CHAPTER VIII
Billy Takes a Part
Six guards ran into the arena with a folding cot, and stretchedToplinsky out comfortably on it. He groaned miserably, lay silent forseveral moments, and then lifted his head on his elbow. In thisattitude he gazed threateningly at Epworth for several seconds withoutspeaking, his light blue eyes twinkling viciously.
“The woman is free,” he at last shrilled out. “I, the great HermanToplinsky have said, and it is so. But for him—that is another thing.I have it. He has dodged about like a jack-in-the-box, he has run awayfrom me and would not fight where I could reach him with these strongarms, he has pounded me in the softest parts of my anatomy when Icould not catch him. For that, ah, ha, he shall be whipped—whippeduntil his back streams blood and he shouts aloud with pain, until hishead falls forward in a faint. Strap him up. I have said.”
With a deep groan he dropped back on the cot, lay on his back, forseveral seconds, and then turned over so that he could view thewhipping.
“Oh, my! Oh, my! my stomach,” he half sobbed.
“How it hurts. Strap the rascal where I can see him wither and suffer.I say that he shall suffer as I suffer.”
The six men jerked Epworth to a post in front of the giant and lashedhim face to the post, pulling down his tights so that his back wasexposed.
“Ah, ha, his back is smooth and white. I shall make it red andstriped, and then pour salt on it. Proceed, Kosloff, good comrade, andspare not the rod.”
The man addressed as Kosloff, a big double-jointed man with a meancountenance, seized a cat-o’-nine-tails, and began to whip Epworthunmercifully on his back, each stroke cutting into the flesh andleaving strips of red. Notwithstanding the fact that the pain wasexcruciating Epworth clenched his teeth, and uttered not a sound.
“One, two, three, four, five, and fifteen,” roared the giant withpleasure. “Make him howl if it takes two hundred. He’s a husky lad andcan stand a lot.”
“Hold! One more stroke and I’ll blow you to bits!”
Epworth twisted his head. He first caught a view of Joan with her faceburied in her hands, weeping hysterically; then his eyes flashed tothe rope, and he saw Billy standing inside with a gun frowning atKosloff. With a sudden dash he had grabbed a gun from one of theguards and had covered the whipper before he could be stopped.
Kosloff stopped, and turned white. There was a note in the smallAmerican’s voice that brooked no rebellion, and the gun pointedmenacingly.
“Go on,” Toplinsky snarled, “until I shout stop.”
“Let him have it, Billy,” twenty American throats shouted in unison.“We are with you. Plug him between the eyes.”
“One more slash and he gets it,” Billy declared. “Go on, Kosloff, ifyou have made your peace with God.”
“I’ll put you on bread and water,” Toplinsky threatened.
Kosloff held his whip undecidedly, and Billy stepped swiftly acrossthe intervening space and jabbed the gun against Toplinsky’s head.
“You’ve got nerve, Toplinsky,” he said with grudging admiration, “butyou are too healthy to be in a hurry to die, and I’m telling you thatyou are mighty near death at this moment. I have been thinking meanabout you for the last hour and a half, and there is now going to be areckoning between us.”
Toplinsky, whose strength was coming back, sat up.
“Ah, ha, slave, do you talk of an agreement with your master?”
“Say, Whiskers, if you think I’m a slave you’ve got another thinkcoming. Right now you have a lot of men behind you but I’m holding thetrump card. If you do not come to my terms, and agree quickly, thisgun is going off. After that—well, you will not be interested in whathappens next.”
The grimness in the young aviator’s voice spoke volumes. The vastcrowd listened in silence.
“Yes,” he continued, “you are going to give an order that sticks. Youare going to say that there will be no more whippings in this camp.”
“What else?” Toplinsky sneered.
“And no killings.”
Toplinsky made an effort to stand up.
“Sit down!” Billy thundered. “This agreement is going to reach aconclusion before you get up.”
“I will agree that there will be no more whippings,” Toplinsky saidquietly, “provided the work is done industriously. But the guards willshoot the first American who makes a break for liberty. I have said.”
“I will not be unreasonable,” Billy returned slowly. “We will not askfor freedom at this time but we must have fair treatment.”
“I will go no further than modify the regulations concerningwhippings,” Toplinsky declared firmly. “What I have said I have said.Turn your gun over to one of the guards.”
With a sarcastic bow Billy obeyed. The act surprised Joan. She thoughtthat Billy had the advantage, and should force their release. ButBilly had saved Epworth from death, and Epworth and all the Americanswere well pleased with the result.
“Arrest that man!” Toplinsky screamed the moment Billy was disarmed.“Put them together in the stocks and throw mud at them.” When theywere bound together and their feet thrust through an old-fashionedstock that was dragged out, Toplinsky added slyly: “It may bepuritanical but I imagine that by the time my babies get throughplaying with you, whippings will appear somewhat less painful.”
The mud was full of small sharp gravel and when it began to striketheir faces it left red smears. When Joan saw this she sprang off thetable, ran across the open space to where the two boys were fastened,and threw herself in front of them as a protection from the gravel.
“Drag the wench back to her room,” Toplinsky called out with a loud,shrill laugh, “and hold her there in the window where she can seewithout being able to interfere.”
Epworth and Billy were finally taken out of the stocks in anunconscious condition.