Fast eBooks

Yet he faced his
foemen with dauntless courage, dashing in, springing back,
sure-footed, steady-handed, with a point which seemed to menace
three at once. Beaten back on to the deck of his own vessel, and
closely followed by a dozen Englishmen, he disengaged himself
from them, ran swiftly down the deck, sprang back into the cog
once more, cut the rope which held the anchor, and was back in an
instant among his crossbow-men. At the same time the Genoese
sailors thrust with their oars against the side of the cog, and a
rapidly widening rift appeared between the two vessels.
"By St. George!" cried Ford, "we are cut off from Sir Nigel."
"He is lost," gasped Terlake. "Come, let us spring for it." The
two youths jumped with all their strength to reach the departing
galley. Ford's feet reached the edge of the bulwarks, and his
hand clutching a rope he swung himself on board. Terlake fell
short, crashed in among the oars, and bounded off into the sea.
Alleyne, staggering to the side, was about to hurl himself after
him, but Hordle John dragged him back by the girdle.


Pages:
310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334