“You got him skeart, Conko,” Skeeter squawked in a voice hoarse with excitement. “One mo’ roun’ wid dat hypnertize-eye, an’ dat’ll be his finish. Don’t let him bat yo’ hoodoo-eyes out!”
At the beginning of the fourth round Conko Mukes proceeded to steal some of Professor Dodo Zodono’s thunder.
“Feller cit’zens,” he howled, “I’s gwine gib you a little demerstration of my powers.
“In dis nex’ roun’, you’ll see wonders whut no man cain’t account fer! You-all will hear noises whut defy all de laws of soundance! You gwine behold appearances whut fly in de face of scrutination! Us is gwine demerstrate effecks whut ain’t got no resomble cause—all free-fer-nothin’!”
He sat down with a happy grin on his horrible face, and Hitch Diamond stood up to proclaim:
“I ain’t never fit in de ring wid no lunatic befo’. I ain’t gwine waste no time gittin’ done wid dis fight, neither. While Conko Mukes is pullin’ all dem stunts he’s braggin’ ’bout, I’s gwine knock de stuffin’ outen his black hide!”
The two men advanced to the center of the ring, circled slowly around while Conko began his monotonous, bellowing chant:
“Sleep! Sleep! Sleep, Hitch Diamond—sleep!”
Still keeping well out of reach of Hitch’s punch, Conko waved his right hand slowly in front of his opponent’s face, as if he were stroking invisible fur with his glove. Hitch followed him slowly, waiting for a chance to land a knock-out blow.
Then upon Hitch Diamond’s slow mind there slowly dawned the meaning of all this.