San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-21
Francois, Antoine !!

| "a moi! Francois. Antoine! A
moi.'
"Monseigneur walled the voice Of
Francois. laden with alarm, from be.
yond the oak.
! "Enfoncez la porte" Buckingham
shouted back.
Came heavy blows upon the door
in answer to that command; then
silence and q shifting of feet, as the
grooms set their straining shoulders
to the oak. But the stout timbers
withstood such easy methods. The
mems footsteps retreated, and there
followed a spell of silence, whose
meaning was quite obvious to both
cembatants. The grooms were gene
for implements to break down the
door.
That made On end Of the Colonefs
aeprs of rendering the Duke defense
less, task whose difficulty he began
to perceive that he must find almost
iRsupcrable. He settled down, there
fore to fight with grimmer purpose.
There was no choice for him now but
to kill Buckingham before the grooms
won through that door, or all would
be lost, indeed.
So far HOLES had fought on almost
academic lines. no more, indeed, be-
Ing necessary for the purpose he had
been setting himself. But now that
this purpose was changed, and find
ing that mere speed and vigor could
out drive his point beyond the Dukes
iron guard. he had recourse to more
liDera methods. There was a trick
d deadly, never-failing trick-that ne
lad learned years ago from an Italian
ras'er. soldier OF fortune who. like
himself. had drifIed into MERGERS airy
service with the Dutch. He would es-
gay it now.
Ee side-stepped to the ieft. and
urged on high line of ticrc,. his
roi-it aimed at the throat Of his Op-
penrpt. The object Of this WAS no
more than TO make the Duke swing
round to parry. Without meeting the
opposing blade as it shifted to the
threatened line, HOLES dropped his
point and his body at tine same time,
until he was supported. at fullest
stretch, ~ his left hand Upon tie
ground. Upward under the Duhe's
guard lie whirl his point. and the
nrSe. who had been carritI-as
Holes he'd calculated he would be
a little too far round in the speed
required. tEss undAly exposing MS
left flank. foeni that point coming
straight fer his heart. He was no
moro than in time TO beat it aside
with his left hand and even so It
slipped thi eush the sleeves Of his
toubiet a:.G tore his flesh just shove
the elbow.
But for that wound there might
v.ah have been on end Of Holes. For
this trick of his was such that il
must succeed or else leave him that
essays it mOmentariIy at the mercy
OF his antagonist. That moment pre-
sented itself row; but it was gone
again before the Duke had mastered
the witch occs sioned him by tho
tearing OF his arm. His recovery and
downward-driFcn riposte were swift,
but too late by hak heart beat.
HOLES was no longer there to he
iTpalod.
They smiled rrimly at each other
rs erect tiicl5 stood, pausing Il second
after that mutually near escape of
death. Their, as Il succession of re-
sounding blows fell upon the door,
HOLES drove at him again with re-
doubled fury.
Holes realized that there was no
time to lose: buckingham. that his
safety lay in nls-ing Cor time and
allowing tAe othcr's fu~ious attacks
to spend themselves against his de-
Tense. Twice again. despite his
wound, he used his left hand. from
which the biocd was dyiDping freely.
TO dash aside tnc Others blade. Once
he did it with impunity. But whcn
he repeated tho aciion, HOLES tool.
advantage Of it to fling himself sud
denly forward inside the Dukes
guard. until they were breast 10
breast, and with his own left he
seized the Dukes sword wrist in a
grip that paralyzed il. Before. how
ever, he could carry ont his ,nten-
ton of shortening his sword. his own
wrist was captiye in the Dukes
blood-smeared loft hand. He sought
TO force himself free OF that grin. Bat
the Duke mainta med it with the ten
ATTY born Of the desperate kBovl-
edge that his life depended on it,