with These Hands (Ss) (2002) Read Online Free
Author: Louis L'amour
Soldier charged, Moran ducked a driving right and clinched desperately. The referee fought to get them free. When they broke, Moran stabbed the Soldier with a stiff left to the mouth that started a trickle of blood down his face, then crossed hard right to the chin and the startled Soldier took a step back.
But he slipped the next left and came in, slamming both hands to Moran's body. Smiling grimly, Moran stabbed three times to Barnaby's split lip, stepped in, and hooked high and low with the left.
Barnaby's eyes were wild now. He charged with a volley of hooks, swings, and uppercuts that drove Flash Moran back and back. Moran got on his bicycle, fled along the ropes, and circled into the center of the ring, where he feinted with a right. As Barnaby came in, Flash Moran crossed his right to the chin.
The blow caught the Soldier coming forward and knocked him back on his heels. Moran followed it up fast and staggered Barnaby with a left, then stabbed another left to the mouth and crossed a hard right which caught the Soldier high on the head. Barnaby staggered and almost went down. Clinching, the Soldier hung on. At last he broke and tried a wild swing to the head. It missed, but the next caught Moran on the chin.
He went down-hard!
The bell sounded as Moran was getting up. Flash turned and walked back to his corner. He was dead tired, tired and mad clear through. Two knockdowns! It was the first time he had ever been off his feet!
"How's it, kid? Hurt?"
"No. Just mad."
Kelly grinned. "Don't worry. This round coming up will be yours. Lots of left hands now, and watch that left of his."
The gong sounded. They both came out fast and the Soldier bored in. Flash Moran needled Barnaby's mouth with a left jab, then put a left to the body and one to the head. He sidestepped quickly to the right and missed with a right hand.
Now Flash Moran got up on his toes and began to box.
He boxed neatly and fast. He piled up points. He kept the Soldier off balance and rocked him with a couple of stiff right hands.
For two and a half minutes of the ninth round, he outboxed the Soldier and piled up points. Barnaby had taken the eighth by a clear margin. The two knockdowns had seen to that.
As for himself, Moran knew he had won the first round and the seventh, while the Soldier had taken the second, third, and fourth. The fifth and sixth were even. It left the Soldier with a margin toward the decision; those knockdowns would stick in the judges' minds.
Moran stabbed in with a left, crossed a right, and then suddenly spotted a beautiful shot for the chin.
He let it go-right down the groove!
And then something smashed against his jaw like the concussion of a six-inch shell. Again he went down, hard.
X jf The first thing he heard was five. Someone was saying "i \ "five." No, it was six ... seven ... eight...
Moran did a push-up with his hands and lunged for; ward like the starter in a hundred-yard dash.
| The Soldier was ready He set himself, and Flash could |; see the fist coming. It had to miss, had to miss, had to--
I | miss!
\ He brought up hard against the Soldier's body, tied him |: up, and smashed two solid rights to Barnaby's midsection [-; as the round ended.
- He wheeled, ran to his corner, and sat down. As he sat he saw a small, wiry man sitting next to McKracken get up and slip out along the aisle.
A moment later the little man was in the Soldier's corner.
Flash Moran sat up. He shook his head, felt the blast of the smelling salts under his nose and the coolness of the water on the back of his neck. Dan Kelly wasn't talking.
He was looking at Moran. Then he spoke.
"All right, kid? Got enough?"
Moran grinned suddenly.
"I'm just getting started! I'm going to stop this lug!"
He went out fast at the bell, feinted a left and crossed a solid right to the head. He hooked a left, and the Soldier clinched.
"To the devil with it, kid!" Barnaby said in his ear. "I'm going into the tank. Marollo will kill me if I
But he slipped the next left and came in, slamming both hands to Moran's body. Smiling grimly, Moran stabbed three times to Barnaby's split lip, stepped in, and hooked high and low with the left.
Barnaby's eyes were wild now. He charged with a volley of hooks, swings, and uppercuts that drove Flash Moran back and back. Moran got on his bicycle, fled along the ropes, and circled into the center of the ring, where he feinted with a right. As Barnaby came in, Flash Moran crossed his right to the chin.
The blow caught the Soldier coming forward and knocked him back on his heels. Moran followed it up fast and staggered Barnaby with a left, then stabbed another left to the mouth and crossed a hard right which caught the Soldier high on the head. Barnaby staggered and almost went down. Clinching, the Soldier hung on. At last he broke and tried a wild swing to the head. It missed, but the next caught Moran on the chin.
He went down-hard!
The bell sounded as Moran was getting up. Flash turned and walked back to his corner. He was dead tired, tired and mad clear through. Two knockdowns! It was the first time he had ever been off his feet!
"How's it, kid? Hurt?"
"No. Just mad."
Kelly grinned. "Don't worry. This round coming up will be yours. Lots of left hands now, and watch that left of his."
The gong sounded. They both came out fast and the Soldier bored in. Flash Moran needled Barnaby's mouth with a left jab, then put a left to the body and one to the head. He sidestepped quickly to the right and missed with a right hand.
Now Flash Moran got up on his toes and began to box.
He boxed neatly and fast. He piled up points. He kept the Soldier off balance and rocked him with a couple of stiff right hands.
For two and a half minutes of the ninth round, he outboxed the Soldier and piled up points. Barnaby had taken the eighth by a clear margin. The two knockdowns had seen to that.
As for himself, Moran knew he had won the first round and the seventh, while the Soldier had taken the second, third, and fourth. The fifth and sixth were even. It left the Soldier with a margin toward the decision; those knockdowns would stick in the judges' minds.
Moran stabbed in with a left, crossed a right, and then suddenly spotted a beautiful shot for the chin.
He let it go-right down the groove!
And then something smashed against his jaw like the concussion of a six-inch shell. Again he went down, hard.
X jf The first thing he heard was five. Someone was saying "i \ "five." No, it was six ... seven ... eight...
Moran did a push-up with his hands and lunged for; ward like the starter in a hundred-yard dash.
| The Soldier was ready He set himself, and Flash could |; see the fist coming. It had to miss, had to miss, had to--
I | miss!
\ He brought up hard against the Soldier's body, tied him |: up, and smashed two solid rights to Barnaby's midsection [-; as the round ended.
- He wheeled, ran to his corner, and sat down. As he sat he saw a small, wiry man sitting next to McKracken get up and slip out along the aisle.
A moment later the little man was in the Soldier's corner.
Flash Moran sat up. He shook his head, felt the blast of the smelling salts under his nose and the coolness of the water on the back of his neck. Dan Kelly wasn't talking.
He was looking at Moran. Then he spoke.
"All right, kid? Got enough?"
Moran grinned suddenly.
"I'm just getting started! I'm going to stop this lug!"
He went out fast at the bell, feinted a left and crossed a solid right to the head. He hooked a left, and the Soldier clinched.
"To the devil with it, kid!" Barnaby said in his ear. "I'm going into the tank. Marollo will kill me if I