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"Od rot your bones!" snarled the one-eyed man and spat towardsan ar; but while I laughed at the fellow's contortions, the pluht and, as I stepped frolass Followed a long, tense h the storm yet roared beyond the shattered casement, within was a co for souideht hand, drew forth the broad-bladed sailor's knife I carried, and so waitedof the wind Then a floorboard creaked faintly toshort, I whirled my staff, felt it strike ho feet

"Fight, rogues!" cried I "Here'smy back to the wall I waited for their rush Instead I heard a hoarse whispering, lost all at once in a woman's shrill scream out beyond the casement, and thereafter a loud voice that hailed: "House ho! House ahoy! Light ho! Show a gli sea-oaths, drowned in a scream, louder, wilder than before Then, while this distressful cry yet thrilled upon the air, pandemonium broke loose about me, shouts, cries and a rush and trample of feet; the table went over with a crash and the darkness about me rained blows But as they struck randooodly play with ered, tripped and, falling headlong, found rass outside the shatteredFor a moment I lay half-dazed and found in the wind and rain vasty colooht ling--aI had lost rasped my knife, and with this held point upwards and uided by these sounds My fingers ca, soft tresses, and I re at the silky feel of them; from these rasped her close, then, drawing back my hand, I smote with my knife well beneath this arrunted and, loosing the maid, leapt full at , and I, crouched above hile to his knees, kicked him back into the mud and thereafter leapt on hihe stirred noI had done his business Yet as I went I felt ht the naked wretches who had been my fellow-slaves, I had killed no man as yet