The first chapter introduces the narrator and main character, John Ridd, directly addresses the reader; he’ll be telling his story to the best of his abilities. John establishes his humility and disparages his mental capabilities, often relating them to his social class. John’s father, the elder John Ridd, valued education, despite his own lack of it, and sent John to a nearby school, which he attended until the age of 12. John describes the prank history of the area’s schoolboys.

John describes his time at school, including the bullying of children who did not pay tuition and his frequent fighting. One of his claims to fame beyond his undefeated fighting history is that his cousin, Mr. Tom Faggus, is a famous highwayman.

At school, John gets into yet another meaningless fight, but John Fry, a farmhand, interrupts. John Ridd asks why he is there instead of his father. Fry tells him that everything is fine, but John knows that he is lying. Still, he continues his fight against Robin Snell, a future mayor of Exeter, feeling that he must defend the family honor one last time. The fight is difficult due to the older boy’s size, but the encouragement John receives from his “second” and John Fry’s words about winning or not coming home push him to victory.