As he does so that hull bunch of about a dozen moves in under the rope, and some more that was going out seen it, and stopped and come back.
"Perfessor," says the man with the patch over his eye to Doctor Kirby, "you say this man Ackerman is dead ?" "Yes," says the doctor, eying him over, "he's dead." "How did he die ?" asts the feller.
"He died hard, I understand," says the doctor, careless-like.
"Fell out of his balloon ?" "Yes." "This aeronaut trade is a dangerous trade, I hear," says the feller with the patch on his eye.
"They say so," says Doctor Kirby, easy-like.
"Was you ever an aeronaut yourself ?" asts the feller.
"No," says the doctor.
"Never been up in a balloon ?" "No." "Well, you're going up in one this afternoon!" "What do you mean ?" asts Doctor Kirby.
"We've come out to see a balloon ascension--and we're going to see it, too." And with that the hull crowd made a rush at the doctor.
Well, I been in fights before that, and I been in fights since then.

But I never been in no harder one.

The doctor and the two Blanchet brothers and me managed to get backed up agin the fence in a row when the rush come.

I guess I done my share, and I guess the Blanchet brothers done theirn, too.

But they was too many of 'em for us--too dern many.