The Delta independent., 1912-05-10

Copyright 1909. by Louis J~&eph Vance
Huuuled together like children in
fear of the powers of darkness, the
three held their fire against the inev-
liable assault in force, handicapped
fearfully by their absolute ignorance
of the lay of the deck, of the number
of their opponents and of from which
quarter they had to expect the attack.
And the silence and the suspense
wore upon their nerves until the final
struggle came in the shape of boom
to save them from madness. And it
came with a rush and will, cyclonic,
tremendous, overpowering. By sheer
weight of human flesh the Europeans
were pinned against the rail, fighting
at handgrips with a cruel and cunning
foe far better prepared for such bus
ness than they. For at such close
quarters pistols were practically
worthless save as clubs, while knives
could slip to Stay through almost any
interstice, however straitened.
O'Rourke had no time to think of his
companions. Stung to desperation by
the silent, unrelenting fury of his as
sailants-twice he was conscious of
the white-hot agony of a knife-thrust,
one penetrating the flesh of his side
and scraping his ribs, the other biting
deep into his thigh-he fired until he
had but one cartridge left in his re-
volver, and expended that blowing out
the brains of an extraordinarily per-
sistent coolie, then dropped the use
less weapon and trusted to his naked
strength.
1t served him well for a little One
man, precipitated by the weight of
those behind him into the adventur-
er's arms, he seized by the throat and
throttled In twinkling; then lifting
him from the deck, he exerted his
power to the utmost, and cast the
body like log into the midst of the
melee. Thus clearing little space, he
found himself able to step aside and
let another run past him into the bull
wark; and seeing the sheen of a
swordblade in the fellows hand, be-
fore he could recover seized his wrist,
twisted it savagely, and wrenched the
weapon away.
The finale came moment later, sig
nalized by binding flash of light
more bright than that of day, which
fell athwart the deck and illuminated
instantaneously every inch of the
fighting ground. Fervently be blessed
the nearby vessel that had turned its
searchlight on the junk. The scene
It revealed beggared the experience of
a man whose trade was fighting; it
fell upon decks slippery with blood
and Uttered with the bodies of dead
and wounded; it silenced a confusion
Undesirable. Upon that insane turmoil
the light fell with the effect of thun-
derbolt from a clear sky.
Screaming shrilly in their panic, the
Chinese scattered and fell away, leav-
ing O'Rourke beside Couch, Wheeler
being down and buried beneath three
Chinese corpses And instantaneously
something grated harshly against the
starboard side of the junk and a man,
his figure stark black against the cold
white glare, leaped upon the rail and
tumbled inboard. Others to the num-
Der of dozen followed him, swarm
ing over the decks. Couch reeled to-
wards them, babbling orders and in
stfuctions.
The second launch had arrived.
Sick and faint, O'Rourke slouched
tack against the rail. watching with
iack-luster eyes the end of the chap
ter. 1t was simple to the point OF
,eeming farcical in comparison with
that which preceded it. The dazed and
now outnumbered Chinese offered no
further resistance. Disarmed and put
under guard, they disappeared from
10 hA uofnbnd
the men from the second launch,
spurred by Couch. scatter in search Of
the abducted women.
Loss Of blood was beginning to tell
upon him; his strength seemed alto