, 1926-06-30

drawing his own knife:
go on. we fooli Anywhere! A
cross on her hand'l do-wi' your
knife,'
MORA heard him and grasped HIS
meaning. She shot her left hand I'M
der my arm.
"God be good to We, Bob she whis
pered. "Sure, I'm yours"
And with the point of Silver's knife
1 traced a crimson cross upon her
palm, %certes, the oldest betrothal any
couple ever had.
Mistress O'Donnell is pledged to
me-" / called as loudly as l could.
Further, we had the word of Captain
Flint that no harm should be done to
her or any of us"
'Flint's word was no better'n mine,'
grinned Bones. "'Twas only as Flint
ferent, and first. I'm goin' to ha We
caught and fiogged, Buckskin, and
then I'll cut your ears off for a keep
sake like"
He waved his arm carelessly.
"Pull him down, mates. can't be
bothered fightin' a pris'ner."
Several of his cronies made to obey
this command; but Silver, Black Dog
and a number of others set up a pro-
test.
"Give the Buckskin a fair show"
they shouted. Hes put his mark on
her. Took her himself, he did. when
Murray carried the Santissima Trini-
dad"
Bones friends hung back. From
the rear ranks of the circle came ad-
vice and opinions of all shades. But
Silver's faction must have been primed
for the incident, for they worked up
such a Juror in my support that they
swayed the general opinion by sheer
volume of noise. Silver even raised
Moira's hand with bloody cross upon ii
and held ii up for those behind to see
Fair play for nll," proclaimed his
stentorian voice. THE Buckskin was
one o. Murray's crew, and he took the
girl in fair fight. He's put his mark
on her, and if he wants to fight for her
he can, pris'ner or no pris'ner."
Bones observed the mounting tur
MOL with an obvious mingling of emo
lions. He realized he had been tricked,
but he did not yet see how it had
been done or comprehend the Interior
purpose of Silver's strategy. To ds
him Justice, I do not believe that he
feared me or doubted his ability TO
kill me in a knife-fght, for l had never
had occasion to exhibit my skill with
the knife before the pirates. He sim
ply knew that he had been lured into
"A position where he must fight per-
sonally to maintain his authority over
the crew, and the initial flare of his
hatred was naturally directed against
me. But he did not forget Silver.
I'm mind this he flung Mt the one
legged man as he crouched forward to
meet me, knife poised across his chest
and left arm extended to clutch at my
knife-wrist or parry a stab from the
side.
"'Tain't my doin's, Bill, if We will
ha' the girl" demonstrated Silver. 81
warned we o. Rule -Four. And the
cap'n's all the same as any other in a
question o. honor"
That's right shouted a score of
Threats. ''Cap'n's got to meet my
body"
I'll meet some others alter I finish
his swab," gritted Bones.
L circled away from him, gaglng the
effect of the swaying lanthorn-light
upon the deck shadows and the feel of
the pitchy planks underfoot.
"Stand to it, ye," he snarled.
Don't let him break from the ring,
mates. l wan his heart for that
wench to chew on-and mind the fat
Dutchman doesn't jump on my back.
He's a bad 'un' he is"
Silver was prompt to summon half
a dozen men to block oft Peter, who,
having seen me use the s~calping-knife
of the frontier since childhood, was
not in any way concerned as to what
l should be able to dc against a half
drunken sailor whose one idea of
knife-fighting was to grab his OPP
ponent's wrist at the same time the
opponent grabbed his, and then strain
and heave until one OF the pair tore
lose n struck.
Don't We worry, Bill,' ~counseled the
o%ne-legged man soothingly. 1--WE won't
let the Dutchman nor nobody else
harm We. Just you hop in and gut the
Buckskin-if ye can"
IF l cant" Missed Bones. Watch
me!'
He dropped to all tours and bounded
into the air in a clumsy fashion-not
at all as an Iroquois warrior would
have done it, hurtling like a projectile,
with his whole body behind the knife
! stepped to the left and stabbed