Fort Hays Bustout (A Searcher Western Book 9)

by Len Levinson

  Stone didn’t reply. Lowering his gaze, he listened to Sergeant Major Gillespie’s fight instructions.

  “No thumbs, no bitin’, no punches below the belt. If you knock yer man down, go to a neutral corner and wait till I call you out. If I tell you to break, I want you to step back. Shake hands, let’s give the boys a good fight.”

  Stone returned to his corner, Slipchuck pulled the towel off his shoulders. Across the ring, Muldoon punched the air. The mess sergeant hit a ladle against an old cow bell. The fight was on.

  The friendly smile vanished from Muldoon’s face as he advanced in a straight line across the ring. Stone held his hands high and danced to the side. Muldoon veered to cut him off, and Stone darted in the other direction. Muldoon found himself facing thin air.

  “Stand still and fight!” somebody shouted at Stone. The crowd booed. Muldoon turned, saw Stone on the other side of the ring.

  “What’s the matter, darlin’? Wish you was someplace else?”

  Stone danced to the side, keeping his hands high. He studied Muldoon’s posture, looked for quirks, bad habits, possible openings. Would Muldoon lower his right hand when he threw the left? Muldoon stalked him confidently. Soldiers hooted their disapproval. “Stop runnin’, you goddamned coward!”

  If Stone wanted the title, he had to take it away from Muldoon. He danced closer, measured distances. Muldoon threw a thunderous hook to Stone’s left kidney, but Stone caught the blow on his elbow. Muldoon hooked Stone’s right kidney, Stone blocked it with his forearm, took a step backward, got set. Muldoon advanced, Stone threw an uppercut. Muldoon leaned backward, it whistled harmlessly past his nose.

  “You’ll have to do better’n that, darlin’,” Muldoon said.

  Stone drove his fist into Muldoon’s belly, it felt as though he’d punched a brick wall. Muldoon ignored the blow as he slammed a jab at Stone’s face. Stone blocked it with his free hand, hurled a hard right to Muldoon’s nose, Muldoon dodged and slammed Stone in the ribs.

  The wind went out of Stone for a moment, he tried to get away. Muldoon elbowed him into the ropes, a roar of expectation arose from the crowd. Slipchuck screamed, “Get out of there!”

  Stone tried to dodge, but Muldoon muscled him, butted him with his head, punched his right kidney, left kidney, caught him with an uppercut, while Stone’s arms flailed helplessly.

  He pulled himself together, hunkered into a defensive pose, threw a flurry of body punches. They didn’t faze Muldoon, who took a step back and measured him for the knockout punch. Stone slid across the ropes, spun out, and suddenly was behind Muldoon. As Muldoon turned around, a hard-driving fist smashed into his nose. Stone followed with a crunching blow to Muldoon’s jaw, then hit him with an uppercut.

  Muldoon appeared unaffected as he stepped forward and threw a straight right. Stone brushed it aside and danced away, aghast. He’d hit Muldoon with the best he had, and nothing happened.

  Stone danced around the ring, flicking out jabs, as Muldoon tried to corner him, a fiendish grin on his face. He feinted a lunge at Stone, who dodged to the right, but Muldoon anticipated the evasion, and threw a terrific left hook to Stone’s side. Stone thought his rib cage was busted for all time, the pain made him squinch his eyes, he lowered his elbow to protect the sensitive area, and Muldoon followed with a hook to Stone’s wide-open head.

  Stone’s legs turned to rubber. He jumped on Muldoon, and tried to hang on, but Muldoon muscled him away, and threw a sharp uppercut. Stone’s head snapped back, and Muldoon slammed him in the gut. Stone tried to protect his vital midsection, but a big black shadow covered his face.

  He had no idea where he was. Sergeant Major Gillespie hollered: “Five!” Stone opened his eyes, the sound of a waterfall in his ears. “Six!” Stone struggled to get to his knees as Muldoon raised both his fists in victory.

  Saved by the cowbell before the count of ten, Stone wondered what world he was in. Slipchuck jumped through the ropes, carrying a bucket of water. He threw it in Stone’s face, and a flock of birds migrated through Stone’s head. Slipchuck grabbed Stone’s arm and dragged him to the corner.

  Slipchuck dabbed a rag at the two-inch cut on Stone’s forehead. “Stay away from him this round.” He handed Stone a tin cup full of water; Stone rinsed his mouth, spit into a bucket, the liquid tinged red. “You’re a-fightin’ his fight,” Slipchuck said. “You should be a-fightin’ yer fight.”

