The St. Charles herald., 1922-04-29

he was somewhat of a dancer, and his
legs were as lissome as his arms. He
leaped, striking with fists and feet.
Lund met him with fierce upper
cut, short travelled, sent from the hip.
His enormous hand, punched to
| knuckly lump of stone, knocked the
Finn over, lifting him, before he fell
| with his nose driven in, its bone shat
tered, his lips broken like overripe
fruit, and his discolored teeth knocked
| out.
He landed on his back, rolling over
and over, to lie still, half stunned,
| while two more sprang for Lund.
Lund roared with surprise and pain
as one caught his red beard and swung
| to it, shifting and kicking. He
| wrapped his left arm about the man,
crushing him close up to him, and,
as the other came, diving low, butting
| at his solar plexus, the giant gripped
him by the collar, using his own Inn
! petus, and brought the two skulls to-
| gether with a thud that left them
| stunned.
The two dropped from Lund's re-
laxed arms like sacks, and he stepped
| over them, alert, poised on the balls
of his feet, letting out a 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
in chancery, and the three, staggering,
swearing, sliding, went down at last
together, with Hansen underneath.
twisting ones neck to shut OF his
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 bull as he came,
tore off q seaman and flung him
headlong.
"Pound him, Hansen!" he shouted.
his eyes hard with purpose. shining
like ice that reflects the sun, his nos
trils 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 crab, toward
Lund, murder in his piggy. bloodshot
eyes, waiting for chance to slip in
and stab Lund in the back, calling to
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
hidden knives to the sailors since the
mutiny, and had forced a 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, lamed 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, flew at him
like a wildcat. Rainey 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 maddenine
and he drove his clasped fists upward
wedging away the drilling fingers.
Two hands clawed at his shoulders
from behind. Someone sprang fair
" on his back. A knee thrust against
his spine.
The agony left him helpless, the
yertebrae 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 wen,
down in a maddened frenzy Of blows
and stifled shouts.
The sailors fought like beasts. striv
ing for blows barred by all codes o1
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 maks
1 q finish.
Il Peggy Simms, a strand Of her palt
yellow hair whipped loose, flung 1t ou
Of her eyes as she stood on the edgt
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, punctuatet
with muffied shouts and wind-ciippet
oaths. She saw Lund at bay. ant
snatched out her pistol. But the dis
tance was too great. She dared no
trust her aim.
Sandy, dancing In and out, wiilinl
but helpless, bound by fear and iacl
Of muscle. saw Deming, followed b!