Peter was a superb swordsman , and parried with dazzling rapidity ; ever and anon he followed up a feint with a lunge that got past his foe 's defence , but his shorter reach stood him in ill stead , and he could not drive the steel home . Hook , scarcely his inferior in brilliancy , but not quite so nimble in wrist play , forced him back by the weight of his onset , hoping suddenly to end all with a favourite thrust , taught him long ago by Barbecue at Rio ; but to his astonishment he found this thrust turned aside again and again . Then he sought to close and give the quietus with his iron hook , which all this time had been pawing the air ; but Peter doubled under it and , lunging fiercely , pierced him in the ribs . At sight of his own blood , whose peculiar colour , you remember , was offensive to him , the sword fell from Hook 's hand , and he was at Peter 's mercy . ` Now ! ' cried all the boys ; but with a magnificent gesture Peter invited his opponent to pick up his sword . Hook did so instantly , but with a tragic feeling that Peter was showing good form . Hitherto he had thought it was some fiend fighting him , but darker suspicions assailed him now . ` Pan , who and what art thou ? ' he cried huskily . ` I 'm youth , I 'm joy , ' Peter answered at a venture , ` I 'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg . ' This , of course , was nonsense ; but it was proof to the unhappy Hook that Peter did not know in the least who or what he was , which is the very pinnacle of good form . ` To ' t again , ' he cried despairingly . He fought now like a human flail , and every sweep of that terrible sword would have severed in twain any man or boy who obstructed it ; but Peter fluttered round him as if the very wind it made blew him out of the danger zone . And again and again he darted in and pricked . Hook was fighting now without hope . That passionate breast no longer asked for life ; but for one boon it craved : to see Peter bad form before it was cold for ever . Abandoning the fight he rushed into the powder magazine and fired it . ` In two minutes , ' he cried , ` the ship will be blown to pieces . ' Now , now , he thought , true form will show .
But XXXXX issued from the powder magazine with the shell in his hands , and calmly flung it overboard .
Peter Rio brilliancy colour course minutes quietus sight suspicions swordsman