Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-09-07
CHAPTER XXX.
OF THE END OF OUR DESPERATE
FIGHT

FIGHT.
AS for my own personal faring, the
first that seemed to happen was that
a red-faced man came suddenly before
me, and that he clapped his foot on the
gusyJale of his boat and made fierce
slash at me.
| met the blow with a strong guard,
and thereupon, very swiftly STOPPING,
l gave u darting kind of thrust, upon
which my weapon was checked some
where in him and he dropped out of
sight. Then blow-luckily not heavy
lighted on my headpiece, and the
flash and smoke of pistol shot half
blinded me, and the next that comes
clear is that l was struggling to free
my arm from some ones grasp, and
that I felt a hard knock on my breast
piece, as though n sword or dagger
point had struck there.
| made full recovery of my senses
with that. 1t was the negro Gabriel
who was gripping my sword arm, and
he it was who had dealt me the blow
doubtless aimed at another spot) that
l had taken so luckily on my cuirass.
No one else seemed to be striving with
me, and indeed the negro himself was
between me and most of the others, he
having forced me, it seemed, back to-
ward the rail. There was no time
for aught but desperate action. My
left side was swung away, and in my
left hand was still my dagger. l had
not forgotten a certain trick learned
alongshore. and, without in the least
struggling to free my arm, ! set my
feet suddenly, fetching us both to a
standstill, and before. he could in the
least guess my purpose I let fly a low
but powerful kick. l cannot say
whether the shinbones of a negro are
of the tenderness that is salt. but /
do know that Gabriel gave an agonized
yell and instantly released my arm.
His hand was already lifted, with his
knife in it, but that business went with
the pain, and he let go the weapon and
ran duclling backward, cradling the
leg in his locked fingers. stayed not
to give him time to recover. My sword
now free, | made quick dash and let
go a vengeful thrust. The point took
him fair in the midst of his broad
breast, and he gave kind of below
and thrashcd instantly forward and to
the deck. SO quick and peculiar was
his fall that had no time to withdraw
close by the hilt. Considerably dis
mayed, for it was a poor time to be
disarmed, l let fall the useless hilt and
jumped backward. / had scarce
alighted when something gave a hard
bump and rolled to my feet, and there
upon uncurling-1 can describe the
motion no otherwise perceived it
to be the manned and bloody figure of
Towland He was no more than be-
fore me when there came a surge of
tangled fighters, both Mr.. Tym and the
captain in the midst, and like a straw
before their impact I was flung stag
gering back, whereupon, bringing up
at the rail, | could not, despite des-
perate scramble, save myself, and
went over backward into the water!
Notwithstanding the headlong man
ner of my falling and my heavy cui-
rass, | came pretty quickly o the sur
face. / was too good a swimmer to be |
easily pat about by such a mishap. and |
therefore swallowed no water except |
at first, and made the strokes that re-
turned me to the surface with meas |
urable composure. The sloop had al
ready drifted three or four fathoms |
away, and I could therefore get the |
range of her deck, which | did in a
kind of desperation, little doubling !
that | should behold the worst.
To my passing great amazement, !
while Sellinger and Mac Ivrach had |
disappeared, Mr.. Tym still maintained |
the struggle. He had fought his way |
to the forward deck, and, brought to |
bay there, was steadily holding off the |
whole crowding pack!
Yet a moment of this, for of course |
it could not last. Paul CRADLE and |
byte made furious rush. byte went |
down under a lightning-like thrust, but !
CRADLE seized Mr. lynn round the waist |
and flung him heavily to the deck. The |
other wretches gave yell and began
to swarm up, and with that-forget-
ting even my own desperate case-I |
cried out and closed my eyeA