The two women within the wigwam were on their knees before a little crucifix hanging on the lodge wall.  So much we saw as we broke cover and ran in upon the despoiler.  Then the battle-madness came upon us and I, for one, saw naught but the tense-drawn face of a swordsman fighting for his life—­a face in which the hot flush of evil passion had given place to the ashen graying of fear.

We drove at him together, Dick and I, and so must needs fall afoul of each other clumsily, giving him time to spring back and so to miss the claymore stroke which else would have shorn him to the middle.  Then ensued as pretty a bit of blade work as any master of the old cut-and-thrust school could wish to see; and through it all this king’s captain of horse seemed to bear a charmed life.

There was no punctilio of the code of honor in this duel a outrance.  Knowing our time was short, we fought as men who fight with halters round their necks; not to decide a nice point at issue, but to kill this accursed villain as we would kill a mad dog or a venomous reptile whose living on imperiled the life and honor of the woman we loved.

Thrice, whilst I held him in play, Dick rushed in to end it with a scythe-sweep of the broadsword; and thrice the Scottish death was turned aside by the flashing circle of steel wherewith the man striving shrewdly to gain time made shift to shield himself.

Yet it was not in flesh and blood to fend the double onslaught for more than some brief minute or two.  Play as he would—­and no schlaegermeister, of my old field-marshal’s picked troop could best him at this game of parry and defense—­he must give ground step by step; slowly at the pressing of the Ferara, and in quick backward leaps when the great broadsword bit at him.

For the first few bouts he withstood us in grim silence.  But now Richard cut in again and the claymore stroke, less skilfully turned aside, brought him to his knees.  This broke his bull courage somewhat, and though he was afoot and on guard before my point could reach him, he began to bellow lustily for help.

As you would suppose, the call was all unneeded.  At the first clash of steel the outlying troopers were up and swarming to the rescue; and now on all sides came the trampling rush of the in-closing cordon line.

Had Falconnet held his ground a moment longer he would have had us fast in the jaws of the trooper-trap; but ’tis the fatal flaw in mere brute courage that it will break at the pinch.  No sooner did the volunteer captain catch a glimpse of his up-coming reinforcements than he must needs show us a clean pair of heels, running like a craven coward and shouting madly to his men to close with us and cut us down.

“After him!” roared Dick, who was by now as rage-mad as any berserker; and with a cut and thrust to right and left for the nipping trap-jaws we were out and away in chase.