He had then barely ridden the horse a rod from the stream, when, without the slightest warning, the figure of Gallows, mounted on a great black steed, suddenly broke from cover among the trees and bore down upon them.
The great hulk, sword in hand, made a quick dash toward the defenceless two, and slashed at Garde with all his fearful might.
Jerking his horse nearly out of the road, Adam swung from the line of the brute’s cowardly stroke, yet before he could do aught to prevent it, Gallows righted, flung out his leaden fist and dragged the girl fairly off from her seat, till she struck on the back of her head, among the rocks of the road, and lay there unconscious, and almost beneath the tread of the horse’s prancing feet.
Then the monster spurred at his horse and turning him back, rode to drive him madly over the prostrate form in the dust.
Making a short, sharp cry of anger, Adam whipped out his sword and dashed upon the murderous butcher before he could get within fifteen feet of Garde, where she lay in the sunlight.
Gallows had plenty of time to see him coming. The two met in a tremendous collision of steel on steel that sounded a clangor through the woods and sent the two swords flying from their owners’ grips.
Disarmed, the pair thudded together in a swift and hot embrace, sawing their horses close in, the more firmly and straight erect to hold their seats.
“You be a fool and I be the fool-killer!” roared Gallows, hoarsely. He tugged with his giant strength, to drag Adam fairly across to his own big saddle, where he could either break his back or beat him to death with the butt of a pistol, which he was trying to draw with the hand that held the reins.
Slipping his wrist under the chin and his hand around to the fellow’s massive shoulder, Adam tilted back the heavy head with a force so great that Gallows was glad to release his hold, else he would surely have toppled from his perch.
The horses leaped a little apart. Back their riders jerked them. Again the two big human forms shot together, and clung in a fierce embrace, like two massive chunks of iron, welded together by their impact. Once more Gallows used his great brute strength, while Rust employed his wit and got his same terrible leverage on the monster’s neck.