The daily Alaskan., 1919-05-01

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 ] raced forward along the narrow strip of sand, reck- less of what might encounter. l ran on until I reached the SlOOp. Through the gloom COnCealing the deck could perceive only dim figures, riot of men, battling furiously hand to hand, Yet out of the ruck lOomed through the darkness in larger outlines than the others-Cochose, the negro. leaDed 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 l was in a bears grip, the very breath crushed out of me, yet, by some chance, my one arm remained free, and I 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 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 1t tight about the great throat until, in desperation, panting for breath, the huge brute actually lifted me in his arms and hurled me backward headlong over the rail. I struck something as l 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 I fell-tOwing 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, foated at the very extremity of it's slender towline, and in consequence the sloop appeared little more than a mere smudge, when my eyes endeav- ored to discover its outlines. Evl- dently the bloody work had been com pleted, for now all was silent on board. Then came the voice of Estada in a gruff inquiry:
 "So you are hiding here, Cochose? What are you looking for in the saa?"
 "What? Why that d-d English man. Mon Dieu He fought me like a mad rat"
 "The Englishman, you say? He was here then? It was he you battled with? What became of the fellOwT
 "He went down there, senor. The dog stabbed me three times. It was either he or I to go."
 You mean 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-Tve watched and there has not been so much as a ripple where he sank"
 The two must have hung In silence over the rail staring down. I dared not advance my head to look, nor even move muscle of my body in the water.
 "How came you aft here?"
 "Because that fellow leaped the rail from the wharf. l saw him, and We