sh my way into the room, sword in hand--
in truth, more rapidly than I can narrate it--Tim, my brave, impulsive
brother, had sent one of the rascals to his last account, and had
stepped to the wall, with his back there, holding the others at sword's
point.

Martin--that malign spirit, fated to thwart and injure me at all
points--more cunning than his comrades, had stepped back behind the
other two while Tim was engaged with them, poised a long knife above his
head, and at the moment when Tim was lunging at the nearest of his
assailants, I saw the brute, as in a nightmare, strike with all his
might. The cowardly blow struck Tim full on the forehead, and brought
him down with a crash on the floor. I had sprung at Martin's raised
arm, but, alas! had just missed him by a flash of time.

"Take _that_ for many an old score!" I shouted, as I brought him down
on the instant with a cut which laid him bleeding and prostrate at my
feet.

Then stepping across Tim's senseless body, I let out at the other two.

My sudden appearance--for I seemed to have dropped from the clouds--
amazed and paralysed them. They were too terror-stricken to show much
fight; and it was as well for them, for I was in a killing mood, and
could have sent them to their last reckoning with a relish had they
invited me. As it was, with white faces they backed to the door, and
presently howled for mercy.

"It's Barry himsilf!" exclaimed Finn. "Be aisy now Barry darlint, and
don't harm a defenceless man." And he dropped his weapon on the floor.

The other man laid down his knife and tried to edge through the door;
but I stopped him.

"Now you are here," said I, "you shall stay here till I please. Help me
to lift Tim; and the first of you that stirs for anything else is a dead
man."

We lifted Tim tenderly--I could see, now that the heat of passion was
cooled, that the men really respected him and deplored the upshot of the
unexpected encounter--and we laid him gently on the table. My heart
almost stopped beating as I noted the ghastly pallor of his face and saw
the blood running over his temple. He opened his eyes in a dazed way
for a moment; but if he saw me he did not know me. I bandaged his wound
as best I could, and soaking my kerchief in a pool of rain-water, which
had oozed through and on to the window-ledge, moistened his parched
lips.

"Now," said I, sternly enough, stooping over Martin, on whom--with
hardly a ray of pity for him i