He lay motionless awhile, husbanding his force, and the Portugee surged and heaved beneath him; he could feel the muscles of his mighty frame start up in knots as he struggled.

At last Leonard let him have his way, and over they went, the two of them.

Now Xavier was uppermost, and the mob yelled in triumph, for they thought that the stranger's strength was spent.
"The knife, the knife!" gasped Xavier, and one of his servants sprang forward to give it to him.

But Otter was watching and started out of the press, naked sabre in hand: his fierce and ugly face was twitching with excitement, his black eyes shone, and his vast shoulders worked to and fro.

To Juanna, fascinated by the fearful struggle, the dwarf looked like some black gnome, like a thing of supernatural power, half toad, half human.
"He who touches the knife dies!" he said in guttural Arabic, stretching his long arm and sabre over it.