Soon, however, he regained confidence in his sword.

With it held ever straight in front of him, the men mounting could not strike without laying open their breasts to the blade.

There must, he felt, be no guarding on his part; he must be ever on the offensive.
All this was felt rather than thought in the whirl of action.

One after another the leaders of the assailants fell, pierced through the throat while their ponderous axes were in the act of descending.

By his side the Dutchman's retainers fought sturdily, while the crack of the pistols of Hugh, Joe Sedley, and the master of the house were generally followed by a cry and a fall from the assailants.
As the difficulty of their task became more apparent, the yells of fury of the crowd increased.