  Stone gazed across the ring at Muldoon, whose back was being rubbed by his second. A big smile was on Muldoon’s face, his manager evidently congratulating him on a great first round. Stone was a proud man being humiliated. The monster in the opposite corner had to feel pain like any other human being. If I keep punching, he’ll fall.

  The bell rang, but Stone didn’t come out dancing. He moved flat-footed to the center of the ring.

  “Still here, darlin’?” asked Muldoon, a strange mocking smile on his face. He pawed at Stone’s face with his left fist, and measured him for a knockout punch, but Stone slipped to the left, coming around and hammering Muldoon in the kidney, then dancing back sharply, avoiding the left jab counterpunch that eddied the air at the tip of his nose.

  He threw a hook under Muldoon’s left jab, landing on Muldoon’s other kidney, then took a step to the side, and jabbed Muldoon in the face. Stone then felt a punch in his ribs, whacked Muldoon in the face, Muldoon elbowed him, spun him around, and put him against the ropes.

  Stone covered frantically as Muldoon slammed his body and head. The crowd screamed for blood. Stone’s head was knocked back, smashed again and again. He fought back gamely, looking for openings, driving jabs through, his punches had no effect on Muldoon. What do I have to do? Muldoon smashed Stone’s left forearm, and Stone felt a throb from his knife wound. Muldoon leaned in and butted Stone’s head again.

  Blood flowed into Stone’s eye, he raised his hand to protect the wound, when Sergeant Major Gillespie jumped between them. “Step back!” he ordered.

  Muldoon retreated a few steps, and Sergeant Major Gillespie looked at the cut above Stone’s eye. “It’s a bad one. You want to keep on?”

  “Get out of my way.”

  Sergeant Major Gillespie retreated, and Muldoon charged in for the kill. Stone danced backward toward the center of the ring. He was dazed, recalling Slipchuck’s advice about lying down. But he needed that hundred dollars.

  Muldoon advanced after him, pawing with his left hand, trying to set Stone up, while Stone plotted tactics. Muldoon appeared impervious to his punches, and had a head like a rock.

  Muldoon lunged, and Stone threw a quick hard, short jab, catching Muldoon coming in. Muldoon appeared surprised more than hurt, and threw his punch, but Stone wasn’t there. Muldoon turned around, and Stone danced in front of him.

  Muldoon threw a jab, but Stone beat him to the punch, knocking Muldoon’s head back. Muldoon hooked Stone to the ribs, but Stone danced away.

  If I beat him to the punch each time, I can win this fight. Stone danced on his toes, holding his fists high. Vision in his right eye was tinged with red, his body ached from Muldoon’s hard punches. He had to out speed Muldoon.

  Muldoon advanced sideways, presenting a difficult target to Stone, who lowered his right hand, inviting Muldoon in. Muldoon saw the opening, feinted toward it, and Stone threw his Sunday punch, realizing with a sickening sensation that Muldoon had tricked him.

  Muldoon’s fist crashed into Stone’s face, and Stone staggered. Muldoon rushed forward, and Stone timed him coming in, but his rhythm was off. Muldoon hammered Stone’s body and arms, then threw one over the top.

  “Three!” said Sergeant Major Gillespie.

  Stone opened his eyes. He lay flat on the ground, blood dribbling from his mouth.

  “Four!”

  Stone rolled over, got to his knees.

  “Five!”

  He rose unsteadily, and Muldoon was in front of him, a mean, glint in his eyes. He threw a punch at Stone’s gut, Stone blocked it, and fired a shot at Muldoon
’s head. It connected, but Muldoon was unfazed as he slammed Stone in the left eye.

  Stone went flying against the ropes, bounced off, and Muldoon was waiting for him. Both fighters threw punches at the same time, both punches landed, Muldoon was unmoved, but Stone was thrown to the ground.

  The bell rang. Slipchuck ran toward Stone with another bucket of cold water, and dumped it over his head. In the officers’ section, Libbie leaned toward General Custer. “Can’t you stop it?”

  General Custer shook his head.

  “It keeps on like this,” she said, “he may be injured for life.”

  “He can give up if he wants to.”

