and kicking while Mallory devoted all of his fast-waning

strength to an effort to close his fingers upon the throat of his

antagonist. But the terrible punishment which the mucker had

inflicted upon him overcame him at last, and as Byrne felt the

man's efforts weakening he partially disengaged himself and

raising himself upon one arm dealt his now almost unconscious

enemy a half-dozen frightful blows upon the face.

With a shriek Barbara Harding turned from the awful sight

as Billy Mallory's bloody and swollen eyes rolled up and set,

while the mucker threw the inert form roughly from him.

Quick to the girl's memory sprang Mallory's recent declaration,

which she had thought at the time but the empty, and

vainglorious boasting of the man in love--"Why I'd die for

you, Barbara, and welcome the chance!"

"Poor boy! How soon, and how terribly has the chance

come!" moaned the girl.

Then a rough hand fell upon her arm.

"Here, youse," a coarse voice yelled in her ear. "Come out

o' de trance," and at the same time she was jerked roughly

toward the companionway.

Instinctively the girl held back, and then the mucker, true to

his training, true to himself, gave her arm a sudden twist that

wrenched a scream of agony from her white lips.

"Den come along," growled Billy Byrne, "an' quit dis

monkey business, or I'll sure twist yer flipper clean off'n yeh."

With an oath, Anthony Harding sprang forward to protect

his daughter; but the butt of Ward's pistol brought him

unconscious to the deck.

"Go easy there, Byrne," shouted Skipper Simms; "there

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