Young Ole Devil (27 page)

Rolling on to her side,
Madeline let the downwards-thrusting foot strike her right
shoulder. She was hurt by doing so, but not as badly as she would
have been if she had taken the attack on the bust or stomach.
Ignoring the pain, she grabbed for and jerked Di
’s right leg from under her.
Losing her hat as she landed, the girl proved to be just as capable
at breaking a fall. However, before she could recover, the woman
was on top of her and two strong hands closed around her
throat

Moving like
lightning, Tommy used his left
hand in a scooping, outwards motion to deflect his victim’s—and,
under the circumstances, there could be no other term for the
Mexican—weapon. Having turned the pistol so that it was no longer a
threat to his well-being, the small Oriental demonstrated the true
purpose of the
kongo—
and proved in no uncertain fashion that it was anything but
a harmless piece of wood used as an aid to prayer.

A
kongo
was, in fact, a deadly weapon when wielded
by a student of
yawara.
^xxx

Even as his left hand came into
contact with the pistol, Tommy was twisting his upper body in the
opposite direction to the way he was pushing the weapon. He raised
his right arm outwards, bending the elbow and turning the hand so
that the knuckles were uppermost. Then he pivoted his torso to the
front
and
snapped the right fist forward so that the rounded point
^xxxi
of the
kongo
was carried towards its target.

The small
Oriental
’s
attack was delivered before its recipient could even start to
appreciate his terrible predicament. Nor was he given a chance to
try and avert it. Driving upwards with speed and power, the
kongo’s
point ended its
propulsion against the
jinchu;
the collection of nerves which came together in
the centre of the top lip. Blood spurted as the wood ground into
the flesh and an unimaginable agony detonated through the Mexican.
Everything seemed to disintegrate around him into a cataclysm of
roaring flame. Slipping from his fingers, the pistol fell to the
ground.

From delivering the blow, Tommy
let his hand continue to rise until it was above his left shoulder.
Once again he whipped it forward. This time, it was the butt of
the
kongo
that connected. There was a sharp crack as it impacted on
the centre of the man’s forehead. Already being driven to the rear,
he pitched over on to his back. He would never rise again, dying of
concussion without regaining consciousness.

Leaping forward to tackle
Galsworthy, Ole Devil saw the hammer of the
Mexican
’s
pistol swinging around and was aware of where its barrel was
pointing. There was, he realized, nothing that he could do to save
himself.

When Madeline rolled on to her,
Di reacted instinctively and in a completely feminine manner. Even
as the hands started to tighten and the woman raised her head from
the ground, the girl
’s fingers sank deep into the brunette locks. It was not
the first time that Madeline had had her hair pulled, but never
with such strength and savage violence. Screeching a pain-filled
protest, she felt as if the top of her skull was being torn off.
She reared back and released the girl’s neck with the idea of
grabbing the wrists to try and relieve the agony. Instantly Di
untangled the right hand, folded and struck out with it. Caught on
the nose, Madeline’s head snapped back and blood flowed from her
nostrils. The girl gave a surging heave which toppled the woman
from the upper position and twisted to gain it herself. Straddling
Madeline’s waist with her knees, Di sat up and started to assail
the beautiful, anger and pain distorted, features with fore and
backhand slaps.

Ole Devil should have been
killed only one thing saved his
life. The basic and often fatal flow of
the flintlock system.

Having been out in the cold, damp air, the
powder in the priming pan failed to ignite. Letting out a startled
exclamation, the Mexican stared down at his weapon. Then, allowing
it to fall from his hand, he grabbed at the knife that was sheathed
on the left side of his belt.

Furious at his wife for
her
behavior, Galsworthy saw Ole Devil approaching. At the same
moment, he became aware of the change that had come over Tommy.
Snapping a quick glance to his right, he saw the little Oriental
delivering the attack. Hearing the dead click of a pistol and its
user’s exclamation, he swung his gaze in the other direction. What
he saw filled him with alarm and he guessed what had caused the
weapon to misfire. In all probability, his own pistol would fail to
function for the same reason.