  Slipchuck helped Stone to the corner, and Stone dropped onto the stool. He sipped water as Slipchuck dabbed blood from his face. The cut over his eye widened, his lower lip was broken, head full of muddy water. Now he could see why Muldoon never was off his feet in the ring. But Stone couldn’t throw in the towel. I’ve got to hurt him. He conjured the most sensitive parts of the human body: nose, pit of the stomach, kidneys, eyes.

  The bell rang, and Stone jumped to his feet. Muldoon ran eagerly across the ring, but Stone tried to dance away. His legs wouldn’t follow orders, and Muldoon collided with him before Stone got three steps out of his corner.

  “Six!”

  Stone rose to his feet. He stood, Sergeant Major Gillespie moved in front of him. “You all right?”

  Stone nodded. Sergeant Major Gillespie stepped back, Muldoon waded in, and Stone dived on him, smothering his punches, trying to clear his head. Muldoon tried to break loose, but Stone wouldn’t let him go. They waltzed around the ring as the crowd jeered.

  “Step back!” ordered Sergeant Major Gillespie. Stone refused. Sergeant Major Gillespie tried to pry them apart. “You don’t let him go, I’ll disqualify you.”

  Stone took a step back. The ground didn’t tilt beneath his feet anymore, he’d recovered for the time being. Muldoon rushed forward, and Stone shot a left jab to Muldoon’s nose, then darted out of the way of Muldoon’s counterpunch. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of Muldoon’s nose, he smeared it with the back of his hand, the mocking smile vanished from his face.

  Encouraged by the damage, Stone went up on his toes and danced, his hands held high. He felt normal except for a persistent high-pitched whine in his left ear. Muldoon came after him, snapped out a jab, but Stone leaned to the side and avoided it. Muldoon fired a shot at Stone’s left kidney, but Stone let fly a right jab to Muldoon’s nose.

  Like an enraged monster, Muldoon came forward, throwing punches from all angles. Stone stepped back and to the side.

  Muldoon found himself facing a ring post. The crowd burst into laughter at the expression of surprise on Muldoon’s face.

  Muldoon turned around, and received a punch in the mouth. But he didn’t even blink. With an angry growl he charged, throwing a left jab. Stone leaned to the side, launched an upper-cut, and Muldoon’s head jerked back. Stone drove his fist into Muldoon’s midsection, and Muldoon blew air out the corner of his mouth as he wrapped his big hairy arms around Stone, spun him against the ropes, and pounded his body.

  Stone dug in his heels, clenched his teeth, and punched back. This time he wasn’t going to slide away. He had to make Muldoon respect him. They stood in the corner ripping punches. Stone felt terrible blows rain upon him, but held his ground and responded with everything he had. He landed heavy shots on Muldoon’s head and shoulders, bashed his kidneys, rattled his liver, but Muldoon wouldn’t step back.

  Stone tasted blood on his lips, his right eye nearly closed, and didn’t know where he was for moments at a time, but his fists never stopped flying.

  The bell rang, Stone staggered to his corner, and the crowd applauded him for the first time. Collapsing onto the stool, he wore a dizzy grin. “I can win this fight.”

  Slipchuck sopped blood on Stone’s face with a wet towel. The cut over his eye was an ugly red cavern all the way to the bone. Stone spat blood into the bucket. Slipchuck couldn’t stanch the blood from Stone’s eye. “Johnny, I think it’s time to throw in the towel.”

  “One more round.”

  The bell rang, and Stone arose from his stool. Muldoon advanced across the ring, his nose stuffed with cotton to hold back blood. Stone decided to slug it out with him, what the hell. They came together in the middle of the ring and cut loose.

  Stone blocked most of Muldoon’s blows on his shoulders and arms as he bore in, aimed careful shots, and kept his chin down. Muldoon feinted with his left, Stone moved to block it, and got hammered with a straight right. The sun went into full eclipse.

  “Five!”

  Stone opened his eyes, and a cricket chirped in his right ear.

  “Six!”

  He pitched to his feet, his head crashed against a ring post, and he turned around. Muldoon was in front of him, and Stone tried to step to the side, but his legs wouldn’t move. Muldoon got low and dug his fists into Stone’s body, forced Stone to lower his guard, and then shot a jab to Stone’s jaw.

  Stone’s head flew backward; he thought it detached from his shoulders. He ducked, dodged, dived on Muldoon, and hung on. Muldoon head-butted him again, wrestled Stone loose, and threw an uppercut on the inside.

  “One!”

  Stone raised his head. A trooper bent toward him and said, “You cain’t fight to save yer ass!”

  “Two!”

