hands.

Suddenly Coutlass sprang to his feet, broke loose for a second, landed
a terrific kick in the German's stomach, and closed again. He twisted
Schillingschen's great splay beard into a wisp and wrenched it, forcing
his head back, holding the knife-hand in his own left, and spitting
between the German's parted teeth; then threw all his weight on him
suddenly, and they went down together, Coutlass on top and
Schillingschen stabbing violently in the direction of his ribs.

Letting go the beard, Coutlass rained blows on the German's face with
his free fist. Made frantic by that assault Schillingschen squirmed
and upset the Greek's balance, rolled him partly over and, blinded by a
very rain of blows, slashed and stabbed half a dozen times. Coutlass
screamed once, and swore twice as the knife got in between his bones.
The German could not wrench it out again. With both hands free now,
the Greek seized him by the throat and began to throttle him, beating
with his forehead on the purple face the while his steel fingers
kneaded, as if the throat were dough.

We were not at all inclined to stop Coutlass from killing the man. We
came closer, to see the end, and Coutlass caught sight of us at last.

"Shoot him!" he screamed. "Gassharamminy! Shoot him, can't you, while
I hold him!"

As he made that appeal the German convulsed his whole body like an
earthquake, wrenched the knife loose at last, and as Coutlass changed
position to guard against a new terrific stab rolled him over, freed
himself and stood with upraised hand to give the finishing blow. Then
suddenly he saw us and his jaw dropped, the beastly mess that had been
his well-kept beard dropping an inch and showing where the Greeks fist
had broken the front teeth. But that was only for a second--a second
that gave Coutlass time to rise to his knees, and dodge the descending
blow.

I made up my mind then it was time to shoot the German, whatever the
crimes of the Greek might be; but Coutlass had not grown slower of wit
from loss of blood. As he dodged he rolled sidewise and seized my
rifle, jerking it from my hand. He jerked too quickly. The German saw
the move and kicked it, sending it spinning several yards away. We all
made a sudden scramble for it, Schillingschen leading, when the German
turned as suddenly as one of the great apes he so resembled, tripped
Will by the heel, wrenched the rifle from his right hand, pounced on
the empty tin box, and wa