Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-22

huge mace in the air. with which he
struck 10 the deck every man who opposed
him. On the other side Spade-beard A
dwarf in height, but of great breadth of
shoulder and length of arm had cut a road
almost to the mast. with threescore Geno-
csc men-at-arms close at his heels Re-
tween THESE two formidable assailants
the seamen were being slowly wedgaJ
more closely together, until they stood bect
10 pack under the mast with the rovers
raging upon every side of them
But help was close at hand Sir Oliver
Buttesfhorn, with his men-dt-arms, had
sWarmed down from the forccastIe while
SIR Nigel, with his three sCuires BLACK
simon, Aylward, Horde John and a score
more threw themselves from The poon and
| hurled themselves into the thickest of tbe
fight Alleyne, as in duty bound. kept his
eyes hXed ever on his lord and pressed for
ward close ar his heels. Often had he
heard of Sir Nigers prowess and skill with
all knightly weapons but all the tales that
had reached his ears fell far short of the
real quickness and GOODNESS of the man 1t
was as II the devil was in him for he
sprung here and sprung there now thrust
Ing and now cutting, catching blows on his
shield, turning them with his blade stoop-
ing under the swing of an AK, springing
over Inc sweep of a sword, so swift and
so erratic that the man who braced himself
lor dow at him might find him six PAGES
off ere he could bring it down. Three pi-
rates had fallen before him and he had
wounded Spade-beard in the neck, when
the Norman giant sprung a him from the
side with a slashing blow from his deadly
mace. Sir Nigel stopped to avoid It, and
at the same instant turned a thrust from
the Genoese swordsman, but, his foot Slip
ping In a pool of blood, he fell heavily TO
the ground. Alleyne sprung I'm front of the
Norman, but his sword was shattered and
he himself beaten TO the ground by a Sec
ond blow from the ponderous weap pom Ere the
pirate chief could repeat it. however. Johns
iron grip fell upon his wrist. and he found
that for once he was in the hands OF a
stronger man than himself FierceIy he
strove to disengage his weapon, but Horde
John bent his arm slowly back until with
a sharp crack, like a breaking stave II
turned limp in his grasp. and the mace
dropped from the nerveless fingers In
vain he tried to pluck it up with the other
hand. Back and back still his foeman bent
him, until, with roar of pain and of fury
the giant changed his full length upon the
boards. while the glimmer of a knife before
the bars of his helmet warned him that
short would be his shrift if he moved
Cowed and disheartened by the loss of
their leader, the Normans had given back
and were now streaming over the bulwarks
on to their own galley, dropping a dozen
at a time on to her deck. But the anchor
still held them in its crooked claw and
Sir Oliver. with fifty men, was hard upon
their heels. Now. too, the archers had
room to draw their bows once more and
great stones from the yard of the cog came
laundering and crashing among the flying
royers. Here and there they rushed with
wild screams and curses, diving under the
sail, crouching behind boomS. budding in
to corners like rabbits when the ferrets are
upon them as helpless and as hopeless. Ehey
were stern days, and if the honest soldier.
too poor for ransom. had no prospect OF
mercy upon the battlefield, what ruth was
there for sea-robbers, the enemies of hui
man kind, taken in the very deed, with
proofs of their crimes still swinging upon
their yard-arm.
(To be continued tomorrow)