I did not reply to him, but walked out into the cabin. He followed
me out, for he knew he had me afraid of him by my not resenting
the insult. He got up pretty close and said:
"If you did get my money, I can lick you."
I told him he had better find an easier fight, when he let fly at
me. I was on my guard, caught his lick on my arm, and then I lit
into him, and we had it rough-and-tumble all around the hall. We
came near upsetting the stove; but I had him whipped in about two
minutes, and he squealed like a pig under a gate.
At another time I was coming down the Missouri River from St. Joseph
to St. Louis, and had beaten a fellow out of $40. He was a rolling-
mill man from St. Louis, and I found out he could hit a pretty hard
lick. I was playing a game of euchre in the hall after closing up
monte, when this fellow slipped up and hit me a lick on the side
of the neck that came near flooring me. I rallied and was on my
guard in an instant. He came at me again, and we had it up and
down and around the cabin for some little time before I could get
a crack at him with my head. When the old head did get a chance,
it was not long until he cried quit. The Captain and every one
who saw the fellow hit me from behind said they were glad to see
him get licked, and so was I.
At another time I was in a game of poker on the steamer _Telegraph_
coming up from Madison, Ind., and there was a big blacksmith in
the game who was very quarrelsome. He wanted to fight every time
he would lose a dollar, so I ran him up a hand and then broke him.
He left the game and went into the bar. My old friend Jake Bloom
had the bar at the time. The big fellow told Jake he was going to
whip that fellow they called Colonel when the game was over. Jake
told him he could get a much easier fight, if he wanted to lick
some one. He replied:
"Why, I can lick that fellow in a minute."
I was sitting where I could hear what he said; so, as there was
very little more money in the party I was playing, I left the game
and went into the bar-room, and said to the blacksmith.
"Come, old top, and join me in a drink, for I beat you on that last
hand."