The Delta independent., 1912-03-29

of drowsiness, but merely lay motion
less and at rest, communing with his
fancy. And that led him out of the
sordid saloon of the Rance across the
seas that lay ahead of that ships
prov, to the fair land whittier he was
to convey the Pool of Flame.
Abruptly he leapt to his feet, wide
awake and raging.
A blow was still sounding through
] the saloon a dull crash Buried half
, way to the hilt in the bulkhead back
, OF the transom knife Quivered. In
stinctively the wanderers fingers had
closed upon the grip of his revolver
He pulled the trigger almost before
he realized what had happened and
sent bullet winging toward a spot
on the gangway above where a pair
of long brown legs had been but now
were not. On the heels of that fruit
less shot he sent another. this time
with no murderous intent, but to
warn the captain on the bridge. Here
at last was an issue forced, animus
proven, assassination indisputably at
| tempted.
He sprang for the companionway,
heart hot within him, mouth dry with
thirst for that lascar's blood. Not a
third time should the man escape his
judgment at the hands of ORourke,
he swore.
A stentorian roar saluted him as he
gained the deck-a below choked and
ending in sickening gurgle.
O'Rourke in a flash swung on his
heel. simultaneously he came face to
face with Quick. He could have cried
aloud In pity.
The captain swayed before him,
massively built figure clothed all in
white, huge arms trembling towards
his head. revolver dropping from a
nerveless hand. his chin fallen for
ward on his chest. stupid, weary
smile on his face, and a dark and hid
eous smear spreading swiftly over the
bosom of his shirt
A cry OF horror. despair and rage
stuck in the wanderers throat. Quick,
who had hailed his appearance on the
Rance at Alden as a harbinger Of good
luck, had been foully murdered. His
dominant emotion of the moment, an
intense and pitiful solicitude for the
dying man, threw him on his guard
Under its influence he forgot the des-
perate case of which this tragedy
brought all aboard the Rance. put out
his arms. received the falling body,
and let 1t gently to the deck.
But in a trice he was alive again to
his own peril. In the twinkling of an
eye he saw a fash OF light gliding to-
III
Intuitively he swung to one side, to
the right, and leapt to his feet. At
that the knife, a kris sinuous and
keen. ran cold upon the flesh OF his
chest, slit through his shirt. caught
in the thong that held the Pool OF
Flame. and tore out leaving a Tapping
hole and scraping a hands breadth
OF skin from his forearm. Needless
of this, only In fact subconsciously
aware that the chamois bag had fallen
to the deck. he caught at the hand
that had welded the kris: his fingers
closed about the wrist. and, bracing
himself, he swung the assassin of his
feet. SO doing, his fingers slipped on
the mans greasy skin and he STUN
bled OF his balance.
His object, however. had been ac-
complished. The murderer. hurled a
yard or more through the air. fell and
slid along the deck into n group OF
lascars, one of whom, like nine-pin.
was knocked over and fell. atop OF
him.
ORourke recovered and stepped for
ward, revolver poised to administer
the quietus to the murderer-an ami.
able intention which was. however.
doomed to Illustration. With almost
Uncomfortable swiftness the group of
lascars had become a mere tangle OF
arms and legs, melange of strug-
| Cling limbs and bodies. Where he
had thought to find single PROSTATE
form, there were six struggling In con-
fusion on the deck.
For q thought he stayed his finger
on the trigger. waiting to pick out the
undermost and STAY him first Of all.
unwilling, furthermore. to waste one
OF the four invaluable cartridges re-
naming In his revolver. And then
Unexpectedly the tragedy seemed over
and done with altogether.
From the bottom Of the heap OF bod
les terrible cry of mortal anguish
Bhril1ed loud; and almost at once the
mob seemed to resolve into Its orig
inal elements. Five lascars crawled.
arose. or flung themselves away from
the sixth. who lay inert. prone, limbs
still twitching. knife buried In his
back.
For a thought the tableau held,
there in the pure brilliance OF the
moonlight; the half dozen standing
figures. O'Rourke a space apart from
the rest, and two bodies, the one face