Ignoring the weapon that was thrust into his
belt and those which were just in front of him, Galsworthy sprang
backwards. His actions were motivated by a desire to gain
sufficient time to unsheath his sword from inside the cane. Even as
he moved, he realized that he was committing an error in tactics.
If he had stood his ground, he might have been able to prevent the
Texian from arming himself. It was, however, too late to change his
mind. So he gripped the cane, twisted and started to draw from it
the shining, razor-sharp blade.

‘
Dodd!’ Galsworthy bellowed as the sword was coming free.
‘Dodd! Get here!’

Reaching his weapons, Ole Devil
grabbed for the one which he felt was most suited to his needs. He
had watched Galsworthy
’s hurried retreat and guessed what was the reason
for it even before he saw the unsheathing of the sword. To his
right, the Mexican was already moving forward and pulling out a
knife. While the pistol was percussion-fired and relatively
impervious to damp, it held only a single shot. So Ole Devil’s
right hand closed around the concave ivory handle of the bowie
knife.

Plucking the weapon from the
ground, with Galsworthy
’s yell ringing in his ears, Ole Devil swung it
around and out to the right. Seeing the great knife rushing at him,
the Mexican arched his stomach to the rear and, with his body bent
like a bow, flung himself away from its arc. Nor was he a moment
too soon. The convex curve of the blade’s point barely missed him.
Continuing to withdraw and sliding free his own weapon, which
suddenly seemed very puny and fragile in comparison to that held by
the Texian, he was relieved when his assailant did not favor him
with any further attentions, but went straight by.

Without waiting to see if there
was any response to his yell, Galsworthy hurled the empty cane so
that it went spinning parallel to the ground and at the
Texian
’s
head. Still moving forward, Ole Devil threw up his left hand to
knock the missile aside. Galsworthy sprang forward, going into an
almost classical lunge which sent the point of his sword flashing
towards the young man’s stomach.

After taking two slaps in each
direction, which had rocked her head from side to side, Madeline
responded. She was being held down by the girl
’s weight and knew what to do
about it. Leaving the left wrist, as she realized that all she was
doing was adding to the pain its hand was inflicting on her hair,
she sent her fingers to the girl’s bust Sinking like talons into
the firm mounds under the flimsy cover of the woolen combinations,
they crushed and squeezed. Shrieking, Di tried to jerk away. As the
pressure upon her was relieved, Madeline tipped Di over and
regained the upper position. She was not there for long. Using all
her strength, Di contrived to reverse their roles. Tearing at hair,
slapping, punching, scrabbling and gripping with their hands, they
rolled along the ground oblivious of everything except their hatred
for each other.

Taking no notice of the
squealing of the embattled women, Ole Devil skidded to a stop. Like
many young men of his class and generation, he had been a regular
attendant at a
salle des artnes.
Not only had he learned fencing with the saber
and
epee de
combat,
but
his instructions had included fighting with a bowie knife against a
similar weapon or a sword. The training stood him in good stead at
that moment. Swinging the knife around in a circular motion, he
used the flat of the blade to strike and deflect the sword to his
left. Once it was clear of him, he disengaged and attempted a
backhand slash to his opponent’s neck. Galsworthy’s rapid stride to
the rear saved him. The razor-sharp false edge hissed by and, as he
was about to advance, the knife returned in a swing that would have
laid its edge across his throat if he had begun to move. Stepping
further back, almost involuntarily, he made a rapid cut across with
the sword only to be thwarted by the Texian’s equally swift
withdrawal.

