Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-04-25

Again she spoke, volubly and with
many groveling sobs.
she says" said the redemptioner,
that If It could only be blessed. There
Is no priest aboard"
The mate. with his hands on the rail.
laughed at tlrts. DO what say, you
down there" he cried. win ye stand
making mouths all day? Tie II in that
canvas"
The man he had hidden approached
the woman to take the cold little body
rom her. but she turned suddenly
fury and, holding It TO her breast with
one arm fought him OFF, screaming.
He jumped back. with his hand clap
ped TO his armpit. "The Jezebel's bit
met" he yelled.
There was great laugh from the
sailors, and the mate cursed lur!dly
rom above. Are ye mollycoddles,
them" he shouted. As they hesitated
he scrambled down hand over hand,
damning them for landlubbeIs and
clearly minded to do II himself.
The Frenchman's fingers, as he stood
beside the Virginian. gripped the rail.
swine" he said under his breath.
Keep your hand from that woman!"
The mate looked up, astonished, at
the group, for the other passengers had
gathered TO witness what was going
on.
what's that he asked.
! Armand repeated his words.
The mates face turned a spongy pur-
, pie, and he laughed in way that was
| not good to hear. For answer he
reached out a hand to the shawl and
literally tore it away from the poor clay
II covered.
At tie instant he did so Armand
yaulted the rail where he stood, caught
q rope. swung to a stanchion and land
ed as lightly as n cat at the side of the
burly ruffian. The act was SO clean, so
graceful and so quick that none Of the
passengers could have told exactly how
IL was done.
The mate turned and. seeing him mt
. his elbow, struck with all his strength
;. at the others head.
I The stroke was one to stun, but II
J never reached home. The young for
eigner bent one side not moving his
feet, with n motion that would have
spoken volumes to an athlete, and the
mates fish banged against the bulwark.
While he staggered from this, Armand,
selling a ropes end as he circled, cut
him across the face with such a slash
that the blood ran from the cash.
Now ensued a strange combat. The
mate. heavy and cumbrous, tried to
reach the other with sledge hammer
blows. The Frenchman, slight, wary,
circling, retreating, slipped hither and
thither. Three times In as many sec
onds that sibilant "swish" sang, and a
red mark sprang out on the brutal face.
: At each swing of the fist sort of
groan went up from the huddled re-
demptioners, and at each cut they
sucked In their breath with delight. II
was a new. strange entertainment for
them-to have brain sick passenger
descend from his clean deck to cham
pion the cause Of scum.
' The Virginian. looking down. was
guivering visibly. AS the passenger
evaded blow that would have crushed
his ribs he could not forbear shout:
well done, by the Lord! But ware
the clinch! Ware the clinch, mon
sieur!"
I For the mate, though maddened out
o; himself, had shown q sudden eleam
of purpose. He was forcing the Sec
rotary back into a corner between bull
wark and stanchion. now striking, but
! his burly arms now stretched out vide
. ly. Even as Cary shouted the arms
gripped Armand like a wise, and the
singing ropes end. useless now, fell to
the deck.
Over the upper rail the passengers
leaned, watching.
"A shame!" cried one. THAT bloody
brute will kill him out OF hand!"
: "'Tis the clerk! Pshaw!" said the
quartermaster. He sides with the
rabble. Let the rabble care for him!"
The woman who had been the unwit-
ting cause OF this struggle crouched
back of the first sullenly intent rows,
waiting, hugging her bundle. The 9TH
ers watched, guessing well what the
issue would be. most Of them accepting
It as they had accepted the unspeak-
able fare, the cursings and reyilings Of
the crew, with that stolid acceptance
which, multiplied by centuries Of hered-
ity, had brought them at last to this
same condition.
The Virginian leaned down with vi
brant hopelessness. He looked to see
the secretary, vised and cracked in
those arms, drop limp and senseless.
AS he looked he saw Armand's face,
very white, turn up to him.
Then, like lighting, a wonderful
thing happened. The young mans chin
sank deep, into the hollow of the 9TH
er's shoulder; his arms went up about
the muscles Of the bulky back; 1.-THE
legs like wire went suddenly curling
and twisting about the stocky ones. A