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wall about the window in a frantic effort to enlarge the aperture sufficiently to

permit his huge bulk to pass through into the little room.

The mucker won to the girl's side first, and snatching Oda Yorimoto's long sword

from the floor he threw his great weight against the door, and commanded the girl

to make for the window and escape to the forest as quickly as she could.

"Theriere is waiting dere," he said. "He will see youse de moment yeh reach de

window, and den youse will be safe."

"But you!" cried the girl. "What of you?"

"Never yeh mind me," commanded Billy Byrne. "Youse jes' do as I tells yeh, see?

Now, beat it," and he gave her a rough shove toward the window.

And then, between the combined efforts of the samurai upon one side and Billy

Byrne of Kelly's gang upon the other the frail door burst from its rotten hinges

and fell to one side.

The first of the samurai into the little room was cleft from crown to breast bone

with the keen edge of the sword of the Lord of Yoka wielded by the mighty arm of

the mucker. The second took the count with a left hook to the jaw, and then all

that could crowd through the little door swarmed upon the husky bruiser from

Grand Avenue.

Barbara Harding took one look at the carnage behind her and then sprang to the

window. At a short distance she saw the jungle and at its edge what she was sure

was the figure of a man crouching in the long grass.

"Mr. Theriere!" she cried. "Quick! They are killing Byrne," and then she turned

back into the room, and with the short sword which she still grasped in her hand

sprang to the side of the mucker who was offering his life to save her.

Byrne cast a horrified glance at the figure fighting by his side.

"Fer de love o' Mike! Beat it!" he cried. "Duck! Git out o' here!"

But the girl only smiled up bravely into his face and kept her place beside him.

The mucker tried to push her behind him with one hand while he fought with the

other, but she drew away from him to come up again a little farther from him.

The samurai were pushing them closely now. Three men at a time were reaching

for the mucker with their long swords. He was bleeding from numerous wounds,

but at his feet lay two dead warriors, while a third crawled away with a mortal

wound in his abdomen.

The Mucker