The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1895-03-28

10 be reinforced from the Vampa or by
wounded comrades who might, also, at any
moment, recover strength sufficient to rejoin
the fray.
Suddenly Matteo shouted:
"Come on, my men! They are only two or
three; and the fewer we are, in the end, the
larger each mans share of that treasure,
Drop bullets and take to your knivesW ~
zone more volleyl'' cried Nebbitt, as he
fred his last cartridge, and down fell an
other of the assailants "Then grip for your
livesw
With that he made flying leap over the
little sand barricade which they had raised
and flung himself full and straight at
Matteo's throat, which he seized like vice
in the grip of his steely fingers, The giant
stumbled backward and raised his sharp
knife to drive it up to the handle in the
back Of the American; but the latter, by
sudden, strong, upward movement of his
arm, cleverly turned the blow aside and it
fell harmlessly in air. Concentrating all his
nerve-born strength in one superhuman
effort, Nebbitt actually dashed this Goliath
to the ground, where the two rolled over and
over and over again in their awful struggles;
now one above, now the other. But his enor-
nous physical strength and will threw the
odds fearfully on the side of Matteo for
when he fell he had dropped his knife, and
was now gripping the American in his long,
powerful arms, whose muscles of iron slow
ly and relentlessly closed about the chest
of his adversary, until it seemed to Nebbitt
as If his ribs were crunching and cracking
and his very life being crushed out in that
awful hug of death. Fortunately, his arms
were outside. Putting both hands against
the chin of the Italian, he suddenly and
sharply jerked the mans head upward and
backward. Taken at unawares, Matteo, to
save his neck from being broken, relaxed
his grip for moment
| Quick as a fash of lightning his an
tagonist, who was beneath, rolled the giant
over, leaped to his feet, and, grasping the
knife lying close by, plunged it into the
heart of Haydee's murderer, who was
struggling to his feet, but so awful was the
| force of the blow that the blade drove clear
! through the mans lungs and passed out be-
tween his shoulders, and, without so much as
o groan, Matteo fell back stoqe dealt
All this happened in far less time than it
| JANUS W ICdu dbOub IL, DuJ uOl IL ulOultlI 700
quickly For when Nebbitt, GREATNESS and
aching from the crushing grip of his foe,
but quite game" yet, was enabled to turn
his attention to the Others he saw Oxford
engaged in deadly contest with three men
whom he was holding at bay with his rife
which he grasped by the muzzle as he would
club, and was whirling about him with
such lightning like rapidity that it looked
| like the flying spobes of a swiftly-revolving
wheel He had already Drained two of his
assailants.
Dana and Arthur Fairfax, back to back,
the one swinging his rife Justify and the
other welding a keen sword in his unin-
| jured right hand, were fighting desperately
with four of the Italians, while a huge
ruffian was decidedly worsting poor Roger,
who was bravely trying to defend himself.
Ere Nebbitt could reach him, Roger
! groaned deeply, and, suddenly relaxing his
hold on the other fell backward as If dead.
The Italian raised his knife to strike the
PROSTATE man, but Nebbitt had already
picked up the Wallets rife, with which he
dealt the villain such terrific blow on the
head that the seaman dropped to the earth
like log.
The victor then sprang to the side of Ok
ford, splendidly holding his own against
those three swarthy opponents, who did not
dare come within range Of that lightning
swinging rife, but hung aloof, watching for
a chance to spring upon the Englishman.
None too soon was this timely aid; for, de-
spairing Of firing their adversary, one of
the men stepped backward and, STOPPING
quickly down, picked up pist5l, which he
was just about to fire at Oxford, when Neb-
bltt, with most awful, blood-curdling yell
that pierced far into the night and must
have greatly terrified those vino remained
on the Vampa, bounded forward with ire
mendous leap and brought down the rife
butt squarely upon top Of the mans head
with such resistiess Iapetus that it crashed