He
edged along the curb, hoping to gain the legation door by a rush.
But the foe threw out a wing, cutting him off. Several eager
followers had lifted Urgante, whose groans and curses suggested a
sound basis for Cluff's diagnosis. Himself quite hors de combat,
he spat at the Unspeakable Perk, and cried upon his henchmen to
kill the "Yanki." It seemed not improbable to the latter that they
would do it. Perkins set his back to the wall, twirled the flag
folds tight around the pole, reversed and clubbed the staff, and
prepared to make any attempt at killing as uncomfortable and
unprofitable as possible. The rabble, by no means favorably
impressed by these businesslike proceedings, stood back, growling.
A hand flew up above the crowd. The Unspeakable Perk ducked
sharply and just in time, as a knife struck the wall above him and
clattered to the pavement. Instantly he caught it up, but the
blade had snapped off short. As he stooped, one bold spirit rushed
in. Perkins met him with a straight lance-thrust of the staff,
which sent him reeling and shrieking with pain back to his
fellows. But now another knife, and another, struck and fell from
the wall at his back; badly aimed both, but presumably the
forerunners of missiles, some of which would show better
marksmanship.
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