away!"

Venner's eyes glittered at the prospect; but he could not see the faces
of his friends; he could only hear Pearse's low tones beside him, and
the mumbled words indicated no great agreement in the scheme. Uncertain,
his mind confused between desire to escape and desire to see more of
Dolores and her hidden cave of wonders, Rupert Venner hesitated in his
decision; and in the next moment it was out of his power to decide. For
Rufe, in desperation now, met the boarders at the rail, backed by his
half-dozen crazed adherents, and murderous steel glittered dully against
the inky sky.

"Beat down his cringing curs, but leave me Rufe!" cried Dolores,
opposing her own dagger to the sweep of the pirate's cutlas. And as the
schooner's crew roared at Hanglip's heels, storming over to the pitching
sloop's decks to pursue mercilessly the panic-stricken runaways, the
girl pitted agility and splendid knife-craft against the terror-driven
strength and wolfish fury of the trapped traitor.

"Hah! Thy black heart fails thee!" taunted Dolores, leaping down from
the rail to the schooner's streaming deck and thus avoiding a whistling
stroke of Rufe's cutlas. The pirate fell forward with the impetus of his
blow, and stumbled in a heap at the girl's nimble feet. "Up, man!" she
cried, leaping back to permit him to rise. "What, art afraid of a woman?
Here, then, I prick thee! Now wilt fight?" She darted her dagger swiftly
downward, and the partially healed cross on Rufe's cheek blazed red
again.

"Woman or devil, I'll see thy heart for that!" swore the pirate, and
rose with a bound and hurled himself at the girl. She stepped aside
agilely and laughed mockingly at him, while as he again stumbled with
the swing of his avoided blow she darted close, and her knife ripped his
sword-arm from wrist to elbow.

Mouthing crazily with fury, Rufe leaped backward until his shoulders
struck the rigging, and, seizing his cutlas in his left hand, he poised
it by the blade for a deadly javelin cast.

Now upon the scene flared a great blaze, and Stumpy's scowling face
appeared at the back of it. He, with readier wit than his fellows, had
sought out a tar-pot and lamp; and at the moment his mistress stood
defenseless before the impeding steel, the club-footed pirate poured
lamp-oil into the tar, and cast the flaring wick on top of all.

A circle of light spread from wheel to foremast, with Yellow Rufe at the
main rigging in the center of it. The lig