On the point of going to his
leader
’s
assistance, the Mexican became aware that Tommy was coming towards
him. A glance at the bloody face of his companion, who was sprawled
supine and motionless, gave a warning that the small Oriental might
be far more dangerous than his earlier behavior had suggested.
However, as the Mexican held a knife and was skilled in its use, he
did not feel particularly perturbed. He failed to notice the
kongo.
Even if he had seen
it, having been watching the women when his
amigo
was attacked, he probably would not
have appreciated its true purpose. Darting to meet Tommy, he put
his faith in a low thrust that curved inwards towards the
stomach.

Protecting himself with a
backhand and downwards blow, Tommy miscalculated a little. His
wrist struck the Mexican
’s forward driving forearm. While the knife was
turned to his left and in front of him, the defense was less
damaging than it would have been if it had been delivered by the
rounded butt of the
kongo.
Instead of having his arm numbed, if not more seriously
injured, the Mexican was able to snatch it clear of the small
Oriental’s wrist. Then he whipped the knife back and up in the
direction of Tommy’s throat.

Having heard the commotion, and
also seeing something which had been a source of pleasure and
satisfaction, the last member of Galsworthy
’s party ran from behind the clump of
bushes which was being used to hide the horses. Taking in the sight
a good hundred and fifty yards away, he cocked and whipped the
rifle that he was carrying to his shoulder. At the same time, he
gave advice and some news which he felt sure his leader would find
most acceptable under the circumstances.

‘
Get
clear of him, boss!’ the man yelled, trying to line his weapon but
not caring to attempt a shot at that distance with the Texian so
near to Galsworthy. ‘It’s all right Some of the boys’re
coming.’

Hearing his man’s yell, Galsworthy tried
to do as he had been requested. However, Ole Devil Hardin had also
heard and appreciated the danger. So, when Galsworthy leapt
backwards, he followed and tried to crowd in closer. Even though
retreating, Galsworthy continued to wield his sword defensively.
The extra length of his enemy’s blade forced the Texian to keep at
a distance from which his bowie knife could not make contact Yet,
if the man was speaking the truth—and there did not appear to be
any reason why he should lie—there was urgent need for Ole Devil to
act quickly. He had to deal with Galsworthy, separate the fighting
women and get his party into the shelter of die cabin before the
reinforcements arrived.

Crouching swiftly, Tommy Okasi
allowed the Mexican
’s knife to pass just above his head. Having done so, he
lunged forward with his right arm. Rising rapidly, the point of
the
kongo
took his assailant in the
solar plexus
with all the driving force of his
muscular frame behind it Such a blow was deadly in the extreme.
Letting go of the knife, as the sudden onrush of pain caused
paralysis and loss of consciousness, the man crumpled. He went down
like a pole-axed steer and with just as permanent
results.

Even as the Mexican was
falling, Tommy sprang clear and turned his attention to his
companions. Diamond-Hitch Brindley and Madeline de Moreau were
rolling over and over, screeching like a pair of enraged bobcats.
In a tangle of wildly thrashing and waving limbs. Deciding that
they were the least of his worries at the moment, for he too had
heard Dodd
’s
shouted advice, he swung his gaze to where Galsworthy was trying to
put it into effect:

Lining his rifle, Dodd saw what
he felt would be his chance.
Galsworthy had retired fast enough to put just
sufficient distance between him and the Texian for the man to be
willing to act. His forefinger tightened on the trigger and, unlike
the Mexican, he had contrived to keep the powder
in
his priming pan
dry. So, after the inevitable brief delay while the priming charge
ignited, reached and detonated the powder in the chamber, the rifle
roared.

Hit in the upper part of the
crown by Dodd
’s bullet, Ole Devil’s hat was snatched from his head.
While he realized what must have happened, the narrow escape caused
him to duck involuntarily. Like a flash, Galsworthy turned his
retreat into an attack. He saw that he had passed beyond the point
where a lunge would serve his purpose. So, despite being aware of
the basic flaw in its use, he went into a
fleche.
Bounding forward, he drove ahead with
the sword at shoulder height and his torso leaning towards his
potential victim.