That unbreakable guard, the smiling face with the gleaming, unsmiling eyes, that awful unwavering advance, were too much for him.

He was pale, his breath came in quick gasps, and his eyes showed the fear of a hunted beast.

He prepared for a final effort.
Feigning a greater distress than he felt, he yielded weakly to Macdonald's advance, then suddenly gathering his full strength he sprang into the air and lashed out backward at that hated, smiling face.

His boot found its mark, not on Macdonald's face, but fair on his neck.

The effect was terrific.