Part 26 (2/2)

He saw Scotty reach for his reserve lever and pull it down Alike a struck tank, almost directly overhead!

The lip of the bubble pooltheir reserves Rick watched it, scarcely breathing

The air pool trembled A tiny bubble broke loose and sped upward

Rick squeezed Scotty's arm, then with a powerful thrust of his flippers he shot out into light, right into the storipped his wrist and twisted

Scotty shot froun belched carbon dioxide, and the deadly spear ripped into the leg of one frog to break free of the grip that held himan fire his spear at Scotty The boy moved just in time, and the shaft shot between his arrappled with the frogripped the frogman's wrist with the other

Rick knew their air was running out fast He felt a knife glance froled for footing and turned in tili in the water, and he saw the shi+mmer of metal as a knife flashed

Arms locked around his throat He reached backward over his head and his hands touched rubber He gripped and pulled with all his strength and felt the ht belt and sped for the surface

The odds were even! Rick locked with his opponent and felt powerful arht to break loose, and couldn't!

Then the mouthpiece was pulled away from Rick's lips in mid-breath, and he choked on sea water

Without air--twenty fathoe so his last lungful couldn't escape He got a hand free and caught his opponent's hose where it joined the tank He pulled with all his strength and felt it give

Bubbles rose in a cloud

He would have sobbed if he could It was the wrong hose! He had only torn loose the exhaust He groped and found the intake hose, then, lifting his knee and thrusting for leverage, he pulled with all his strength The hose gave! The grip on him loosened

Rick was now desperate for air! He pulled the quick release on his weight belt and felt it drop away, then he kicked for the surface, frantic with fear for Scotty Had he gotten free? Had he? His last view had been of his pal locked with the reman!

Bubbles streas expanded under the decreasing pressure He let hiainst panic and the is That would be fatal, he knew, and he willed hi that, if he kept his head, he would h the murky layer and saw the surface like a wrinkled silver sheet far overhead Straining, he swas demanded

There was another boat hull in the water, al up under it

And suddenly there were forms around the boat A cry tore fromen! More enemies, when they were already defeated!

CHAPTER XIX

JANIG Takes to the Water