Martin Eden Ch 15 p149

Paul Stought

May 29

safe place for the battle that revived itself under Martin's eyelids. He saw the two gangs, aggressive and sullen, rigidly keeping apart from each other and backing their respective champions; and he saw himself and Cheese-Face stripping. A short distance away lookouts were set, their task being to watch the lighted ends of the bridge. A member of the Boo Gang held Martin's coat, and shirt, and cap, ready to race with them into safety in case the police interfered. Martin watched himself go into the centre, facing Cheese-Face, and he heard himself say, as he held up his hand warningly:-	saef plaes fuar dhu batul dhat rivievd itself undur Mortun'z ielidz. Hy sau dhu too gangz, ugresiv and sulun, rijudly kyping uport frum ych udhur and baking dher rispektiv champyunz; and hy sau himself and Chyz-Faes striping. U shaurt distuns uwae lwkouts wur set, dher task bying too woch dhu lietud endz uv dhu brij. U membur uv dhu Boo Gang held Mortun'z koet, and shurt, and kap, redy too raes with dhem intoo saefty in kaes dhu pulys inturfird. Mortun wochd himself goe intoo dhu sentur, faesing Chyz-Faes, and hy hurd himself sae, az hy held up hiz hand waurningly:-
"They ain't no hand-shakin' in this. Understand? They ain't nothin' but scrap. No throwin' up the sponge. This is a grudge-fight an' it's to a finish. Understand? Somebody's goin' to get licked."	"Dhae aent noe hand-shaekun' in dhis. Undurstand? Dhae aent nuthin' but skrap. Noe thro.in' up dhu spunj. Dhis iz u gruj-fiet an' it's too u finish. Undurstand? Sumbody'z go.in' too get likd."
Cheese-Face wanted to demur,—Martin could see that,—but Cheese-Face's old perilous pride was touched before the two gangs.	Chyz-Faes wuntud too dimur,--Mortun kwd sy dhat,--but Chyz-Faes'z oeld perulus pried wuz tuchd bifaur dhu too gangz.
"Aw, come on," he replied. "Wot's the good of chewin' de rag about it? I'm wit' cheh to de finish."	"Au, kum on," hy riplied. "Wot's dhu gwd uv choo.in' de rag ubout it? Ie'm wit' che too de finish."
Then they fell upon each other, like young bulls, in all the glory of youth, with naked fists, with hatred, with desire to hurt, to maim, to destroy. All the painful, thousand years' gains of man in his upward climb through creation were lost. Only the electric light remained, a milestone on the path of the great human adventure. Martin and Cheese-Face were two savages, of the stone age, of the squatting place and the tree refuge. They sank lower and lower into the muddy abyss, back into the dregs of the raw beginnings of life, striving blindly and chemically, as atoms strive, as the star-dust of the heavens strives, colliding, recoiling, and colliding again and eternally again.	Dhen dhae fel upon ych udhur, liek yung bulz, in aul dhu glaury uv yooth, with naekud fists, with haetrud, with dizier too hurt, too maem, too distroi. Aul dhu paenful, thouzund yirz' gaenz uv man in hiz upwurd kliem throo kryaeshun wur lost. Oeny dhy ilektrik liet rimaind, u mielstoen on dhu path uv dhu graet huemun udvenchur. Mortun and Chyz-Faes wur too savijuz, uv dhu stoen aej, uv dhu skwoting plaes and dhu try refuej. Dhae sangk loer and loer intoo dhu mudy ubis, bak intoo dhu dregz uv dhu rau biginingz uv lief, strieving bliendly and kemikuly, az atumz striev, az dhu stor-dust uv dhu hevunz strievz, kulieding, rikoiling, and kulieding ugen and iturnuly ugen.
"God! We are animals! Brute-beasts!" Martin muttered aloud,	"God! Wy or anumulz! Broot-bysts!" Mortun muturd uloud,
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Martin Eden Martin Eden Intro