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Show 56 "Stop him hell. Fucking people around here, the more of 'em he kills the better." I hurried to follow them back inside: if that big guy caught up with Buck I sure did want to see it. But all was peaceful, only a band blaring "Roll Out the Barrel" and a hundred people stomping to it, and when that ended Buck came off the floor, laughing and talking, not at all on his guard, hadn't heard or figured he was too tough to worry, with that audacious face of his, nothing if not cock of the walk. But beyond him I saw the big guy coming up through the crowd, his head sailing above the other heads, and I stood there jostled and squeezed but not feeling it, heart pounding, waiting in a sort of trance of expectation while the big guy bore down on Buck with a furious concentrated purpose. At the last second Buck saw him and tried to get his hands up, too late, the big guy's fists a blur: he hit Buck two or three times before Buck could even stop grinning. While the magic circle was opening for them in the crowd, he hit him two or three more times, and when Buck began to go down he didn't miss a lick, hit him three or four more times while he was sinking out of sight. Maybe Buck hit him back once or twice but to no avail: the big man was a furious triphammer pounding Buck into the floor. Then the deputy came rushing in past me, slamming into my shoulder like a half-blind horse and on up behind the big man, who stood looking down at Buck with his fists ready, probably hoping he'd try to get back up. The deputy went up on his toes, reaching up as high as he could, and brought his billy down on the man's head like he was hammering a spike. I heard the solid clunk. The man dropped, he dropped like a sack of potatoes thudding on the floor, and I thought he was dead for sure. But then he came right back up, rising with his back to the deputy, who stepped back and in panic raised his billy, but the man did not even look around, didn't waste a second, standing erect and striding |