Widnes Examiner. — 1916-09-30 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

CHAPTER XVLII.  Waiting. in, the row-boat, Quabba heard Esther's scream, as she lumped from the yacht to avoid Blair Stanleigh. As she came to the surface the girl. grasped the rail of the boat, and Quabba drew her in and. headed the boat straight for the beach. On. deck Blair and Luke were fighting viciously,. It was a splendid, smashing scrap, and the sailors thoroughly enjoyed, the spectacle. Like maddened beasts the two men tore at each other, and the snowy deck of the yacht was stained with blood. Against the panelled mahogany of the cabin side the fighters crashed, smashing and splintering glass and woodwork_ And then, in sheer tearing rage, combining all their strength to dash each other to insensibility and death, they 'plunged from the smashed. cabin side at the centre to the stanchion rail. At the heavy impact of the two strong bodies:flung against it the rail bent outward and the stanchions snapped like pipe-stems, and the two. men locked in death grips-, went over the side and. into the water, kicking, thrusting, cursing. In the watbr, the more activetßlair loosened hold and dived under. Coming to the surface, he waited for the giPAY's head to appear; and when Luke rose to the surfate, bubbling and gasping for breath, Blair struck him a smashing blow between the eyes and swam to the companion-way. Halfstunned.. and half-strangled, Luke screamed in inarticulate insanity of rage and hate. Then through his dull mind came a realisation that Blair, as friend of the owner of the yacht and as "a gentleman," would have the aid and assistance of the sailors. Leaving the matter for another day to settle, ,for Luke was of a patine that loved to nurse and cherish his enmity,. the gipsy turned and swam strondly and doggedly to the shore.  Blair,. panting, water: soaked, and dishevelled, leaned over the rope railing of the companion-way and looked after Luke, also with that respect one good fighting man has for another. "Hurt, sir?" a sailor asked. "Only a little scratched," said Blair, noting with some satisfaction that the cold seawater had checked the bleeding of his wounds.  "The. poor fellow must have gone roaring mad," added Blair in explanation. "We had been lost in the woods for some days, and he must have had some whisky and gone clean crazy, for the first thing I 4 knew he sprang upon me, fighting like a mad dog!"  It was this same explanation that Blair made to the sailing master when the latter returned in the launch with the sailors from their shore leave. For the two sailors haft in the forecastle had not seen or known of Esther's boarding the yacht in search of Arthur, or her wild leap from it when faced by Blair and Luke, nor had the sailing master known of her presence aboard the yacht. The sailing master had seen the row-boat with Quabba and Esther headed straight for the beach, but the rowboat was too far away for even keen sailor eyes to note that the girl was wet and weak. "I have heard of sailors getting homicidal d.t.'s," said the sailing master, "but I never knew a landsman to get 'em that quick." The two sailors who had witnessed the Titan combat grinned, for it had been a bout to delight the eye. But just then the sailing master gave a sudden cry. "Look at that fool! What is he doing? Trying to commit suicide?" and the master pointed to the ,beach, where the row-boat, with the tired, unskilled hands of Quabba on the oars, was negotiating the surf.  "Shall we lower a boat?" asked one of the sailors. "There was a woman spilled from the boat with that awkward land lubber !" The sailing master shaded his eyes with his hand and said, "By George, the girl can swim all right She is even helping the land lubber. They're all right. See, the fellow with her is asking someone to save the boat. There is quite a little bunch of people on the beach now." Not only were Esther and Quabba safe ashore, but Luke had gained a deserted part of the beach unobserved, shook the water from him, and strode off.  Luke Lovell had no use for the town. Far away in the Sierras the Lady Veronica mines and other prosperous and busy diggings called him. By train and on foot he made his way, and by another day Santa Barbara was far behind him. But though he went for work, and to get away from his very hate of Blair Stanleigh, he had not deviated one iota from his set, sullen purpose. He had seen the paper that Blair Stanleigh had pursued and persecuted Esther to obtan. Then, too, Luke had beheld The Diamond from the Sky. Luke clenched his hand and looked drown as though he expected to see the great gem he had thrice grasped as his own, only to lose, still burning balefully in his bronzed and brawny grasp. But the Diamond was gone, and he clutched at the empty air and trudged on, resolved that the purpose of his life would be to have it. But he would have no more of Blair Stanleigh; that he was resolved. Away at the Lady Veronica Mine there was excitement. The driver of the trap had been succoured by ranchers. Brought back, he told the " boss " of the attack made upon them. The foreman acted at once. The girl had come to the mines to find John Powell, and twice had been attacked. "The master must know of this," he said to his wife, and he used the long-distance telephone to get into communication with Arthur. oxe)neceneeeece  )(tV.,)I