Part 10 (2/2)

”Your knife, Francisco _ purr in his tone ”I have it It seems that you are in haste to use it Too much haste, Francisco But if you will stand instead of crawling as before, you ain--and use it, too”

Francisco, staring sullenly up, seemed to read in the words more than was evident to the Aht his balance, braced hi

”You knoho commands here,” Jose went on ”You disobey You seek to stab in the night--”

”Now or later--what is the difference?”

”--and now the boat is too snored the interruption ”Here is your knife Now use it!”

He flipped the weapon at the other, who caught it deftly Jose dropped his right hand to his waist An instant later naked steel licked out at Francisco's throat

The steers blade, knocked it with a scraping clink For a few seconds the teapons see to bear down the other's wrist

Then they parted as the coht Francisco, turning to preserve his guard, now had the light full in his face But the ible, and the next assault of the _puntero_ was blocked as before And this time the wrist of the _popero_ proved a bit the better; he threw the attacking steel aside and struck in a slashi+ng sweep at his antagonist's stomach

A convulsive inward movement of the bowman's middle, coupled with a swift back-step, made the slash ht Jose was in again His knife hand, still outstretched sidewise, stopped with a light smack of flesh on flesh Then it jerked outward His steel noas red to the hilt

One lance at his opponent, and Jose stood at ease Froered His knife dropped His hands rose fuave way and he toppled backward to the ground The silvery ular

With the uters down his wet blade, snapped the fingers in air, and spoke to his crew:

”As I said, we shall have a new _popero_ To-morrow, Julio, you will take the platfor the men Their eyes lifted frolearowls?” he rasped ”You, Julio?”

”_Si, yo soy_,” Julio answered, harshly, fingering his knife ”I will be steersman, but I steer downstream, not up Francisco spoke the truth

Now or later--what is the difference? Let it be now!”

A louder growl from the others followed his words One stepped back into the shadow of the hut

”_Perros ao upstream, fools! The Americans must be taken--”

A raucous sneer from Julio interrupted hi a knife

”The gringos stay here--and you, too, you Yanqui cur!”

The poised knife hissed through the air at Jose

Out fro rifle report

Jose dodged, staggered, screeched in feline fury, the knife buried in his left arm