Part 11 (1/2)

McKay grunted suddenly, fell, lay still

”God!” yelled Tione! Clean 'em, Looey!”

With the words he leaped aside and pulled his pistol, just as another rifle flare stabbed out froh the space where he had stood An instant later he was pouring a strea powder had leaped

Knives flashi+ng, teeth gleaed across the ten-foot space between the huts

Jose, his left ar his knife, hurled himself on Julio, who had seized a machete from somewhere

Knowlton slaa_, who pitched headlong He swung the ot no response The gun was jammed

With a triu for the throat Knowlton slipped aside, evaded the thrust, swung the pistol down hard on his assailant's head The ain blindly, ain It struck fair on the te across the open at the crew house Jose and Julio were locked in a death grapple No other living , he peered into the red-dyed face of McKay Then he laid a hand on the captain's chest Faint but regular, he felt the heart beating

”Thank God!” he breathed With a wary eye on the battling Peruvians he swiftly raised the captain and put hied fro a body, which he dropped and swiftly inspected At the saht of Jose and Julio ended

With a choked scream Julio dropped, writhed, doubled up Then he lay still Jose, his face ghastly, stared around him His mouth stretched in a terrible s to Julio ”_Adios_, Julio! The ood as the knife--unless one has--roo it--”

He chuckled hoarsely and sank down

For an instant Knowlton hesitated, his glance going back and forth between McKay and Jose Swiftly then he ran his finger tips over McKay's head With a murmur of satisfaction he turned from his comrade and hurried to the motionless bowman, over whom Tim now bent

”Bleedin' to death, Looey,” informed Tim ”Ain't cut bad excep' that arot an artery Can we pull hiood skate”

”I'll try You look after Cap He's only knocked out--bullet creased hiht, huh? Sure I'll fix hiuy in the bunk house--drilled him three times”

”Look out for that fellow over there Maybe I brained him, but I'm not sure”

Knowlton was already down on his knees beside Jose, working fast to loop a tourniquet and stop the flow from the pierced arm With a handkerchief and his pistol barrel he shut off the pulsating strea from the man whom Knowlton had downed at last ”Skull's caved in What 'd ye paste hi stuck”

”Uh-huh Them automats are cranky Say, lookit the lanced at Julio and whistled Jose's oft-repeated threat to disembowel a refractory member of the crew had at last been literally fulfilled

But the lieutenant had seen worse sights in the shell-torn trenches of France, and now he kept his ht, he lifted his patient from the red-smeared mud and bore hi back, he found Ti him brandy In a ot, Cap,” congratulated Tiray stare ”Bullet bounced right off Here, take another swaller Attaboy! Hey, Looey, we better pack this crease o' Cap's, huh?

She keeps leakin'”

”Yep Dip up the surgical kit And give Jose a drink I'll have to tie his artery, too How do you feel, old chap?”