He thought first he would unseat the
end of the plank, but it was too far below him and
then again he would be exposed to their volleys of
stones, and if he was hurt he might not get back on
his craft. Tod, who had resigned command in favor
of his henchman after Archie's masterly defence in
the last fight, stood behind him. Thermopylae was
a narrow place, and so was the famous Bridge of
Horatius. He and his faithful Tod would now make
the fight of their lives. Both of these close shaves
for immortality were closed books to Tod, but Archie
knew every line of their records, Doctor John having
spent many an hour reading to him, the boy curled
up in his lap while Jane listened.
Sandy, emboldened by the discovery of the plank,
made the first rush up and was immediately knocked
from his perch by Tod, whose pole swung around his
head like a flail. Then Scootsy tried it, crawling
up, protecting his head by ducking it under his elbows,
holding meanwhile by his hand. Tod's blows
fell about his back, but the boy struggled on until
Archie reached over the gunwale, and with a twist
of his wrist, using all his strength, dropped the
invader to the sand below.
The success of this mode of attack was made apparent,
provided they could stick to the plank.
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