t seize him disadvantageously; and at last he dropped his shovel
and got them both by the throat, and grasped them so fiercely that their
faces were purple, and their eyes beginning to fix, when to his dismay,
he received a violent blow on the right arm that nearly broke it: he
let go, with a cry of pain, and with his left hand twisted the other man
round so quickly, that he received the next blow of Cole's cudgel. Then
he dashed his left fist into Cole's eye, who staggered, but still barred
the way; so Little rushed upon him, and got him by the throat, and would
soon have settled him: but the others recovered themselves ere he could
squeeze all the wind out of Cole, and it became a struggle of three to
one.

He dragged them all three about with him; he kicked, he hit, he did
every thing that a man with one hand, and a lion's heart, could do.

But gradually they got the better of him; and at last it came to this,
that two were struggling on the ground with him, and Cole standing over
them all three, ready to strike.

"Now, hold him so, while I settle him," cried Cole, and raised his
murderous cudgel.

It came down on Little's shoulder, and only just missed his head.

Again it came down, and with terrible force.

Up to this time he had fought as mute as a fox. But now that it had
come to mere butchery, he cried out, in his agony, "They'll kill me. My
mother! Help! Murder! Help!"

"Ay! thou'lt never forge no more!" roared Cole, and thwack came down the
crushing bludgeon.

"Help! Murder! Help!" screamed the victim, more faintly; and at the next
blow more faintly still.

But again the murderous cudgel was lifted high, to descend upon his
young head.

As the confederates held the now breathless and despairing victim to
receive the blow, and the butcher, with one eye closed by Henry's fist,
but the other gleaming savagely, raised the cudgel to finish him,
Henry saw a huge tongue of flame pour out at them all, from outside the
church, and a report, that sounded like a cannon, was accompanied by the
vicious ping of shot. Cole screamed and yelled, and dropped his cudgel,
and his face was covered with blood in a moment; he yelled, and covered
his face with his hands; and instantly came another flash, another
report, another cruel ping of shot, and this time his hands were covered
with blood.

The others rolled yelling out of the line of fire, and ran up the aisle
for their lives.

Cole, yelling, tried to follow; b