u will have me kill you!" he exclaimed, and began
advancing down the boat towards me.

But as he stepped over the middle seat it chanced that he struck his
foot against one of the oars which lay along the boat's bottom; and
the rattling of this oar put a new thought into my mind.

It so happened that I had been used to play with the quarterstaff at
home, and old Sugden, the rat-catcher, who was esteemed the greatest
proficient in this sort of exercise in our part of the country, had
had many a bout with me, in which, before I ran away, he had been
forced to confess that I was very well able to cope with him. Now,
therefore, in my extremity, seeing death so near at hand--for up to
this moment I had hardly believed that my cousin would kill me--I made
shift to snatch at an oar, and drawing it to me just in time put
myself in a posture of defence before he could strike me.

He drew back, greatly astounded, and swore beneath his breath.

"What fool's game is this, boy? Would you break honour with me? We
were agreed to fight with cutlasses."

"And now that my cutlass is broke foully you would take and murder
me!" I retorted, and being now incensed at his bloodthirstiness, after
I had once spared his life, I cursed him in the face for a coward.

This was more than he could bear. He leaped across the seat, with his
head stooped, to come inside the sweep of my weapon, but this was a
trick I had had experience of, and though I found my oar very heavy
and cumbrous I yet managed to repulse him with a crack on the head.
And immediately he raised his cutlass to strike back I caught him a
very smart blow on the knuckles, and sent his weapon flying over the
side of the boat into the water, where it instantly sank.

By this time I think we were both too furious to be willing to end the
combat without one or the other's death. Rupert, as soon as he knew
what had happened, fairly sprang upon me, and clutched my throat,
bearing me down with him into the boat. Here he knelt above me,
squeezing my windpipe, and emitting horrid snarls like a wild beast.
My senses began to forsake me, and I was as good as lost, when, by the
direct mercy of Providence, my right hand encountered the blade of my
own cutlass, lying close beside us, which I instantly snatched at,
and plunged as hard as I could thrust into Rupert's side. And with
that, feeling his fingers relax themselves as he tottered sideways
from off me, I raised myself half up, lifted h