Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/221

Rh dark that they attacked and defended themselves almost instinctively. Suddenly De Wardes felt his sword arrested, he had just touched Buckingham's shoulder. The duke's sword sank, as his arm was lowered.

"You are touched, my lord," said De Wardes, drawing back a step or two.

"Yes, monsieur, but only slightly."

"Yet you quitted your guard."

"Only from the first effect of the cold steel; but I have recovered."

"Let us go on, if your please." And disengaging his sword with a sinister clashing of the blade, the duke wounded the marquis in the breast.

"Touched also," he said.

"No," said De Wardes, not moving from his place.

"I beg your pardon, but, observing that your shirt was stained — " said Buckingham.

"Well," said De Wardes furiously, "it is now your turn."

And, with a terrible lunge, he pierced Buckingham's arm through, the sword passing between the two bones. Buckingham feeling his right arm paralyzed, stretched out his left arm, seized his sword, which was about falling from his nerveless grasp, and before De Wardes could resume his guard he thrust him through the breast. De Wardes tottered, his knees gave way beneath him, and leaving his sword still fixed in the duke's arm, he fell into the water, which was soon crimsoned with a more genuine reflection than that which it had assumed from the clouds. De Wardes was not dead; he felt the terrible danger which menaced him, for the sea rose fast. The duke, too, perceived the danger also. With an elfort, and an exclamation of pain, he tore out the blade which remained in his arm, and turning toward De Wardes, said, "Are you dead, marquis?"

"No," replied De Wardes, in a voice choked by the blood which rushed from his lungs to his throat, "but very near it."

"Well, what is to be done; can you walk?" said Buckingham, supporting him on his knee.

"Impossible," he replied. Then falling down again, said, "Call to your people, or I shall be drowned."

"Halloo! boat there! quick! quick!"

The boat flew over the waves, but the sea rose faster than the boat could approach. Buckingham saw that De Wardes was on the point of being again covered by a wave; he