Page:Edison Marshall--Shepherds of the wild.djvu/184

176 mouth was open. And Hugh lashed out with his fist, aiming straight for the savage lips.

He struck with all his strength, scarcely in rage but just as a means to an end. He had never fought before, yet the blow came unerringly and with terrific power. There could be only one result to such a blow as that. He dimly heard Fargo grunt—like a beast as it falls below the butcher's stroke—then saw him reel and fall. He started to swing into the saddle.

It was better, he thought, that this man remain unconscious until he returned. He didn't forget that he was still shepherd of the flocks and that Fargo was an enemy. Some great test lay before him, and the fewer his foes the better. He leaped down—like a cougar springing from his ambush—and struck once with each fist into the soggy, brutal face.

They were terrific blows, but expedience, rather than cruelty, was the motive behind them. Hugh did not even wonder at himself. He swung lightly on to the horse and lashed it to a gallop.