The Adair County news., 1921-12-06

of his feet, letting out shout Of
triumph, while he looked about him
for his next adversary.
The bedrock on which they fought
was slippery where ice had formed in
the crevices. Two seamen tackled
Hansen. He stopped the curses of one
with a straight punch to his mouth,
but the man clung to his arm, bear
ing it down. Hansen swung at the 9TH
er, and the blow went over the shoul-
der as he lodged, but Hansen got him
F, in chancery, and the three, staggering,
swearing, sliding, went down at last
together, with Hansen underneath,
wind while he warded off the wild
blows of the second. With a wild
heave he got on all fOurs, and then
Lund, roaring like a bull as he came,
tore off a seaman and flung him
headlOng.
Pound him, Hansen!" he shouted,
his eyes hard with purpose, shining
like ice that reflects the sun, his nos
;rils wide, glorying in the fight.
The Finn had got himself together
a bit, wiping the gOuts of blood from
his face and splitting out the snags of
his broken teeth. He drew a knife
from inside his shirt, long, curving
blade, and sidled, like a crab, toward
Lund, murder in his piggy, blOOdshOt
eyes, waiting for a chance to slip in
and stab Lund in the back, calling to
a comrade to help him.
"Come on" he called, "Olsen, wit
yore knife. Gut the swine"
Another blade flashed out, and the
pair advanced, crouching, knees and
bodies bent. Lund backed away war
lily toward the opposite cliff, looking
for loose rock fragment. He had for
bidden knives to the sailors since the
mutiny, and had forced delivery, but
these two had been hidden. A knife
to the Finn was natural accessory.
Only his drunken frenzy had made
him try to beat Lund at his own game.
One of the two hunters, Iamed with
kick on the knee, bowling with the
pain, clinched savagely and bore the
seaman down, battering his head
against a knob of rock. The other
friendly hunter had Dashed and buff
feted his opponent to submission. But
Rainey was in hard case.
A seaman, half Mexican, few at him
like a wildcat. Rsiney struck out,
and his fists hit at the top Of the
breeds head without stopping him.
Then he clinched.
The Mexican was slippery as an eel.
He got his arms free, his hands shot
up, and his thumbs sought the inner
corners of Rainey's eyes. The sud-
den, burning anguish was maddening
and he drove his clasped fists upward,
wedging away the drilling fingers.
Two hands clawed at his shoulders
from behind. Someone sprang fair
IL on his back. A knee thrust against
his spine.
The agony left him helpless, the
vertebrae seemed about to crack.
Strength and will were shut OF. and
the world went black. And then one
Of the hunters catapulted into the
struggle, and the four of them went
down in a maddened frenzy of blows
and stifled shouts.
The sailors fought like beasts, striV-
ing for blows barred by all codes of
decency and fair play. intent to MAIN.
Lund had got his shoulders against
the rocks and stood with open hands,
watching the two with their knives,
who crept in, foot by foot, to make
a finish.
Peggy Simms, a strand of her pale
yellow hair whipped loose, flung it out
of her eyes as she stood on the edge
of the cliff, her lips apart, her breasts
rising stOrmily, watching; her fea-
lures changing with the tide of battle
as it surged beneath her, punctuated
with muffled shouts and wind-clipped
Oaths. She saw Lund at bay, and
snatched out her pistol. But the dis
tance was too great. She dared not
trust her aim.
Sandy, dancing in and out, willing
but helpless, bound by fear and lack
of muscle, saw Deming, followed by
Beale, stealing up the trail, unnOticed
by the girl, who leaned far forward,
watching the fight, her eyes On Lund
and the two creeping closer with their
knives, cautious but determined.
Tamada stood farther back and could
not see them.
The lads wits, sharpened by his
fOrecastle experience, surmised what
Deming and Beale were after as they
gained the prOmontOry fiat and ran
toward the fires.
''Hey!" he shrilled. Look out;
they're after the tools!"
Deming's hand was stretched toward
a shovel, it's worn steel scoop sharp
as a chisel Beale was a few feet be-
hind him. They were going to toss
the shovels and drills down to the
seamen.
Tamada turned. His face did not
change, but his eyes cleaned as he
thrust a dipper in the steaming rem
nants of the pea soup and flung the
thick blistering mass fair in Deming's
face. At the same moment the girls
pistol cracked with a stab of red
fame. Beale dropped, shot in the