FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158  
159   160   >>  
Wheeling like a flash, Paul shot out a fist before the Frenchman could recover his guard, and struck him a smash under the ear which sent him reeling back into his friends. Pete Deveaux was now thoroughly alarmed. He had not expected such science, nor such force, on the part of his opponent. He approached Paul with much more caution, amid the howls of the natives, and decided to let him take the offensive. Paul was willing. Encouraged by his success thus far, and bent upon ending the fracas as soon as possible, he met his adversary with a heavy swing which just cleared the man's ear. Deveaux struck, but missed also. Pressed backward, he clinched to save himself, and in this position, where nobody could see his movements, he viciously tried to put some short jabs into Paul's abdomen. Fortunately for himself Paul succeeded in breaking away before he was doubled up by the blows, one of which had landed with sufficient power to make him utter an involuntary smothered exclamation of pain. "No more of that, Mr. Deveaux!" warned the referee suspiciously, as Paul shoved his opponent back. "Keep out of the clinches! Fight fair!" "Fair! Fair!" yelled the sailors; and the natives took up the cry in their own language. Paul now advanced, and Pete Deveaux retreated. The latter was really frightened. Something was beginning to tell him that in this youth of eighteen he had met his superior. "I think we'd better quit, Ross, before we hurt each other," suggested the French flyer cravenly. "This flight business of ours won't stand such delays as this. We can have this out when we land in Panama." "No, we can't have it out in Panama!" cried Paul. "Stand up if you're a man and settle this thing right now. Watch out; I'm coming!" By this time Pete Deveaux had retreated to the lower end of the improvised ring. He saw that he was cornered; that he must fight once more. Lunging forward like a trapped rat, he struck a wicked blow for his opponent's head. Paul parried it, and as swift as a stroke of lightning his right hand streaked out and caught Deveaux under the jaw. The Frenchman reeled backward a few steps, and toppled over, full length upon the ground. What a cry went up from the onlookers! By this time the sympathies of every one, except Deveaux's own comrades, were with the youth. No one, even a half-civilized savage, at heart likes a coward. For a few moments Pete Deveaux was dazed. But after
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158  
159   160   >>  



Top keywords:

Deveaux

 

struck

 
opponent
 

Panama

 
Frenchman
 

backward

 

natives

 

retreated

 

coming

 

settle


business

 
superior
 

Wheeling

 

suggested

 
delays
 
flight
 
French
 

cravenly

 

Lunging

 
sympathies

comrades
 

onlookers

 

length

 

ground

 
moments
 
coward
 

civilized

 

savage

 

toppled

 

eighteen


forward
 

trapped

 

improvised

 

cornered

 

wicked

 

caught

 

streaked

 

reeled

 

lightning

 
parried

stroke

 
sailors
 
fracas
 

ending

 

adversary

 
Encouraged
 

success

 
Pressed
 

clinched

 
missed