The Bienville Democrat., 1922-02-16

of his feet, letting out a shout o.
triumph, while he looked about hin
for his next adversary.
The bedrock on which they Tough
was slippery where ice had formed II
the crevices. Two seamen tackled
Hansen. He stopped the curses Of on
with a straight punch to his mouth
but the man chung to his arm, bear
ing 1t down. Hansen swung at the 9th
er, and the blow went over the shOul
der as he lodged, but Hansen got hin
in chancery, and the three, staggering
swearing, sliding, went down at las
together, with Hansen underneath
twisting ones neck to shut off his
wind while he warded off the wil(
blows of the second. With a wil(
heave he got on all fours, and ther
Lund, roaring like 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
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, curvine
blade, and sidled, like a crab, toward
Lund, murder in his piggy, bloodsho1
eyes, waiting for a chance to slip in
and stab Lund in the back. calling tc
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 delivery, but
these two had been hidden. A knife
to the Finn was a natural accessory
Only his drunken frenzy had made
him try to beat Lund at his own game
| One of the two hunters, laped with
a 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 basbed and buf
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
BE 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
! ly on his back. A knee thrust against
his spine.
The agony left him helpless, the
/ vertebrad seemed about to crack
Strength and will were, shut off, and
1 the world went black. And then one
| Of the hunters catapulted into the
struggle, and the four Of them went
down in maddened frenzy Of blows
and stifed shouts. !.
The sailors fought like beasts, striv'
ing for blows barred by all codes Of
deceucy and fair play, .lntent 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.
j 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
1 with mufied shouts and wind-clipped
i oaths. She saw Eund at bay, and
snatched out her pistol. But the dis
/ tance was too great. She dared hot
| trust her aim.
Sandy, dancing In and out, Willing
but helpless, bound by fear and laci
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 hia
forecastle experience, surmised what
Deming and Be9le were after as they
gained the promontory fiat and ran
toward the fres. 4
"Hey" he shrilled. Look out;
they're after the tools!"
Deminx's hand was stretched toward
a shovel, its worn steel scoop SHARP
as q chisel. Beale was q few feet BE-
hind him. They were going to tosa
the shoyels and drills down to the
seamen.
Tamada turned. His face did moi
change, but his eyes cleaned a. he
thrust q dipper In the steamfng rem
nants Of the pea soup and flung the
thick blistering mass fair In Deming',
face. At the same moment the girl'a
pistol cracked with 4 stab Of red
fame. Beale dropped, shot in the
neck, close to the collarbone, twist
| ing like / scotched snake, rolling down
the trail to the beach again.
| Deming, bowling like I scorchet
devil, clawed with one hand At thu