eble resistance,
either by thrusting or parrying.

Their knife-blades came frequently in collision; and for a few passes
neither appeared to give or receive a wound. This innocuous sparring,
however, was of short continuance and ended by the Irishman making a
dexterous stroke, by which his blade was planted in the hand of his
antagonist,--transfixing the very fingers which were grasping the knife!

The weapon fell from his relaxed clutch; and passing through the
interstices of the timber, sank to the bottom of the sea! A scream of
despair escaped from the lips of the Frenchman, as he saw the blade of
his antagonist about to be thrust into his body!

The thrust was threatened, but not made. Before it could be given, a
hand interfered to prevent it. One of the spectators had seized the
uplifted arm of the Irishman,--at the same time vociferating, in a
stentorian voice--

"Don't kill him! we won't need to eat him! Look yonder! We're saved!
we're saved!"

CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR.

A LIGHT!

The man who had so unexpectedly interrupted the deadly duello, while
giving utterance to his strange speech, kept one of his arms extended
towards the ocean,--as if pointing to something he had descried above
the horizon.

The eyes of all were suddenly turned in the direction thus indicated.
The magic words, "We are saved!" had an immediate effect,--not only upon
the spectators of the tragedy thus intruded upon, but upon its actors.
Even rancour became appeased by the sweet sound; and that of the
Irishman, as with most of his countrymen, being born "as the flint bears
fire," subsided on the instant.

He permitted his upraised arm to be held in restraint; it became
relaxed, as did also his grasp on the wrist of his antagonist; while the
latter, finding himself free, was allowed to retire from the contest.

O'Gorman, among the rest, had faced round; and stood looking in the
direction where somebody had seen something that promised salvation of
all.

"What is it?" inquired several voices in the same breath,--"the land?"

No: it could not be that. There was not one of them such a nautical
ignoramus as to believe himself within sigh of land.

"A sail?--a ship?"

That was more likely: though, at the first glance, neither tail nor ship
appeared upon the horizon, "What is it?" was the interrogatory
reiterated by a dozen voices.

"A light! Don't you see it?" asked the lynx-eyed individual, whose
interference in the c