CHAPTER XI
A Fight to a Finish
Alwyn thought he had got off lightly, but he was mistaken, forwithout warning Black Strogoff struck him violently in the face withhis clenched fist. Luckily the British officer saw the blow comingand moved his head smartly aside. Thus the blow, which was intendedfor his nose, glanced from his cheek.
Strogoff had hoped to rouse Burgoyne into a state of fury, and thusfind an excuse for using his automatic. He would not have dared tostrike the unarmed Englishman but for the fact that there were twentyor more pirates with him.
With a tremendous effort Burgoyne kept himself under control. He hadnot only himself to consider but his three comrades. In fact, JasperMinalto was on the point of taking up the cudgels on his officer'sbehalf, when Alwyn stopped him.
"Afraid, eh?" remarked Strogoff scornfully.
"Not in the least," replied Burgoyne in even tones that surprisedhimself. "If you would like a set-to, a fight with fists, I'll behappy to oblige you, or anyone else you care to mention."
"Fists, eh? Barbarian sport," sneered Black Strogoff. Then, swayed bya sudden inspiration, he shouted to one of the onlookers, a huge,hulking Peruvian.
"Ver' well," he continued. "We will have sport."
"And what happens when I knock out the man?" inquired Burgoyne.
Black Strogoff roared with laughter.
"There is no need to ask that," he replied. "He will not be the onewho will be conquered. Are you ready to try?"
"I'd prefer to deal with _you_," declared Burgoyne pointedly.
The pirate lieutenant ignored the suggestion, and, beckoning to thePeruvian to approach, he gave directions to which the latter repliedby grinning broadly.
Meanwhile Ramon Porfirio and his henchman Henriques had appeared uponthe scene. To them Black Strogoff explained the situation. It ratherappealed to them to see a lightly-built Englishman pitted against aseventeen-stone pirate. They, too, had no doubt as to the result, andthe contest would amuse the crowd of ruffians. Some of the latter hadevidently had some experience of boxing contests in American andBritish ports, for with the utmost celerity--a marked contrast totheir languid movements in their leisure time--they drove in fourstout posts and stretched the ropes enclosing the ring.
A more inappropriate spot could hardly be found. The ring was stakedout on slightly shelving ground in the full glare of the mid-day sun.Crowding up to the posts was a steadily increasing swarm of pirates,those living on the island being augmented by the majority of thecrew of the _Malfilio_. Three hundred yards away the prisonersworking the crane ceased operations to watch the spectacle of one oftheir officers pitted against the huge Peruvian.
Burgoyne was still in his shirt sleeves. He did not attempt toemulate the example of his opponent, who had stripped to the waist,revealing a powerfully-built frame, huge muscles, and a decidedexcess of fatness. The rest of his garb consisted of a pair of bluecanvas trousers, with an orange scarf round the waist, and a pair ofleather sea-boots.
"I wish I were in your place, sir," whispered Minalto, who had beenchosen to act as Alwyn's second. "I'd just love tu dust that chap.He's heavy on his pins tu be sure. Keep him on the move, sir, untilhe tires like, an' then go for his heart."
Burgoyne nodded. He was of the same opinion himself as to thetactical programme. He realized that once the Peruvian got in adirect blow he would be whirled over the ropes like a feather.
"Two minute rounds, I suppose," inquired Alwyn.
"Certainly not," replied Black Strogoff. "A fight to a finish. Whyend the fight in two minutes?"
Burgoyne explained the nature of the word "rounds", which was astranger to the pirate lieutenant's otherwise expansive knowledge ofEnglish. But Strogoff was obdurate. To his mind the act of stoppingtwo combatants in the heat of the fight was simply absurd.
Briskly vaulting over the ropes, Alwyn watched his opponent climbinto the ring. There was no signal to commence. Like a charging bullthe Peruvian rushed straight at the clean-limbed Englishman.
With a lithe, natural movement Burgoyne cleared his corner, duckedunder the flail-like arm of his opponent, and, seizing theopportunity, he did what he had not intended to do at that stage ofthe proceedings. Before the Peruvian could turn, Burgoyne's rightfist shot out and dealt the pirate a stinging blow on the left side.
It might have punished an ordinary man, but in this case it merelywarned the pirate to be cautious in his movements. The blunderingrush was succeeded by a slower yet ponderous attack, before whichBurgoyne retreated, taking care to keep well away from the ropes.Once during the next minute did Alwyn essay to strike under the armsof his antagonist.
