Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 87: what you’re looking at

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THE “ Leave him to me,” I said. ‘“ You stand here by the girls. If I need you, I'll shout.” The man by the tree was a squat little individual, some five feet three or four inches tall, and extraordinarily broad. He was bareheaded, with black hair falling to his shoulders. He was naked to the waist, exposing a powerful torso. His single gar- ment was the usual knee-length trousers. I thought I had never seen so evil a face as his, as he stood there, holding his ground before my slow advance, and leering at me. His cheek bones were high, his jowls heavy, his little eyes set wide apart. His nose was flat, as though it had once been broken. I went straight up to him, and he did not move. There were certainly three hundred people watching us as I stood there facing him. “ You threw a stone at your king,” I said to him sternly, although I knew perfectly well he could not understand my words. “You shall be punished.” I reached out suddenly and struck him ‘in the face as smartly as I could with the flat of my hand. He gave a roar of sur- prise and pain, and as soon as he could recover from my blow lunged at me with a . snarl of rage. As he came I turned and darted swiftly away. I heard a shout of surprise from Mercer, “It’s all right,’ he called. _ Wait.” I ran about twenty feet, then turned and _ waited. The man came on, head down, charging like a mad bull. When he was _ close upon me I gathered my muscles and _ sprang clear over his head, landing well be- __ hind him. _ He stopped and looked around confused- ly, evidently not quite sure at first what had become of me. * Mercer gave a shout of glee, and, to my great satisfaction, I heard it taken up by the crowd, mingled with murmurs of sur- prise and awe. I stood quiet, and again my opponent charged me. I eluded him easily, and then for fully ten minutes I taunted and baited him this way, as a skillful toreador taunts his bull. The crowd now seemed to enjoy the affair hugely. FIRE PEOPLE. St Finally I darted behind my adversary and, catching him by the shoulders, tripped him and laid him on his back on the ground A great roar of laughter went up from the onlookers. The man was on his feet again in an instant, breathing heavily, for indeed he had nearly winded himself by his exertions. I ran over to Mercer. “Go on,” I said; “ show them what you can do.” The commotion of this contest had drawn many other spectators about us now, but they kept a space clear, pushing back bur- riedly before our sudden rushes. At my words Mercer darted forward eagerly. His first move was to leap some twénty feet across the open space. This smaller oppo- nent seemed to give the Mercutian. new courage. He shouted exultantly and dashed at Mercer, who stood quietly waiting for him at the edge of the crowd. Mercer’s ideas evidently were different from mine, for as his adversary came within reach he stepped nimbly aside and hit him a vicious blow in the face. ‘The man top- pled over backward and lay still. I ran over to where Mercer was bending over his fallen foe. As I came up he straightened and grinned at me. “Oh, shucks,” he said disgustedly. “ You can’t fight up here—it’s too easy.” CHAPTER XV. THE MOUNTAIN CONCLAVE. T is reasonable,” Miela said thought- fully. “And that our women will help as you say—of that I am sure.” We were gathered in the living room after . the evening meal, and I had given them my ideas of how we should start meeting the situation that confronted us. We had had no more trouble that day. After the en- counter in the king’s garden Mercer and I had followed the two girls swiftly home. We were not molested in the streets, al- though the people crowded about us wher- ever we went. ™« Why did none of Baar’s friends come to his rescue up there in the garden?” I Commicloolkxs.conn