for a
scarecrow."

"You rebel of a slave!"

"You barber's apprentice made into a general!"

Every taunt was accompanied with a fresh thrust.

"You shameless kidnapper!" shouted the pasha. "You carry off Turkish
girls, do you? I will carry off your wife and make her the lowest
slave of my harem."

Everything swam before Banfy's eyes; he had received three wounds that
took from him all humanity.

"Cursed devil!" he roared, and gnashing his teeth, grasped his
tschakany in the middle, bounded nearer to Ali and whirled his weapon
with lightning swiftness about his head so that it flew about in his
hand like the arms of a windmill, now driving at the opposing shield
with the handle and now with the ball-like end of the weapon, serving
alike for attack and defence. Ali Pasha, overwhelmed by this unwonted
mode of attack tried to withdraw, but the two war-horses shared their
masters' struggle by biting each other in the neck and chest and could
not be separated. The spahis, who saw their master reel, threw
themselves between the two and drove off the hussars surrounding
Banfy. When he saw that all his men were fleeing toward the church he
quickly let fall one last blow on Ali's shield, which struck through,
and as he surmised from Ali's roar, just at the point where the shield
fits on the arm. Banfy had no time for a second blow for he was
surrounded on all sides. Just then there was heard in the rear of the
combatants a familiar braying of trumpets, and a fresh war cry
sounding from all sides mingled with the confusion.

"God! Michael Angyal!" George Veer had arrived with his troops.

"God! Michael Angyal!" shouted the leader, towering above the rest in
his coat of mail with a bearskin thrown over one shoulder; with a
notched club he forced his way through the midst of the surprised
Turks.

The attack was skilfully made. The knights crowded forward from all
sides and threw the army of the Turks into confusion at every point at
once so that no division could bring help to another, and the outer
ranks were constantly trampled down by this superior foe.

Ali Pasha had received a bad wound on his arm from Banfy's last
thrust, that took away his courage; he put spurs to his horse and gave
the signal for retreat. The army of the Turks was driven headlong out
of the town. The leaders strove to bring the troops to the mountains
of Gyerto, where they thought they could gather their forces again in
the passes.

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