October last I returned to Portland with an engagement to cross sticks and box with a young writer who is in the U.S. Coastguard. He pulled up outside of the Yeti Waters den and began walking towards me, head closely shaved, an 1890s razor thin mustache framing a face that I suppose women find attractive, and walked confidently to me, shaking hands in the street as I appraised his frame and said, “Good God, I hope you can’t fight!”

We drove to the park and I discovered that not only could he fight, but that he could handle a stick well based on sword and buckler fencing he had done in Denmark. He was also an honorable young stud, who at 25, 6’ 1” and 185, with powerful frame, took it easy on me. At first glance he reminded me of a young Christopher Reeves.

James bought me breakfast at a local dive bar and would return to Portland for another training session with Portland Joe and a 13-year-old of his size that he graciously coach sparred. James has the best stamina for mixed boxing and stick I have encountered. He introduced the idea that we should box first, then do weapons, then finish with boxing.

He lifts weights, grapples, trains sword, Muay Thai and boxing and interacts well with older strangers with a confident voice. We were approached by an insane horseman of the apocalypse with news of doom in Portland—an elderly crackpot Christian—and James thanked him for his advice with a, Thank you, Sir—good looking out,” then walked off without permitting the nut to eat any more of our time. For a young fellow he has a really good parlay sense.

We have discussed writing, both of us being great fans of Robert E. Howard. His Conan story The Horn of Chaliac is quite good. His site, linked below has idylls and even a gaming article, and I suspect more fiction on the way. James is fascinated with nautical adventure and his work “out on the boat,” is inspiring him to write some piratical adventure. I suggested he read Black Vulmea’s Vengeance and The Black Stranger, a Conan yarn rewritten as a Black Vulmea story. Howard’s best Conan stories were pirate yarns.

Additionally, noting that he is “like Steve Costigan with a brain,” I suggest Howard’s boxing yarns, most of which feature a tramp steamer crew member.

James has a degree in Medieval Studies and has provided me with his thesis on Viking Age Feasting. Since I have been in the Cascades, James had driven to the Cedar Stead twice and we have boxed and stick sparred in the gravel drive way for 90 minutes each time, until I run out of gas. I have my moments with double stick and have quite abused his thigh, he making sure to score a clinch and hoist and then let me go as a reminder.

We have done a few clinching drills, dueled with homemade training knives and I have served as the evil knifer against his Coastie baton in some tactical drills. It has been a pleasing association and I m blessed, thanks to Guru Rick, that on the doorstep of 60 I can still train with such fine young men.

James likes dogs and dogs like him, a sign I have noted of good character. Our first session in Selek, Toby the canine HNC and Amos, bigger of the werewolf twins were in attendance. Once we started boxing, Toby darted inside with the quip, “Oh, this is some stupid business,” and Amos laid down to watch. Amos then noted that his door opener, his hiking buddy, his filler of the food bowl, was being manhandled by James, and began to grab his ankle and nip the back of his knee. When James spoke to Amos about this Amos suggested himself as an opponent, and then insisted we stop.

James, my host, took Amos inside. Then, when boxing was done and Toby had tricked Amos into going back outside we began stick sparring. Amos looked at us in disbelief at ape behavior and sheltered under a tree. I played the dastard bad guy to the hilt with stick and knife and by the time we repaired to Captain James’s table for a lunch of three James, Amos had decided that Young James Anderson was his apish kin and sat at his feet, reminding me of Conan and Slasher in Beyond the Black River.

James is also involved in Rugby, which perhaps accounts for his pentathlete build and stamina. He described it to me as like intervals of running and wrestling and sent me the links below of a sport I must begin watching.

I asked him of career concerns being associated with me, since I am a bad thinker who writes some anti-American opinions, and he grinned, “You are my boxing coach, are totally off the rails, and if my boss has a problem with you I’ll just say, “Well, I have punched this man in the face and hit him with sticks for hours!”

Honor finds a way to survive even in this Murican hive.

I will be using James R. Anderson’s Viking Thesis in Shrouds of Aryas, most likely to post near year’s end. In the mean time, I expect some good fiction from this fistic young man’s hand.

Below is the text from his email:

…

James, 

My main website link is:

 jamesrandersen.com

Some rugby videos: 

Australia vs. New Zealand in 2000, considered one of the best games of all time (this is 15-a-side)

;

One of rugbys best hitters and my favorite player: 

An example of the much faster paced seven-a-side:

Thanks for training today...and for the website review. Hope to see you soon. Tell James and his wife thank you for the hospitality. 

James