The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-11-07

o-er it leaped three wild figures:
bearing torches and pixies. bat their
chief. Delaney, was not one OF them.
The left-hand l. yours, Carew:
Council. take the middle ore.' said
Ralph as coolly as II we bad sprung a
mack of grouse. While lie spoke his
truder dropped across the threshold
without a cry or a stagger. shot right
through the brain. The keeper and
were nearly as fortunate. Then there
was a pause: then a rush from with
out, an irregular discharge OF musket-
nv. and the clear part Of tac hall was
crowded with enemies.
/ can't tell exactly Wha- enSued. |
know they retreated several times. for
the barricade was impossible; and
while Their shots fell harIulessly on
the mattresses, every Cne Q ours told
nothing makes a man shoot straight
like beng short Of wder-bu7 they
came on again. each time with added
feroclty.
/ heard Mohun mut'er more than
once in a dissatisfied tone, Why
does not that scOundrel shov himself:
| can't make out Delaney" All at
once | heard a stitied cry on mg right,
and. to my horror. | saw Clontarf
dragged over the baluS rade III The
grippe Of a giaut. whom | guessed at
once to be the man We had looked for
SO long. Under ove of the smoke.
he had swung himself up by the bal
ustrade of the staircase, aud, grasping
the poor boys collar as he looked III
incautiously from his shelter, dropped
back into the hall, CARRYING his yicrim
with him.
With a roar of e1ultation the Wild
beasts closed around their prey. Be
fore | had time to think what could be
done, | heard, close to my ear, a BIAS
! phemy so awful that it made me Start
even at that critical moment: it was
Ralph's voice, but | hardly knew it
hoarse and gutteral, and indistinct
with passion. Without hesitating an
Instant, he swung himself over the
balustrade. ard lighted on his feet IN
the midst of the crowd. They were
| half drunk with whiskev, and mad
dened bv the smell of blood: but-So
| great was the terror of MOhunS name
all recoiled when they saw him thus
face to face, his sword bare and his
) ewes blazing. That mOmentary panic
barred Clontarf. In a second Ralph had
thrown him under the arch OF a deep
| doorway, and placed himself between
the senseless body and its assailants.
Two or three shots We're fired at him
without effect: it was difficult to take
| aim in such a tossing chaos: then one
man, Delaney, sprung out at him with
a dubbed musket. AT last we heard
Mohun say, laughing low and savagely
| in his beard as he stepped one pace
forward to meet his enemy. \ blow
| that looked as if it might nave felled
| Behemoth was warded GeNterouslv by
the sabre, and, by a quick turn of the
wrist, its edge laid the Rapparee's face
i open in q bright. scarlet cash extend
ing from eyebrow to chin.
His comrades rushed over lis body.
furious. though somewhat d~isheatten
| ed at seeing their champion come to
grief: but they had to deal with a
| blade that had kept half q dozen Hun
garian swordsnen at bay, and, with
point or edge. is met them everywhere
magically. They were drawing back.
when Delaney, recovering from the
| first effects OF his fearful wound.
crawled forward, gasping out curses
that seemed floating on the torrent Of
Mohun by the knees and drag him
down.
Pah. it was q sight to haunt ones
dreams. you might have filled my
glass, some of You, when YOU saw it
was empty.)
Ralph looked down on him, and
laughed again: his sabre whirled round
once. aud cleared a wide circle: then.
trampling down the wounded man by
main force, he drove the point
through his throat, and pinned him to
the floor. | tell you | heard the steel
plainly as it grated on the stone.
There was an awful CONFUSION of all
the limbs, and then the huge mass lay
quite still.
Then come a Iull for several mo-
ments. The Irish covered back to the
door like penned sheep: their ammu-
milton was exhausted, and none dared
to 0 the hideous barrier that now
was between them and the terrible
Cuirassier.
All this took about half the time to
act that it does to tell. ! was hesita-
ting whether to descend or to stav
where my duty called me-near nv
wife. Fritz knelt behind me, silent
and motionless; he had got his orders
sturdy keeper rose TO his feet.
..Faix," lie said. I'm but a pool
hand at the swording, but | must hell
my master, anyhow and he began to
climb over the breastwork. The colo
nels quick glance caught the movement
and his brief, imperious tones rane
over the hubbub of voices loud and
clear.
Don't stir, Connel; stay where vou
are. | can finish with these hounds
alone"
AS he spoke, he dashed in upon them
with lowered head and uplifted sword
Idon't wonder that they all recoiled