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.They weretraveling fast, but the driver brought them to an abrupt halt.A man jumpedfrom the seat beside him and gave the baronet a salute."She's been run off with, your honor.""Good, good," Sir Despard stroked his phony moustache."Er did shescream?"The man looked concerned."I had to pay extra to have her scream.She donea pretty good job, though.""Worth it, then," the baronet decided."Take me home, and then you'd best goback after her.We wouldn't want to make her late for tea.""Rather not!" the other agreed.He opened the door of the coach and gaveMurgatroyd a boost in.The latter waved to us as he seated himself.The formersprang back to the seat beside the driver.The driver cracked a twenty-foot whip.The horses sprang forward.To my surprise I found myself wishing that the baronet had stayed a littlelonger."At times," I chuckled, "there's not better company than an earnest nut.Just the same, I'm glad he took those other two away before they saw the oldhag.""I was worrying about that myself," Jones said."But I'm sure they didn't, asshe was well back in the shade.""Keeping right still and not making a sound," Golias added."Well, we betterget her down before somebody else comes along."Glancing at the crone with distaste, I decided to stall a moment longer."Whatdo you figure was really the matter with that screwball?""Why you heard him," Lucius protested."The poor devil's under a curse!Having the same affliction, I can tell you it's no fun.""A curse often livens things up," Golias asserted "but one ought to be tried onfor size before a man walks off with it." He seemed pleased with his thoughts."That's the trouble with hand-me-downs.Speaking of which, will you hand herdown to me, or shall I hand her down to you?""I'll flip you," I said, unwilling to make a choice in such a business."Heads, Iclimb; tails you do."Tails came up, and as I had foreseen, I immediately felt as though he had thebest of the bargain.Glumly I watched while he ascended.This in itself was notdifficult.A low crotch and a series of small branches explained how it had beenpossible for the old woman to reach the big limb from which she wassuspended.More quickly than I wanted him to, Golias was straddling it directlyabove her.Then he drew the knife I remembered."Ready?""Ready as I'll ever be." I stretched my arms up along side of her, thought Iwasn't going to grab hold of her until it was absolutely necessary.Probably I looked as disturbed as I felt, for Golias was grinning at me."Thereare women you're luckier to have in your arms dead than alive, and this is oneof them." Placing his knife between his teeth, he shifted position, let go with hishands, and swung by his knees.Getting a grip on the woman's hair, so shewouldn't fall sideways, he started sawing at the harness strap which hadchoked her.It was a good thing he did have a steadying hold on her.I couldn't reach highenough to get her above the center of balance.She was even heavier than I hadthought, and I nearly dropped her when the strap snapped and Golias let go.For a horrible moment, staggering to keep my footing, I wrestled with that deadcrone, my face pressed into her greasy, rank garments.Before I could get the situation under control, a stranger's voice cried:"Unhand that damsel, recreant! And don't think to escape the consequences ofyour vicious lust even when you do.Unhand her, I say!"I was in no mood for jokes, as I meant to point out to this new kibitzer.Whoever it was, his voice came from the direction of the road, but I was too busyto look at him.Disengaging my face from the hag's blouse, I began to lower herto the ground."What, a rape before my very eyes, you lascivious scoundrel!" If the fellowwasn't really angry, he was a good actor."Never fear, princess, help is at hand.Iwill blast this rascal as Mudarra blasted Velasquez.Now, minion, make whatpitiful attempt to guard yourself that you can."Intent on getting what I had to do over with, I still ignored him.Gritting myteeth, I composed the corpse's arms and legs as decently as I could."Shandon! Watch out!" Jones shouted.Before he spoke I had heard a scuffling noise.Glancing up, I saw a startlingsight.Rapt in my task, I either hadn't heard the horse coming around the bendor the sound hadn't made any impression on me.But there was a horse there,all right, and a donkey, too.Both had riders, but the man on the horse held myeyes, because he was spurring in my direction.There were peculiar thingsabout this fellow, but I concentrated on the fact that he had a long, pointedstick in his hand.As the horse picked up speed, he swung this weapon so thatit was aimed right at me.Dropping the hag's right arm, I took off from a squatting position in a divedesigned to take me out of my assailant's path.It was only mostly successful.Iavoided being speared, but I didn't entirely clear the horse.One of his hoofscaught me in the fanny while I was in midair.The effect, not counting a bruise,was to spin me around so that I landed sitting down, in a position to watch thefurther activities of my attacker.They were not without interest.In the first place, I had been right about his intentions.He had meant to stickme like a park attendant collecting trash.In my absence the point of the polestruck the ground and stayed fixed.The horse, the rider, and the rest of theweapon the latter was holding continued to move.The thing didn't give, and therider would not or could not let go.I had never seen a man pole vault fromhorseback before, but he made it.With a rattle and a clank he swung from outof the saddle and hit the identical limb from which Golias had just lowered theold woman.He had lost interest in his stick by then.It fell, but he justmanaged not to.It was a tough scramble, but he held on and perched therefifteen feet above the ground.As Golias had descended, he had the branch all to himself; but he needed nofoil to make him an arresting figure.He was dressed in rusty boiler plate.Theparts didn't match, all looking either too big or too small for him.His helmet,which was of bronze instead of iron, sat on top of his head, giving his face noprotection.I could there-fore see that this fellow who had tried so hard to killme was a cadaverous old man.For an extra touch he was straddling the branchat the spot where the hag had jumped off.Her suicide strap, dangling betweenhis legs, looked like a tail as stringy as his whiskers."Enchantment," he muttered."Overcome by enchantment."His grief wasn't mine.That bruise hurt, and I had been shaken up.My nerveshad received even worse treatment.Furiously I rose and stooped for his pole."Come on down and let's talk this over," I snarled.With intent to prod him toward the trunk, I was raising the point of the sticktoward him when something hit me in the knees.They buckled, but the impactwasn't enough to sink me.Looking down, I saw that my new assailant was a fat,little man, the one who had been riding the donkey.He clung to my legs until Ipoked him with the blunt end of the pole, then he rose and started for me oncemore.Again using the pole, I held him off without difficulty, seeing that he kepthis eyes tightly shut.For a full two minutes he aimed blind haymakers at me.During that period, though he was naturally heating himself up, I was coolingdown.I was almost ready to smile when he found he had run out of juice andsimply leaned against the pole [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]