The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-07-26
The Woman easped Family and Chung Tightly to Her Husbands Arm

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 q '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-
yolVer, 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, precipttated by the weight of
those behind him into the adventur-
er's arms, he seized by the throat and
throttled in a twinkling; then lifting
him from the deck, he exerted his
power to the utmost, and cast the
body like a log into the midst of the
melee. Thus clearing a little pace, 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 a moment later, sig.
nalized by a 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 gilenced a confusion
lndescribable. Upon that insane turmoil
the light fell with the effect of a 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 simultaneously
something grated harshly against the
s~tarboard 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 nun.
Der of a dozen followed him, swarm
ing e the decks. Couch reeled to-
wards them, babbling orders snd in
structions.
The second launch had arrived.
Sick and faint, O'Rourke slouched
back against the rail, watching with
lack-luster eyes the end Of the chap
ter. 1t was simple to the point Of
seeming 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
his consciousness, while he watched
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
gether gone; his wits buzzed in his
head like a swarm of gnats. He
grasped his support convulsively, be.
ginning to appreciate how seriously
he was hurt. He heard as from a great
distance thin, faint cries of men shout.
ing in triumph; saw Couch, a pygmy
shape. holding in his arms a doll who
wore the face of Miss Pynsent. Then
of a sudden he was conscious Of a
Fastening toward him, a fan.
tastic and i~ncongruous figure In a din.