“Now!” cried Colonel Huntley. “Now you’ve got him. Go to work!”
“Fight him off, Walt!” shouted Ned, his face paling a little at his friend’s danger. “Fight him off.”
The ring of spectators was in a tumult. A turning point of the battle had been reached. Almost to a man they felt that the ruffianism of Barker would carry him through.
Once he felt the band-like arms of the bruiser close about him, Walter Jordan’s plan of battle changed. He heard Ned’s cry to fight the other off. But this was impossible. He felt Barker bracing himself for an effort, and he knew what it meant. Once the bully had thrown him to the ground he’d have him at his mercy; he would not be allowed to rise until he was helpless.
It required only a second or two for all this to pass through his mind; then he caught sight of the tall backwoodsman over Barker’s shoulder. And that personage made a swift and suggestive motion with his arms.
“The elbow!” cried he. “Don’t forget the elbow!”
Instantly the young fellow understood. With a powerful wriggle he freed his right arm, and drove the elbow under the chin of Barker, pressing with all his might against the bruiser’s throat.
“You fool!” shouted Huntley, to Barker. “Don’t let him do that!”
But it was too late. The more strongly Barker heaved and strained to throw young Jordan, the more deadly became the thrust of the elbow into his throat. And it was his own efforts that were doing it. Panting, purple of face, he realized this; to relieve the deadly pressure he would have to slip the grip he’d fought so hard to obtain, and trust to luck to secure another as good.
His arms unlocked; breathless, he attempted to step back for a moment’s rest before plunging at his opponent once more. But here he received the surprise of his career as a Mississippi river bully. Instead of young Jordan’s remaining upon the defensive as he had done almost from the start, he now leaped forward. His strong young arms pinned the breathless and momentarily helpless bruiser, and with a dexterous twist lifted him from his feet. Then the fellow was hurled to the ground, where he lay breathless, almost unconscious, and absolutely defeated.