Hun disregarded the warning.

"I'll have a look into--"

"Hell!" said the slow-of-wrath Jack, and his fist went straight from the
shoulder and smote the Hun on the point of the jaw. It was a terrible
blow, dealt with all the force of a trained athlete, and inspired by
every impulse which a man holds dear; and the half-drunken brute fell
like a stricken ox. Catching the club from the falling man, Jack made a
sudden lunge forward at the face of the nearest foe.

"Now, Jim!" he shouted, as the full fever of battle seized him. His
forward lunge had placed another miner _hors de combat_, and Jarvis
sprang forward and secured the wounded man's bludgeon.

"Back to back, Jack, and mind your guard!"

The odds were eighteen to two against the young men, but they did not
heed them. Back to back they stood, and the heavy clubs were like
feathers in their strong hands. Their skill at "single stick" was of
immense advantage, for it built a wall of defence around them. The
crazy-drunk miners rushed upon them with the fierceness of wild beasts;
they crowded in so close as to interfere with their own freedom of
movement; they sought to overpower the two men by weight of numbers and
by showers of blows. Jack and Jim were kept busy guarding their own
heads, and it was only occasionally that they could give an aggressive
blow. When these opportunities came, they were accepted with fierce
delight, and a miner fell with a broken head at every blow. Two fell in
front of Jack and three went down under Jarvis's club. The battle had
now lasted several minutes, and the strain on the young men was telling
on their wind; they struck as hard and parried as well as at first, but
they were breathing rapidly. The young men cheered each other with
joyous words; they felt no need of aid.

"Beats football hollow!" panted Jarvis.

"Go in, old man! you're a dandy full-back!" came between strokes from
Jack.

Let us leave the boys for a minute and see what the girls are doing.
When Jarvis got out of the carriage, he said:--

"Lars, if there is trouble here, you drive on as soon as you can get
your horses clear. Never mind us; we'll walk home. Get the ladies to
Four Oaks as soon as possible."

When the battle began, the miners left the horses to attack the men.
This gave a clear road, and Lars was ready to drive on, but the girls
were not in the carriage. They had sprung out in the excitement of the
first sound of blows; and now stood watching with