Just as The Pilgrim had driven him Conway forced Denny around the ring, except that the boy was heart-breaking slow in getting away. The Red stayed with him, beat him back and back, smothered him! With that deadly right no longer hunting for his jaw, he fought with nothing to fear, for Young Denny could not find his face even once with that flashing left swing.
Before the round was half over The Pilgrim had gone down twice––body blows that did little harm; 290 but they were shouting for The Red––shouting as if from a great distance, from the balconies.
Again Conway drove him into a corner of the ropes, feinted for the stomach. Then there came that first blow that found his chin. Old Jerry saw Denny’s body go limp as he crashed his length upon the padded canvas; he saw him try to rise and heard the house screaming for him to take the count.
He rested there for a precious instant, swaying on one knee. But his eyes were still glazed when he rose, and again Conway, rushing, beat down that guarding right, and, swinging with all his shoulder weight behind it, found that same spot and dropped him again.
Pandemonium broke loose in the upper reaches of the seats, but the silence of the body of the house was deathlike as he lay without stirring. Old Jerry gulped and waited––choked back a sobbing breath as he saw him start to lift himself once more. Upon his hands and knees first, then upon his knees alone. And then, with eyes shut, he struggled up, at the count of ten, and shaped up again.
And Conway beat him down.
Even the gallery was quiet now. The thud of that stiff-armed jolt went to every corner of that vast room. And the referee was droning out the count again.
“––Five––six––seven–––”
Head sagging between his arms, eyes staring and 291 sightless, The Pilgrim groped out and found the ropes. Once more at the end of the toll he lifted himself––lifted himself by the strength of his shoulders to his legs that tottered beneath him, and then stepped free of the ropes.
That time, before Conway could swing, the gong saved him.