But instead of the rush for grips that Phil anticipated, he found himself faced by a man, strong as a lion, with arms out in the true pugilistic attitude. He guessed it for a ruse and a bit of play-acting, and sprang in. He 126 struck three times for separate parts of the cowpuncher’s body, but each time he struck he encountered a guarding arm or fist. This more than surprised him, for it was well known that McGregor’s strong and only point was his brute force.
In order to give himself time to think the matter out, Phil sprang away again.
McGregor’s face was sphinx-like in its inscrutable cynicism.
They circled, facing each other like sparring gamecocks of a giant variety.
Phil, determined on having another try, jumped in on his huge opponent.
He struck, once––twice. He was about to strike again, when he staggered back as if he had been hit by a sledge hammer fair on the chin. The saloon swung head over heels in a whirligig movement. Phil’s arms became heavy as lead and dropped to his side. His legs sagged under him.
In a state of drugging collapse, he felt himself seized and crushed as into a pulp; a not unpleasant sensation of swinging, a hurtling through the air and splintering,––then, well,––that was all.
When he came to, he was being carried up the stairs to his bedroom, to the accompaniment of Mrs. Clunie’s repeated regrets, in broad Scotch, that it was a pity “weel bred young chiels couldna agree to disagree in a decent manner, wise-like and circumspectly, withoot fechtin’ like a wheen drucken colliers.”
This did not prevent that good lady from washing and binding Phil’s numerous but not very deadly cuts and bruises.
It was two days before he was able to be out of bed, and during these two days he heard a number of stories, through Mrs. Clunie, of what had happened at the Kenora 127 Hotel after his hurried exit through the window. These stories he refused to believe, for his faith in Jim Langford’s ability was too strong to be easily shaken. But one thing he had to give credence to was, that Jim had not shown face at Mrs. Clunie’s since the night of the trouble.