As he spoke thus blasphemously, I set my gun against his breast; and by the light buckled from his belt, I saw the little “sight” of brass gleaming alike upon either side, and the sleek round barrel glimmering.  The aim was sure as death itself.  If I only drew the trigger (which went very lightly) Carver Doone would breathe no more.  And yet—­will you believe me?—­I could not pull the trigger.  Would to God that I had done so!

For I never had taken human life, neither done bodily harm to man; beyond the little bruises, and the trifling aches and pains, which follow a good and honest bout in the wrestling ring.  Therefore I dropped my carbine, and grasped again my club, which seemed a more straight-forward implement.

Presently two young men came towards me, bearing brands of resined hemp, kindled from Carver’s lamp.  The foremost of them set his torch to the rick within a yard of me, and smoke concealing me from him.  I struck him with a back-handed blow on the elbow, as he bent it; and I heard the bone of his arm break, as clearly as ever I heard a twig snap.  With a roar of pain he fell on the ground, and his torch dropped there, and singed him.  The other man stood amazed at this, not having yet gained sight of me; till I caught his firebrand from his hand, and struck it into his countenance.  With that he leaped at me; but I caught him, in a manner learned from early wrestling, and snapped his collar-bone, as I laid him upon the top of his comrade.

This little success so encouraged me, that I was half inclined to advance, and challenge Carver Doone to meet me; but I bore in mind that he would be apt to shoot me without ceremony; and what is the utmost of human strength against the power of powder?  Moreover, I remembered my promise to sweet Lorna; and who would be left to defend her, if the rogues got rid of me?

While I was hesitating thus (for I always continue to hesitate, except in actual conflict), a blaze of fire lit up the house, and brown smoke hung around it.  Six of our men had let go at the Doones, by Jeremy Stickles’ order, as the villains came swaggering down in the moonlight ready for rape or murder.  Two of them fell, and the rest hung back, to think at their leisure what this was.  They were not used to this sort of thing:  it was neither just nor courteous.

Being unable any longer to contain myself, as I thought of Lorna’s excitement at all this noise of firing, I came across the yard, expecting whether they would shoot at me.  However, no one shot at me; and I went up to Carver Doone, whom I knew by his size in the moonlight, and I took him by the beard, and said, “Do you call yourself a man?”

[Illustration:  437.jpg I took him by the beard]

For a moment he was so astonished that he could not answer.  None had ever dared, I suppose, to look at him in that way; and he saw that he had met his equal, or perhaps his master.  And then he tried a pistol at me, but I was too quick for him.