"Give me a revolver," she whispered. "I can use that upon those
your sword does not silence in time."

I did as she bid. Then I turned toward the distasteful work that
lay before me. This was no time for fine compunctions, nor for
a chivalry that these cruel demons would neither appreciate nor
reciprocate.

Stealthily I approached the nearest sleeper. When he awoke he was
well on his journey to the bosom of Korus. His piercing shriek as
consciousness returned to him came faintly up to us from the black
depths beneath.

The second awoke as I touched him, and, though I succeeded in
hurling him from the cruiser's deck, his wild cry of alarm brought
the remaining pirates to their feet. There were five of them.

As they arose the girl's revolver spoke in sharp staccato and one
sank back to the deck again to rise no more.

The others rushed madly upon me with drawn swords. The girl
evidently dared not fire for fear of wounding me, but I saw her
sneak stealthily and cat-like toward the flank of the attackers.
Then they were on me.

For a few minutes I experienced some of the hottest fighting I had
ever passed through. The quarters were too small for foot work.
It was stand your ground and give and take. At first I took
considerably more than I gave, but presently I got beneath one