling up, which, by slow but certain process, developed until it eventually precipitated them into a free fight with carpet bag and fire shovel as respective weapons.

The details of this fracas are too well known to need repetition here.  Suffice to say that, when the fray was at its height, Mr. Pickwick felt it his duty to intervene, and called upon Sam Weller to part the combatants.  This he dexterously did by pulling a meal sack over the head and shoulders of Mr. Pott and thus effectually stopping the conflict.  The scene, it will be remembered, was depicted with much spirit by Phiz, the artist who illustrated the book.  The rivals parted, peace once more reigned, and the company repaired to their respective beds.  In the morning both Mr. Pott and Mr. Slurk were careful to continue their journey in separate coaches before the Pickwickians were stirring, whilst the spectators of the exciting scene went forward to London in their post-chaise a little later.

This incident is one of those that are best remembered in the book, and has made the “Saracen’s Head,” Towcester, a notable Pickwickian landmark.  The old posting inn remains to-day as it was when the book was written, and if the kitchen—­as such—­is not on view any longer, the same room turned to other uses is there for the faithful disciple to meditate in and visualize the scene for himself; and no doubt he will find that the inn is as famous now for its “French beans, ’taters, tarts and tidiness” as it used to be.