s
of the popish rebels.'

'And if I do this I am to expect a mitigation of my punishment--is it
not so?'

Oliver bowed.

'And what IS this mitigation to be? On the honour of a soldier, what is
it to be?' inquired I.

'When you have made the disclosure required,' he replied, 'you shall
hear. 'Tis then time to talk of indulgences.'

'Methinks it would then be too late,' answered I. 'But a chance is a
chance, and a drowning man will catch at a straw. You are an honourable
man, Captain Oliver. I must depend, I suppose, on your good faith. Well,
sir, before I make the desired communication I have one question more
to put. What is to befall me in case that I, remembering the honour of
a soldier and a gentleman, reject your infamous terms, scorn your
mitigations, and defy your utmost power?'

'In that case,' replied he, coolly, 'before half an hour you shall be a
corpse.'

'Then God have mercy on your soul!' said I; and springing forward, I
dashed the weapon which I held at his throat.

I missed my aim, but struck him full in the mouth with such force that
most of his front teeth were dislodged, and the point of the spear-head
passed out under his jaw, at the ear.

My onset was so sudden and unexpected that he reeled back to the wall,
and did not recover his equilibrium in time to prevent my dealing a
second blow, which I did with my whole force. The point unfortunately
struck the cuirass, near the neck, and glancing aside it inflicted but a
flesh wound, tearing the skin and tendons along the throat.

He now grappled with me, strange to say, without uttering any cry of
alarm; being a very powerful man, and if anything rather heavier and
more strongly built than I, he succeeded in drawing me with him to the
ground. We fell together with a heavy crash, tugging and straining in
what we were both conscious was a mortal struggle. At length I succeeded
in getting over him, and struck him twice more in the face; still he
struggled with an energy which nothing but the tremendous stake at issue
could have sustained.

I succeeded again in inflicting several more wounds upon him, any one
of which might have been mortal. While thus contending he clutched his
hands about my throat, so firmly that I felt the blood swelling the
veins of my temples and face almost to bursting. Again and again I
struck the weapon deep into his face and throat, but life seemed to
adhere in him with an almost INSECT tenacity.

My sight now nearl