of Stygians swinging his cutlass above
his head. It was a Damascus blade, a famous weapon in the Brownie
history and traditions, which went by the name of "Straight." The
commander of the Emma, Captain Ask, advanced side by side with the
Commodore. His voice was heard above the clamor of battle and discord of
Pixie drums echoing the call "Rescue!" as he poised aloft his
battle-axe, the "Bigbelief" as his sailors used to call it. Rodney's
sword and the battle-axe of Ask cut great gaps in the Stygian ranks. The
Natties followed close upon their leaders, and soon the Pixies were
driven back again to the sides of the ship.

There they made a stand. In the drift and swirl of the conflict it
happened that the leaders of the contending crews were brought face to
face. Admiral Quench had steadily fought his way toward Captain Ask; Ask
had as eagerly pressed toward the spot where Quench was fighting. They
met at last. Quench flung upon the Captain's face and arms a cloud of
network. The delicate threads, striking like a lasso against Ask's
upraised arm, enveloped it, and the enswathed member sank helpless at
his side.[AO] His eyes were filled with the silken filaments, so that he
was well-nigh blinded. A mocking laugh broke from Quench's lips as he
leaped forward upon his foe with out-reached fangs.

It would have gone hard with Captain Ask had not the mate of his ship,
whose name was Angel, been close behind him. He had followed and guarded
his beloved commander throughout the entire battle. Quickly the mate cut
the network that bound Ask's arm, tore the filaments from his eyes and
dashed his own cutlass into Quench's face. The Pixie paused a moment,
staggered by the blow. In that moment Ask recovered himself, raised his
axe and struck the Admiral. His aim was somewhat turned aside by the web
filaments, still clinging to his arm. The blade of Bigbelief missed the
Pixie's head and sank into his shoulder. The force of the blow carried
both combatants to the deck. Ask rose to his feet, seized Quench in his
arms, lifted him up, put forth all his strength and threw him into the
lake.

Meanwhile Rodney had come upon Drown, the master of the Goodtime. The
fight between the two was short and decided. Drown was pinned to the
mast head by the Commodore's sword; Rodney's left arm was severely
wounded, and his face badly torn. Before he could withdraw his sword a
score of Stygians led by Deceit, the master of the Styx, set upon him.
Na