Talbot Mundy

“ The point!” yelled Narayan Singh.
It was easier said than done, for we were breath to breath, and the tulwar blows were aimed like hail. But I knocked the tulwar up at last, and gave him the hilt in his teeth, which sent him reeling on his heels and brought my point in play. However, he still had the sun in his favor.
“You're not hurt!” yelled Grim. “That cut's nothing.”
But I could tell by the tribesmen's yelling that they thought otherwise; and Kangra Khan's grin was not wholly due to the blow I had landed on his mouth. He spat out a tooth and came on again. ”

“ The Gods are good, and seek to discredit Allah, but they are wise, and dislike foolishness! Use only the point, sahib! When you lunge, be swifter, and recover much more slowly, keeping your eye on his eye. Never mind that thing he wields; you have the better weapon. Watch his eyes! Now!”
A roar went up from the Pathans as Kangra Khan stepped out on the rock again. His shirt was a mess of blood, but there was lots of liveliness about him, and he swung the tulwar once or twice, by way of challenge, with all the old skill, making the blade thrum. ”

“ The speed of his rush took him past me, and now the advantage of the sun was mine.
“Bohut atcha!” cried Narayan Singh. “The hand lower, sahib! Wait for him!”
I did not have to wait long. The Pathan was stung, and furious. He had to show his men the hurt was nothing and his spirit none the worse for it. ”

“ An ill-considered move on their part, or a mistake at the peak of excitement, was likely to upset everything and bring on massacre; for Kangra Khan's authority was none too absolute. Grim reenforced him, and the two had their hands full, the Waziris bitterly resenting the proposed surrender of their rifles. They swore they would rather die where they were, fighting. ”

“ They refused to surrender their rifles, offering rather to do battle, man for man, with the Pathans. The idea of single combat had taken hold, and challenge followed challenge. It was King and Grim, pouring wise words into Kangra Khan's ears, who managed the business finally. Our Waziris were allowed to take their rifles with them over the British border—where they were confiscated promptly by the authorities, for various and sundry reasons, including the good one that every single rifle was originally stolen. ”

“ Kangra Khan was too beaten and weak to control the Pathans, until King's experienced fingers bandaged him and chafed him back to full consciousness. There were men there who considered themsevles his formidable rivals for the chieftainship, who would have preferred to see him dead. But King helped him to the middle of the battle rock, and Grim presented him with the Tooth, wrapped in a page of Perisan notes extracted from his memorandum book. ”

“ He and I have practised sword-play by the hour together, and though I can beat him to his knees by sheer strength when I get close enough, he usually ends an afternoon by pinking me neatly pretty nearly where he will. ”

“ Hate, and his notions of honor, our helplessness and the obvious fact that a cry from him would bring the tribesmen down on us to end the whole affair in the shortest, simplest way, were among the odds I had to reckon. ”