And it was the finish. Fighting blindly, Plum gave ground and lost his grip on his guard. In bewilderment he raised and lowered his hands and Ted, keenly alive to what was going on, punished him at will. A left to the jaw and another right to the cheek sent Plum down in a heap, while Ted stood panting, waiting for him to get up.
But Plum was through and he knew it. Moaning feebly, he felt of his jaw and his face, which was beginning to swell. Unsteadily he got to his feet.
“Ready for more?” Ted asked, quietly.
“No, I’ve had enough,” Plum gasped, wiping a cut lip. “I’m—I’m going home.”
Ted turned to the others around him. “Plum is going home. Are any of you fellows going with him?”
There was no reply. They looked from Plum to Ted but no one spoke. Slowly Plum rolled down his sleeves, put on his coat and slung his pack on his shoulders.
“Anybody going with me?” he asked, keeping his eyes away from Ted and Buck.
No one spoke up and the boys who were ready to go looked foolishly at the ground. Ted spoke to them sharply.
“This is the last call,” he said. “If any of you are going with Plum, go now! But if you don’t go with him, remember that you are to stay here, subject to the orders of Buck and myself, and we’re not leaving this spot until Labor Day unless something happens that we couldn’t stay to face. So if you want to leave, leave now.”
Still no one moved and Plum put on his hat, his air one of sullen defiance. He looked around him sneeringly.