He certainly got home, but in return received a mighty swing of thePeruvian's left that, glancing from his shoulder, gave Burgoyne sucha clout on the head that for a few seconds everything seemed to bewhirling round and round. Yet he had the sense to evade the followingrush, until through sheer breathlessness the pirate brought up in thecentre of the ring.
The brief respite cleared the mist from Burgoyne's eyes. In wind hewas comparatively fresh. If he could only succeed in playing with thehuge pirate for another minute, and avoid another heavy blow, hemight be able to take the offensive.
The latter, goaded by the action and encouraged by the shouts of hiscomrades, lurched across the ring, delivering blow after blow, all ofwhich Alwyn avoided with comparative ease. And thus, with no hitrecorded, the third minute passed.
By this time the temper of the onlookers changed. They were there tosee a close fight with plenty of blood flowing. The spectacle of abig man blindly chasing a smaller and agile one round and round thering did not appeal to them. They yelled to the Peruvian to get tobusiness and pulverize the Englishman.
With a loud yell the South American made another frantic rush. Evenas he waited Burgoyne could not help feeling amused. The shout was sotypical of the half-breeds, and so utterly foreign to the Britishboxing-ring. If it were meant to strike terror into Burgoyne's heartthe Peruvian never made a greater mistake.
Anticipating a repetition of his opponent's former tactics thehalf-caste guarded his left side. Quick as lightning Burgoyne slippedunder his extended right arm; but even as he did so the Peruvianhacked with his leather-booted leg.
Unable to check his rush Alwyn measured his length and more upon theturf. Before he could regain his feet the half-caste was upon him,dealing windmill-like blows upon his head and shoulders, while thecrowd of pirates yelled with enthusiasm. The protesting voices ofJasper Minalto and his companions were drowned in the torrent ofapplause. Not content with using his fists, the Peruvian was againbringing his heavy boots into play.
Regardless of the consequences, Minalto was in the act of leapingover the rope when he stopped in sheer wonderment, for the white andalmost motionless, prostrate figure had sprung into activity.
It was the Peruvian's cowardly performance with his boots that gaveBurgoyne his chance. In his blind fury the half-caste slipped. Beforehe could recover his balance Alwyn was up and striking hard. ThePeruvian's enormous hand was gripping his neck, but Burgoyne wasjabbing lightning-like punches right over the fellow's heart. Likethe rattle of a pneumatic hammer the Englishman's right fistpummelled his opponent's ribs, until the half-caste's clutch relaxed.Breaking away, Burgoyne summoned his remaining energies and delivereda terrific straight left full on the point of the pirate's jaw. Theforce of the blow lifted the huge bulk completely off the ground.Staggering and already unconscious, he toppled backward over theropes into the midst of the crowd of spectators.
Jasper Minalto was just in time to catch Alwyn in his arms. Withoutany attempt being made to stop him the Scilly Islander carried offthe insensible victor to the compound, and placed him in his hut.
Three hours later Burgoyne recovered consciousness. His head and facehad come off comparatively lightly, but his ribs were black and blue,his left shoulder was laid open almost to the bone, while his shinswere raw through violent contact with the Peruvian's boots.
Burgoyn
e was alone. The working day had not yet ended. Someone hadpatched him up. Cautious investigation on his part resulted in theknowledge that none of his limbs was broken, because they were not insplints, but he ached in every limb, and his tongue, hot and parched,seemed too big for his mouth.
"I'm a downright ass," he soliloquized. "Instead of pretending toknuckle under and take advantage of what I've seen, I've got myselflaid out. _Cui bono?_ Dashed if I know!"
But the fight, purposeless as it appeared to Burgoyne, had its goodresults. The Peruvian had not only been knocked out, but his eyesightwas permanently impaired. That in itself was nothing to gloat over.When, later on, Alwyn did learn of the extent of the damage he hadinflicted he felt sorry for the man. It was not his quarrel. He hadbeen practically ordered to fight on Black Strogoff's behalf, andalthough he was a bad sportsman, judged by British ideas, he had beenwell punished by being knocked out.
But the matter did not end there. The luckless Peruvian had been byfar and away the best gun-layer of the _Malfilio's_ complement. Hewas now useless and could not be replaced by an equally competentman, and consequently Ramon Porfirio was in a towering rage withBlack Strogoff for having been the means of depriving him of a mostuseful man. Henriques sided with his chief. For some time past nolove had been lost between the two pirate lieutenants, and now therift threatened to develop into an impassable abyss.