ply over on the other
side. This caused an incontinent rush of bodies across the corridor
again, and for a moment all thought of renewing the conflict was
abandoned. I recognised Prince Frederic as the man by me, and I
whispered loudly in his ears, so that my voice carried through the
clamour and the noises of the wind that roared outside round the
state-rooms.

"Better make our last stand here. I mean the ladies...." He nodded.

"It will be better," he answered harshly. "Yes ... better."

He turned about, with his hand on the door-knob behind him, and now I
saw that we had reached the entrance to the _boudoir_.

"Alix! ... Yvonne!" he called loudly through the keyhole. "You know
what to do, beloved. Farewell!"

I had refilled my revolver in the pause and, with a fast-beating heart,
turned now to that horrid cockpit once more. The first person my eyes
lighted on was Holgate, broad, clean-faced, and grinning like a demon.

"He shall die, at any rate," said Prince Frederic, and lifted his
revolver which he had reloaded. It missed fire; the second shot grazed
Holgate's arm and felled a man behind him.

"No luck, Prince," said the fellow in his mocking voice, and in his
turn raised a weapon of his own. But he did not fire. Instead, he
turned swiftly round and made a dash towards the other end of the
corridor.

"To me, men; this way! By heaven and thunder!"

His voice, fat as it was, pierced the din, and acted as a rallying cry.
Several of the mutineers, now confronting us again, turned and followed
him, and there was the noise of a struggle issuing from the darkness of
the top end of the corridor.

"What the deuce is this?" screamed Barraclough in my ear.

"I don't know. Let's fall on. There's an alarm. They're----! Now, by
the Lord, it's Legrand, thank God! Legrand, Legrand!"

"Bully for Legrand!" cried Barraclough, wiping some blood from his
face, and he set upon the mutineers from the rear. Those left to face
us had scarcely recovered from their astonishment at the alarm when the
Prince shot two, and a third went down to me. The others retreated
towards their companions, and the three of us followed them up. I say
the three, for I could not see Lane anywhere, and I feared that he had
fallen.

The conflict thus renewed upon more equal terms found, nevertheless,
most of the participants worn and exhausted. At least I can answer for
myself, and I am sure that my companions were in a like case. The
twilight