Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-06-11

knowledge of the game than and l.
quicker movement; / excelled in
weight of body and GOODNESS OF brain.
Twice he pricked me deep enough to
draw blood. before l succeeded in
twisting backward the arm with which
hA.held the blade. He met the game
too late. falling half back upon one
knee, hoping thus to foil my purpose.
There was the sharp crack of bone.
as his useless fingers let the knife
drop, a snarled curse OF pain. and then.
with the rage of a mad dog, Sanchez
struck his teeth deep into my cheek.
With a thrill of exultation l gripped
the knife. driving instantly the keen
blade to its hilt into the mans side.
He made no cry, no struggle-the set
teeth unlocked and he fell Imply
back on the sand. his head Tapped by
the waves.
The fellow lay motionless. his face
upturned TO the sky. but invisible ex-
cept in dim outline. / rested my ear
over his heart, detecting no murmur
of response; touched the veins of his
wrist, but found there no answering
throb of life.
With the death-dealing knife still
gripped in my hand l raced forward
along the narrow strip of sand. reck-
less of what might encounter. | ran
on until l reached the slOOp. Through
the gloom cOncealing the deck / could
perceive only dim figures. a riot of
men, battling furiously hand TO hand,
yet out of the ruck doomed through
the darkness in larger outlines than
the others-CochOse, the negro. |
leaped at the fellow and struck with
the keen knife, missing the heart but
plunging the blade deep into the flesh
of the shoulder. The next instant |
as in a bears grip, the very breath
crushed out of me, yet. by some
chance, my one arm remained free.
and l drove the sharp steel into him
twice before he forced the weapon
from my fingers. l thrust an elbow
beneath the brute's chin, and thus
forced his head back until the neck
cracked.
He was too strong, too immense of
stature. Apparently unweakened by
his wounds, the giant negro, thor
oughly aroused. exerted his mighty
muscles, and, despite my utmost effort
at resistance. thrust me back against
the stern rail, where the weight of his
body pinned me helplessly. With a
roar of rage he drove his huge fist into
my face, but happily was too close to
give much force to the blow. My own
hands, gripping the neckband of his
coarse shirt, twisted it tight about the
great throat until. in desperation.
painting for breath, the huge brute
| hurled me backward headlOng over
the rail. struck something as fell,
yet rebounding from this splashed into
the deep water and went down so
nearly unconscious as to make not
even the slightest struggle. And yet
came up once more to the surface,
arising by sheer chance directly be-
meath the small dory-which my body
must have struck as following by
painter astern of the sloop, and for
tunately retained sense enough to
cling desperately to this first thing my
hands touched, and thus remained con-
cealed.
The dory caught In some current,
fioated at the very extremity of its
slender towline, and in consequence
the sloop appeared little more than a
mere smudge. when my eyes endeav-
ored to discover its outlines. Evil
IDENTIFY the bloody work had been COM
pleted, for now all was silent on board.
Then came the voice of Estada in a
gruff inquiry:
$50 you are hiding here, Cochosel
What are you looking for in the scar
what? Why that ID English
man. Mon Dieul He fought me like
a mad rat"
1.-The Englishman, you say? He was
here then? 1t was he you battled
with? What became of the fellowT'
HE went down there, senior. The
dog stabbed me three times. 1t was
either he or l to 60"
"You moan you threw him over
board?"
"Ay. with his ribs crushed In, and
not breath left in his ID body.
| He's never come up even-Ive watched
and there has not been so much as a
ripple where he sank"