ritating, and were beginning to tell upon the tempers of
the Highlanders.

"Come to me, ye cowardly little devil," roared Mack to his persisting
assailant. "No one will hurt you! Come away, man! A-a-ah-ouch!" His cry
of satisfaction at having grabbed his man ended in a howl of pain, for
the Frenchman had got Mack's thumb between his teeth, and was chewing it
vigorously.

"Ye would, would you, ye dog?" roared Big Mack. He closed his fingers
into the Frenchman's gullet, and drew him up to strike, but on every
side hands reached for him and stayed his blow. Then he lost himself.
With a yell of rage he jambed his man back into the crowd, sinking his
fingers deeper and deeper into his enemy's throat till his face grew
black and his head fell over on one side. But it was a fatal move
for Mack, and overcome by numbers that crowded upon him, he went down
fighting wildly and bearing the Frenchman beneath him. The Glengarry
line was broken. Black Hugh saw Mack's peril, and knew that it
meant destruction to all. With a wilder cry than usual, "Glengarry!
Glengarry!" he dashed straight into LeNoir, who gave back swiftly,
caught two men who were beating Big Mack's life out, and hurled them
aside, and grasping his friend's collar, hauled him to his feet, and
threw him back against the wall and into the line again with his grip
still upon his Frenchman's throat.

"Let dead men go, Mack," he cried, but even as he spoke LeNoir, seeing
his opportunity, sprang at him and with a backward kick caught Macdonald
fair in the face and lashed him hard against the wall. It was the
terrible French 'lash' and was one of LeNoir's special tricks. Black
Hugh, stunned and dazed, leaned back against the wall, spreading out his
hands weakly before his face. LeNoir, seeing victory within his grasp,
rushed in to finish off his special foe. But Yankee Jim, who, while
engaged in cheerfully knocking back the two Murphys and others who took
their turn at him, had been keeping an eye on the line of battle, saw
Macdonald's danger, and knowing that the crisis had come, dashed across
the line, crying "Follow me, boys." His long arms swung round his head
like the sails of a wind-mill, and men fell back from him as if they had
been made of wood. As LeNoir sprang, Yankee shot fiercely at him, but
the Frenchman, too quick for him, ducked and leaped upon Black Hugh, who
was still swaying against the wall, bore him down and jumped with his
heavy "corked" boots on his