That very naturally ended our contest, and it was near to ending our

war-like neighbor as well. During this warfare, which was short or

long, I knew not, my associates, stunned and perhaps fearful, had sat

silent; at least, I neither heard nor saw them. But now, all at once,

over my shoulder I saw both Lafitte and L'Olonnois running in to my

assistance. Each held in hand a bared blade of the samurai, and had I

not shouted out to them to refrain, I have small doubt that in the

most piratical and unsamuraic fashion they mayhap would have

disemboweled my captive; for the old swords were keen as razors, and

my friends were as red of eyesight as myself.

"No! No!" I called to them, even as our victim writhed and roared in

terror. "Drop your weapons--that isn't fair." They obeyed,

shamefacedly and with regret, as I am convinced: for illusion with

them, at times, indeed overleaped the centuries, and they were back in

a time of blood: even as I was in a stone-age wrath for my own part.

"Come here, Jack," I ordered, "and you, too, Jimmy. Do you see how I

have him?"

They agreed. "It's a peach," said Lafitte. "Make him holler!"

"No," I replied, easing off the strain on the wrenched arm, "he has

already 'hollered.'"

"Yes, sure, 'nuff, 'nuff!----ye!" cried our captive, who, now, was in

mortal terror and much contrition, seeing both flesh and blood and

cold steel had all the best of him. "Lemme go!"

"Certainly," I assented; "we did not ask you to come, and do not want

you to stay. But, first, I must use you in a few demonstrations to my

young friends. Jack,"--and I motioned to him with my head--"get behind

him."

Eagerly, his three-cornered gray eyes narrowed, Lafitte skipped back

of my man, and with no word from me he fastened on the other wrist so

suddenly the man had no warning, and with a strong heave of all his

body he doubled that arm up also. Much roaring now, and many

protestations, for when our prisoner began with abuse, we could change

it into supplication by raising his bent arms no more than one inch or

two.

"Now, Jimmy," said I, "go in front of him, and put a thumb in the

corner of his jaw, on each side. Press up until he begs our pardon."

And, faith, my blue-eyed pirate, so far from shuddering at the task,

at last managed to find those certain nerve centers known to all

efficient policemen; and very promptly, the man made signs he would

like to beg the boy's pardon and did so.

"Now, give me that arm, Jack," I resumed calmly, since our subject had

no more fight left in him than a sack of meal. "So. Now go around and

put your thumbs in his eyes--no, not really in his eyes, but in the

middle of the bone above his eyes. So. Now, ask this boy's pardon, or

I'll twist your arms off." And he asked it.




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