The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 17Stevenson, Robert Louis
History
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 17
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Islands of the Pacific -- Fiction; Samoan Islands -- History; Short stories
I was all as taut as a ship's hawser or the spring of a watch, and as
soon as he came within reach of me I had him by the ankle, plucked the
feet right out from under him, laid him out, and was upon the top of
him, broken leg and all, before he breathed. His Winchester had gone the
same road as my shot-gun; it was nothing to me--I defied him now. I'm a
pretty strong man anyway, but I never knew what strength was till I got
hold of Case. He was knocked out of time by the rattle he came down
with, and threw up his hands together, more like a frightened woman, so
that I caught both of them with my left. This wakened him up, and he
fastened his teeth in my forearm like a weasel. Much I cared. My leg
gave me all the pain I had any use for, and I drew my knife and got it
in the place.
"Now," said I, "I've got you; and you're gone up, and a good job too!
Do you feel the point of that? That's for Underhill! And there's for
Adams! And now here's for Uma, and that's going to knock your blooming
soul right out of you!"
With that I gave him the cold steel for all I was worth. His body kicked
under me like a spring sofa; he gave a dreadful kind of a long moan, and
lay still.
"I wonder if you're dead? I hope so!" I thought, for my head was
swimming. But I wasn't going to take chances; I had his own example too
close before me for that; and I tried to draw the knife out to give it
him again. The blood came over my hands, I remember, hot as tea; and
with that I fainted clean away, and fell with my head on the man's
mouth.
When I came to myself it was pitch dark; the cinders had burned out;
there was nothing to be seen but the shine of the dead wood, and I
couldn't remember where I was nor why I was in such pain, nor what I was
all wetted with. Then it came back, and the first thing I attended to
was to give him the knife again a half a dozen times up to the handle. I
believe he was dead already, but it did him no harm, and did me good.
"I bet you're dead now," I said, and then I called to Uma.
Nothing answered, and I made a move to go and grope for her, fouled my
broken leg, and fainted again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account