  Stone got to his feet, tried to dance, but his knees were jelly and his feet numb. Libbie Custer covered her eyes as Muldoon advanced for the last time. Stone wiped the blood from his left eye and tried to focus on his adversary. A towel flew into the ring.

  “That’s it!” said Slipchuck.

  “Like hell it is!” Stone roared. He stumbled forward, and kicked the towel through the ropes.

  Sergeant Major Gillespie moved in front of Stone. “What’s it goin’ to be?”

  “The fight isn’t over yet.”

  Sergeant Major Gillespie brought his hands together, indicating the war should go on. Stone hid his face behind his fists, waiting for Muldoon to come closer. Muldoon closed the distance quickly, and threw a straight left at Stone’s head. Stone ducked underneath it and tackled Muldoon around the waist, twisting hard. Muldoon lost his balance, they fell against the ropes, broke through the opening, and landed on the ground outside the ring.

  The bell went off. Stone disentangled himself from Muldoon and both fighters got to their feet.

  Muldoon winked. “Next round, darlin’.”

  Stone shuffled back to his stool. Slipchuck dabbed his face with a wet rag. “You’re takin’ a beatin’, Johnny. I think you’d better lay down.”

  Stone breathed deeply. He had to dig into himself and bring something new and powerful out, because the fight was for Marie herself. If he languished two months at Fort Hays, she might be gone from San Francisco before he got there.

  The bell rang, and Stone moved to the center of the ring.

  Muldoon came straight for him, but he didn’t try to dance out of the way. Muldoon uncorked a hook to Stone’s side, but Stone beat him to the punch, snapping his head back with a left jab followed by an overhand right calculated to put him away. Both punches landed cleanly, but didn’t affect Muldoon, who worked Stone’s body in a series of punches and combinations that had no end.

  Stone stood toe to toe with him, delivering swift shots, ducking, weaving, looking for openings. He slammed Muldoon in the nose, hammered his ear, got in closer, elbowed him in the eye; they butted heads; the crowd went wild. They expected a slaughter, but it was a real fight!

  Stone didn’t take a step back or move to the side. He had to show Muldoon he wasn’t afraid of him. Powerful blows rocked Stone, but he planted his feet and hurled his bloody fists through every opening he could find.

  It was like punching the mattress. Stone felt discouraged, but had to keep on. The only alternative was throw in the towel.

  The soldiers were on their feet, the fight no longer a sure thing. St
one could see out his right eye, his left eye was half-closed. His nose and lips bled, was sure at least one rib was broken.

  Muldoon didn’t look any better. The last head butt opened a cut above his right eye, his nose shattered, face a bloody mask, mouth open, breathing hard. Stone could smell Muldoon’s lunch in the middle of the ring, and Muldoon’s punches weren’t hard as before. He’s tiring!

  “Two!” shouted Sergeant Major Gillespie.

  A flash knockdown, Stone perched on one knee in the middle of the ring. He looked at Muldoon, still dangerous. Go back to the original strategy and box him.

  At the count of nine, Stone rose to his feet. Muldoon came at him like an angry bull, and Stone danced to the side, flicking out his left jab, catching Muldoon on his nose. Muldoon shifted direction, raising his hands to protect his head, and Stone smacked him in the pit of his stomach. Muldoon continued his charge, throwing a left hook at Stone’s kidney, but Stone danced out of the way, throwing a three-punch combination to Muldoon’s head and torso. Muldoon shifted direction, impatience and frustration on his face.

  Stone winked at him. “I’m still here, darlin’.”

  Muldoon unleashed a vicious right hook to Stone’s ribs, but Stone blocked it with his elbow, then the bell rang. A cheer arose from the crowd as both fighters returned to their corners.

  Stone sat on his stool and drank water, energized by the knowledge that Muldoon was an ordinary man who got tired. Accustomed to knocking out opponents in the first round, he probably didn’t train hard, Stone had survived his worst. The champion lay against the ring post while his trainer massaged his belly.

  I can be with Marie in a week if I’m strong in this round. Stone steeled himself for the ordeal that lay ahead.

  The bell rang, and he came out dancing, hands held high. Muldoon rushed across the ring as expected, and led with an overhand right. Stone dodged, whacked Muldoon in the gut, hooked up to his head, went downstairs, leaned back to avoid an uppercut, and jabbed Muldoon in the mouth, then took a blow to his right kidney, threw one to Muldoon’s left side, and Muldoon punched him in the mouth.