It was none too soon. The fellow had the strength and vitality of an ox. He scrambled to his feet even while Charles was picking up the stick. With his big body swinging from side to side he came running with his arms outstretched like a bear. Charles brought his weapon down. It was a heavy blow, but the fellow caught it on his arm and it glanced off as lightly as if it were against the trunk of a tree. Then with a murmur of hate he rushed in.
You may suppose that I was not standing there in idleness. As soon as I saw what was happening, I wrapped my fist about my club. I knew that the first blow would be my last. I put every speck of strength in it and made the aim as accurate as my haste would allow. To my joy I met the fellow along the crown of the head. The jar of it shot along the bone of my arm that I thought it was broken. But my victim reeled. His knees sagged and shook. His mouth opened and his eyes turned upward, showing all their white. Like a weight that was suddenly let drop he fell in a heap on the ground.
He was as good as dead. I gave a sign to Charles to give me a hand. Between the two of us we dragged and carried him to the side of the island. There we laid him down until he showed by the blinking of his eyes that he was regaining his senses. When his strength had come back so that he was able to stir, we took him under the arms and the crooks of his legs and heaved him into the river as far as we could swing him.
“He’ll waken as soon as he touches the water,” said Charles.
“What then?” I asked. “Will he come back?”
He shook his head.
“No. He’ll go for help. He knows me. He was one of the men who brought me down the valley of the Loire. He’ll come again tomorrow with others.”
“We’ll have to get away from here.”
“Tomorrow,” he replied. “We can rest here till dawn.”
“I’m chilled through,” I said, “That fellow has left his clothes lying here somewhere. I’ll dry them and put them on. After that we can sit by the fire.” Charles took me by the shoulder. “Ah, Henri!” he said in a shaking voice. “We’ll battle it through together, you and I. And we’ll win yet!”