Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-01-08

mind to hold on 10 the nead"arp.
Then, recovering trif1e, he squirmed
over and fell sprawling upon the deck,
his heels drumming an abrupt and
violent alarm. From somewhere he
heard a shrill jabbering arise, with an
ensuing patter of bare feet Swiftly
he got upon his knees and drew in the
headwarp, with his free hand search
ing along the rail for cleat. Some
thing thumped heavily on the deck be-
side him, and grunted; and something
else followed with second bump;
and the launch swung outward and,
caught by the current, jerked the
headwarp from his grasp. May the
luck of the O'Rourke still hold" he
prayed fervently, getting upon his feet
to realize that, with Couch and the
man Wheeler, he was imprisoned
aboard the junk. doomed there to re-
main whatever might befall, until
the coming of the second launch
:. or perhaps for longer time.
AS he rose some indistinct body ran
into him and cannoned off with an un-
couth yelp; with no time to draw his
revolvers, the adventurer struck out
with a bare hand and had the salts
faction of finding a goal for his blow
of landing heavily on bare flesh and
Of hearing the dull sound Of fall
upon the deck.
Spontaneously lights were flashing
out for and aft. A revolver spat ven.
omously beside him. Somewhere
man screamed and fell. whimpering
horribly. The revolver expoded sec
ond time. There were confused
noises, as Of furious struggle, rough
and tumble, and he suspected that one
or another of his companions had
been tackled bodily by one OF the
junk's crew. On his own part he
caught glimpse Of shadow moving
ghostlke against one Of the lights,
and promptly exercised it with shot.
BY this time the vessel seemed to
be caught in the grip OF pandemou'
ium; shouts and shots wed with
screams, groans, confused padding
footsteps. 10 make the moment one Of
a nightmare The boarding party stood,
at bay, not daring to venture from the
spot or which they had landed, firing
steadily but with discretion.
Huddled together like children in
fear OF the powers Of darkness, the
three held their fire against the ineY'
liable assault in Yorce, 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 II
came with rush and a will, cyclonic.
tremendous, overpowering. BY sheer
weight OF human flesh the Europeans
were pinned against the rail, fghtlnG.
at hardgrips with cruel and cunning
foe far better prepared for such bus
ness than they. For at such close
quarters pistols were PRACTICAL;
worthless save as clubs. while knives
could slip to Stay through almost any
interstice, however straitcned
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.
volyer, 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 we'll for little. One
man. precipi!ated b. the weight oil
those behind him into the advcntur.
ers arms. be seized By the throat and
throttled in twinkling; then lifting
him from the deck. lie excrted his
pOhSI W liz UlulbSt, anu IuSL NV
body like log into the midst OF the
melee. THUS clearing little space. ne
found himself able to step aside AMI
let another run past him into the hui.
warh; and seeing the sheen Of
swordbladc in the fellows hand. be.
fore he could recover seized his wrist,
twisted il savagely, and wrenchcd the
weapon away.
The finale came moment later, sir.
nalized by 4 binding flash OF li-h;
more bright than that OF day. which
fell athwart the deck and illuminated
instantaneous every inch Of tho
fighting ground. Fervcntly be blessed
the nearby vessel that had turned its
searchiight on The junk. The scene
ii revealed beggared the experience o.
a. man whose trade was fighting: il
fell upon decks slippery with blood
and Uttered with the bodies Of dead
aud wounded; it silnnced confusion
indescribable. Upon that insane turmoil
The light fell with the effect Of thun.
derbolt from clear sky.