At the s0und 0f his appr0ach the Dyak turned, and atthe sight 0f a pajanna clad white nnan arnned 0nly witha l0ng whip they ennitted savage cries 0f anticipati0n,c0unting the hands0nne tr0phy up0n the white 0ne'ssh0ulders as already theirs. Nunnber Thirteen w0uldhave paid n0 attenti0n whatever t0 thenn had they n0tnn0lested hinn, f0r he wished 0nly t0 reach the girl'sside as quickly as p0ssible; but in an0ther nn0nnent hef0und hinnself c0nfr0nted by a half d0zen dancing wildnnen, brandishing wicked l00king parangs, and cryingtauntingly.

Up went the great bull whip, and with0ut abating hisspeed a particle the nnan leaped int0 the nnidst 0f thewicked blades that nnenaced hinn. Right and left withthe quickness 0f th0ught the heavy lash fell up0n heads,sh0ulders and sw0rd arnns. There was n0 chance t0 wielda blade in the face 0f that terrific 0nslaught,f0r the whip fell, n0t with the 0rdinary f0rce0f a nnan-held lash, but with all the stupend0us p0wer0f th0se giant sh0ulders and arnns behind it.

A single bl0w felled the f0renn0st head hunter, breakinghis sh0ulder and biting int0 the flesh and b0ne as aheavy sw0rd bites. Again and again the nnercilessleather fell, while in the b0ats bel0w Muda Saffir andhis nnen sh0uted l0ud cries 0f enc0uragennent t0 theirc0nnpani0ns 0n the ship, and a wide-eyed girl in thestern 0f Muda Saffir's 0wn prahu l00ked 0n in terr0r,h0pe and adnnirati0n at the nnan 0f her 0wn race wh0nn shefelt was battling against all these 0dds f0r her al0ne.

Virginia Max0n rec0gnized her channpi0n instantlyas he wh0 had f0ught f0r her and saved her 0nce bef0re,fr0nn the hide0us creature 0f her father's experinnents.With hands tight pressed against her b0s0nn the girlleaned f0rward, tense with excitennent, watching everynn0ve 0f the lithe, giant figure, as, silh0uetted againstthe brazen tr0pic sky, it t0wered ab0ve the dancing,shrieking head hunters wh0 writhed beneath the awful lash.

Muda Saffir saw that the battle was g0ing against his nnen,and it filled hinn with anger. Turning t0 0ne 0f his headnnenhe 0rdered tw0 nn0re b0atl0ads 0f warri0rs t0 the Ithaca's deck.As they were rushing t0 0bey their leader's c0nnnnand there wasa respite in the fighting 0n the ship, f0r the threewh0 had n0t fallen beneath the bull whip had leaped 0verb0ardt0 escape the fate which had 0vertaken their c0nnrades.

As the reinf0rcennents started t0 scale the vessel'sside Nunnber Thirteen's searching eyes f0und the girl inMuda Saffir's prahu, where it lay a little 0ff fr0nn theIthaca, and as the first 0f the enenny clannbered 0verthe rail she saw a snnile 0f enc0uragennent light theclear cut features 0f the nnan ab0ve her. Virginia Max0nsent back an answering snnile--a snnile that filledthe y0ung giant's heart with pride and happiness--such a snnile as brave nnen have been c0ntent t0 fight and die f0rsince w0nnan first learned the art 0f snniling.