The huge beast sprang at its opponent with a snarl. And now the tables
were turned, for it was the other which fled. Round and round the arena
they ran, the pursued gradually drawing away from the pursuer.
Myles could see that his own beast was more tired than the other, and,
accordingly, he became afraid that even yet the battle might be lost. So
hastily deciding upon a rash plan, he placed himself directly in the
path of the oncoming beasts. Straight toward him they came, yet Cabot
did not flinch. Then, with a bound, his enemy was upon him, and down he
crashed, flat on his back on the silver sands.
But his hands warded off the slathering jaws from his throat. His
strength was sufficient for this for just a few moments; and a few
moments were enough. With a crunch, the jaws of his own woofus closed on
the spine of his enemy. And in another instant the bearded, disheveled,
gory earthman and his equally gory purple pet arose from the ground and
stood erect, victors of the arena. Four dead forms lay on the bloody
sands, bearing mute witness to the efficient combination of brute
strength and human cunning which had triumphed that day.
Then the woofus stepped over to its master and rubbed against his side.
Lilla shuddered, and hid her eyes, but Cabot smiled, and looking down,
patted the bloody head.
At this moment the king arose and gave some hurried orders to his
guards. It was his undoing. The woofus heard and recognized the voice,
and in another instant it had cleared the railing with one bound and was
making its way through the frantic throng toward the royal box.
Cabot called and called, but forgotten were his teachings, for the
woofus had wind of his maltreater, and was obsessed with a single
thought, namely, revenge.
So Cabot followed hastily in the wake of the beast, and easily
surmounted the barrier. The whole stadium was in an uproar. Red, yellow
and black flags were being waved by the various factions, and cries of
“Long life to Cabot, the Minorian! Down with the usurper! Death to the
Formians!” filled the air, mingled with cries of fear from those near
the royal box, and shots fired by the royal bodyguard. The red pennant
of the Kew dynasty predominated. Evidently the place had been
intentionally packed with the followers of the dead baby king.
But Cabot had no time to exult over this coup, for his every energy was
bent upon reaching Lilla in time to save her from the terror which he
had loosed upon them.
In spite of Cabot’s haste, however, the beast broke through the guards,
undeterred by their firing, and reached the royal box before him. Lilla
shrieked and cringed to one side, but she had no need to do so, for
straight as an arrow flew the huge animal at Yuri, and down went the
king with a crash beneath the impact of the beast. Then the Formian
bodyguard closed over Yuri, the woofus, Lilla and Queen Formis, in a
snarling, fighting, reeking pile.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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