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The girl, clinging to the rail, riveted by the paralysis of fright, saw her chaer back and half crumple to the deck Then she saw hiony, he lurched forward in an endeavor to clinch with the brute before hiain the mucker struck his victim--quick choppy hooks that rocked Mallory's head froain the brutal blow below the belt; but with the tenacity of a bulldog the ht for a hold upon his foe, and at last, notwithstanding Byrne's best efforts, he succeeded in closing with thehim to the deck
Here the twowhile 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 overca he partially disengaged hi himself upon one arhtful blows upon the face
With a shriek Barbara Harding turned froht as Billy Mallory's bloody and swollen eyes rolled up and set, while the irl'sMallory's recent declaration, which she had thought at the ti 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 coh hand fell upon her arm
"Here, youse," a coarse voice yelled in her ear "Cohly toward the coirl held back, and then the ave her arony frorowled 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 ain't no call to injure the hussy--a corpse won't be worth nothing to us"
In irl now permitted herself to be led to the deck below Quickly she was lowered into a waiting boat Then Skipper Simms ordered Ward to search the yacht and ree hiuard of half a dozen of the Halfmoon's cutthroats