ut your gloom and evil tempers
and one who could laugh betimes."

"Sir Rupert?" quoth I.

"He was very gay and merry-hearted!" says she.

"Yet suffered you to be beguiled and cast adrift to your great peril!"

"But stayed to do his share of the fighting, Martin."

"Ha!" says I scowling, "'Tis great pity we may not change places, he
and I!"

"Would you change places with him--willingly, Martin?"

"Aye--I would so!" At this she whipped her hand from my arm and turned
to frown up at me whiles I scowled sullenly on her.

"Why then, Master Conisby," says she, "I would you were anywhere but
here. And know this--when you scowl so, all sullen-eyed, I know you
for the very image of Black Bartlemy!"

Now as she spake thus, we were standing almost in the very shadow of
that tall pimento tree beneath which Bartlemy had laughed and died, and
now from this gloomy shadow came something that whirred by my ear and
was gone. But in that moment I had swept my companion behind a rock
and with sword advanced leapt straight for the tree; and there, in the
half-light, came on a fantastic shape and closed with it in deadly
grapple. My rusty sword had snapped short at the first onset, yet
twice I smote with the broken blade, while arm locked with arm we
writhed and twisted. To and fro we staggered and so out into the
moonlight, and I saw my opponent for an Indian. His long hair was
bound by a fillet that bore a feather, a feather cloak was about him,
this much I saw as we strove together. Twice he broke my hold and
twice I grappled him, and ever we strove more fiercely, he with his
knife and I with my broken sword, and once I felt the searing pain of a
wound. And now as we swayed, locked together thus, I saw, over his
bowed shoulder, my lady where she crouched against a rock to watch us,
and knowing myself hurt and my opponent very mighty and strong, great
fear seized me.

"Run, Joan!" cried I, gasping, "O Damaris--run back!"

"Never, Martin--never without you. If you must die--I come with you!"

Mightily heartened by her voice I strove desperately to secure the hold
I sought, but my antagonist was supple as any eel, moreover his skin
was greased after the manner of Indian warriors, but in our struggling
we had come nigh to the rock where crouched my lady and, biding my
time, I let go my broken sword, and seizing him by a sort of collar he
wore, I whirled him backward against the rock, saw his knife fly from
his hold at