what the manoeuvre should
portend, but gathering its importance from the other's urgency of tone,
promptly obeyed. The oar was struck an instant later and ere it snapped
off it was flung back, braining one of the slaves at the bench and
mortally injuring the others, but passing clean over the heads of Sir
Oliver and Yusuf. A moment later the bodies of the oarsmen of the bench
immediately in front were flung back atop of them with yells and curses.

When Sir Oliver staggered to his feet he found the battle joined. The
Spaniards had fired a volley from their calivers and a dense cloud of
smoke hung above the bulwarks; through this surged now the corsairs, led
by a tall, lean, elderly man with a flowing white beard and a swarthy
eagle face. A crescent of emeralds flashed from his snowy turban; above
it rose the peak of a steel cap, and his body was cased in chain mail.
He swung a great scimitar, before which Spaniards went down like wheat
to the reaper's sickle. He fought like ten men, and to support him
poured a never-ending stream of Muslimeen to the cry of "Din! Din!
Allah, Y'Allah!" Back and yet back went the Spaniards before that
irresistible onslaught.

Sir Oliver found Yusuf struggling in vain to rid himself of his chain,
and went to his assistance. He stooped, seized it in both hands, set his
feet against the bench, exerted all his strength, and tore the staple
from the wood. Yusuf was free, save, of course, that a length of heavy
chain was dangling from his steel anklet. In his turn he did the like
service by Sir Oliver, though not quite as speedily, for strong man
though he was, either his strength was not equal to the Cornishman's
or else the latter's staple had been driven into sounder timber. In the
end, however, it yielded, and Sir Oliver too was free. Then he set the
foot that was hampered by the chain upon the bench, and with the staple
that still hung from the end of it he prised open the link that attached
it to his anklet.

That done he took his revenge. Crying "Din!" as loudly as any of the
Muslimeen boarders, he flung himself upon the rear of the Spaniards
brandishing his chain. In his hands it became a terrific weapon. He used
it as a scourge, lashing it to right and left of him, splitting here a
head and crushing there a face, until he had hacked a way clean through
the Spanish press, which bewildered by this sudden rear attack made but
little attempt to retaliate upon the escaped galley-slave. Af