Up went the great bull whip, and without abating his speed a particle the man leaped into the midst of the wicked blades that menaced him.Right and left with the quickness of thought the heavy lash fell upon heads, shoulders and sword arms.There was no chance to wield a blade in the face of that terrific onslaught, for the whip fell, not with the ordinary force of a man-held lash, but with all the stupendous power of those giant shoulders and arms behind it.
A single blow felled the foremost head hunter, breaking his shoulder and biting into the flesh and bone as a heavy sword bites.Again and again the merciless leather fell, while in the boats below Muda Saffir and his men shouted loud cries of encouragement to their companions on the ship, and a wide-eyed girl in the stern of Muda Saffir's own prahu looked on in terror, hope and admiration at the man of her own race whom she felt was battling against all these odds for her alone.
Virginia Maxon recognized her champion instantly as he who had fought for her and saved her once before, from the hideous creature of her father's experiments.
With hands tight pressed against her bosom the girl leaned forward, tense with excitement, watching every move of the lithe, giant figure, as, silhouetted against the brazen tropic sky, it towered above the dancing, shrieking head hunters who writhed beneath the awful lash.
Muda Saffir saw that the battle was going against his men, and it filled him with anger.Turning to one of his headmen he ordered two more boatloads of warriors to the Ithaca's deck.
As they were rushing to obey their leader's command there was a respite in the fighting on the ship, for the three who had not fallen beneath the bull whip had leaped overboard to escape the fate which had overtaken their comrades.
As the reinforcements started to scale the vessel's side Number Thirteen's searching eyes found the girl in Muda Saffir's prahu, where it lay a little off from the Ithaca, and as the first of the enemy clambered over the rail she saw a smile of encouragement light the clear cut features of the man above her.Virginia Maxon sent back an answering smile--a smile that filled the young giant's heart with pride and happiness--such a smile as brave men have been content to fight and die for since woman first learned the art of smiling.
Number Thirteen could have beaten back many of the reinforcing party before they reached the deck, but he did not care to do so.In the spontaneous ethics of the man there seemed no place for an unfair advantage over an enemy, and added to this was his newly acquired love of battle, so he was content to wait until his foes stood on an even footing with him before he engaged them.
But they never came within reach of his ready lash.
Instead, as they came above the ship's side they paused, wide-eyed and terror stricken, and with cries of fear and consternation dropped precipitately back into the sea, shouting warnings to those who were about to scale the hull.
Muda Saffir arose in his prahu cursing and reviling the frightened Dyaks.He did not know the cause of their alarm, but presently he saw it behind the giant upon the Ithaca's deck--eleven horrible monstrosities lumbering forward, snarling and growling, to their leader's side.
At the sight his own dark countenance went ashen, and with trembling lips he ordered his oarsmen to pull for the open sea.The girl, too, saw the frightful creatures that surrounded the man upon the deck.
She thought that they were about to attack him, and gave a little cry of warning, but in another instant she realized that they were his companions, for with him they rushed to the side of the ship to stand for a moment looking down upon the struggling Dyaks in the water below.
Two prahus lay directly beneath them, and into these the head hunters were scrambling.The balance of the flotilla was now making rapid headway under oars and sail toward the mouth of the harbor, and as Number Thirteen saw that the girl was being borne away from him, he shouted a command to his misshapen crew, and without waiting to see if they would follow him leaped into the nearer of the two boats beneath.
It was already half filled with Dyaks, some of whom were hastily manning the oars.Others of the head hunters were scrambling over the gunwale.In an instant pandemonium reigned in the little vessel.
