with his
skean and returned it, but Brian warded with his left arm and swept down
his blade. The Dark Master flung himself back, but not far enough, and
Brian saw the point rip open the pallid cheek. Even as he pressed his
advantage, however, another surge of men separated them.

Now Brian gave over every thought save that of reaching his enemy again,
and fell on the O'Donnells with stark madness in his face. A pistol
roared into his stubbly beard and the ball carried off his steel cap,
but he cut down the man and pressed into the midst of the pirates,
cutting and thrusting in terrible rage.

At sight of him men bore back; the icy flame in his eyes took the heart
from those who faced him, and behind rose Cathbarr's wild bellows as the
giant hewed through after Brian. Back went the pirates, and farther
back. Brian found that he had cut his way to Lame Art, and with a yell
the forces joined and swept on the Dark Master's men.

O'Donnell had vanished, and now his men were swept back to the bulwarks
and over to their own deck. Here they made a brief stand; then Cathbarr
leaped over into the midst and his ax crushed down two men at once;
Brian followed him, and for an instant it seemed that they would sweep
all before them.

Just then, however, Lame Art toppled from the bulwarks with a bullet
through him from above, and the Dark Master's disappearance was
explained by a rain of grenades that whirled among the O'Malleys. They
gave back in dismay, Brian and Cathbarr were forced after them, and the
Dark Master himself led his men in a mad stream over the bulwarks once
more.

There was no stopping them now. The death of Art Bocagh had disheartened
his men, and amid flashing steel and spurting fire Brian and Cathbarr
retreated to the quarterdeck. Here they had a brief breathing space
until the pirates came at them anew, and with such fury that three of
them gained a footing to one side. Brian went at them with a shout,
thrust one man through the body, sent a second back with his bare fist,
and as the third man struck down at him a pikeman transfixed the man
before the blow could fall.

The boarders drew back, but as they did so a great heave of the grinding
ships broke the hastily flung grapplings. The ships were borne apart,
and the Dark Master with most of his men remained in the waist of the
O'Malley ship.

This gave a new turn to the conflict. O'Donnell had to master the ship
to win free, and when Brian saw this he