Sentence:  Mr. Hawley's disgust at the notion of the “Pioneer” being edited by an emissary, and of Brooke becoming actively political—as if a tortoise of desultory pursuits should <WSD>protrude</WSD> its small head ambitiously and become rampant—was hardly equal to the annoyance felt by some members of Mr. Brooke's own family. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To thrust out, as through a narrow orifice or from confinement; to cause to come forth.