s for the first time showed
any disposition toward brutality.

It was a big fellow who walked at Smith-Oldwick's left. Several
times he took hold of the Englishman's arm and pushed him forward
not ungently, but when the captive lagged again and again the
fellow suddenly, and certainly with no just provocation, flew into
a perfect frenzy of rage. He leaped upon the wounded man, striking
him viciously with his fists and, bearing him to the ground, grasped
his throat in his left hand while with his right he drew his long
sharp saber. Screaming terribly he waved the blade above his head.

The others stopped and turned to look upon the encounter with no
particular show of interest. It was as though one of the party had
paused to readjust a sandal and the others merely waited until he
was ready to march on again.

But if their captors were indifferent, Bertha Kircher was not. The
close-set blazing eyes, the snarling fanged face, and the frightful
screams filled her with horror, while the brutal and wanton attack
upon the wounded man aroused within her the spirit of protection
for the weak that is inherent in all women. Forgetful of everything
other than that a weak and defenseless man was being brutally murdered
before her eyes, the girl cast aside discretion and, rushing to
Smith-Oldwick's assistance, seized the uplifted sword arm of the
shrieking creature upon the prostrate Englishman.

Clinging desperately to the fellow she surged backward with all her
weight and strength with the result that she overbalanced him and
sent him sprawling to the pavement upon his back. In his efforts
to save himself he relaxed his grasp upon the grip of his saber
which had no sooner fallen to the ground than it was seized upon by
the girl. Standing erect beside the prostrate form of the English
officer Bertha Kircher, the razor-edged weapon grasped firmly in
her hand, faced their captors.

She was a brave figure; even her soiled and torn riding togs and
disheveled hair detracted nothing from her appearance. The creature
she had felled scrambled quickly to his feet and in the instant
his whole demeanor changed. From demoniacal rage he became suddenly
convulsed with hysterical laughter although it was a question in
the girl's mind as to which was the more terrifying. His companions
stood looking on with vacuous grins upon their countenances, while
he from whom the girl had wrested the weapon leaped up and down
shrieking with laughte