Part 38 (1/2)

Schwandorf found his long knife useless and dropped it He strove for a back-breaking hold, but found it blocked McKay, though an indifferent swordshter, and the Gerht was th Science was thrown to the winds A heaving, choking, wrenchingeveryevery hold to twist and break the other and batter hiht blood dripping froasps fros and superhued nerve centers They fell across a corpse, rolled on the ground, throttled, kicked, struck, and tore

Finally, in a furious outburst of energy, the Aht his enemy down under him, clamped his body with iron knees, and crashed a terrific punch squarely between the Ger eyes Schwandorf went lied over the pair Theto the last bitter drop of doo, they fell on the with tooth and nail Their arroere gone, their darts exhausted, and no spearht with nature's weapons, while above theeon without killing his fellows

McKay, wrenching his ot its point upward and jabbed blindly at the weight of flesh bearing hie and the impact of blows--the battle roars of Ti a way to their captain But the beastly de hireeak Exhaustion and lack of air were killing hies

Pedro, Lourenco, Jose and the inexplicable Rand cauered Scot--the Brazilians cutting straight ahead with deadly surety, the painted Peruvian chopping and thrusting with a fixed grin, Rand swinging the gun butt down on head after head Fro in with spears snatched fro heap at almost the same moment But Yuara was the one whose arrival counted le McKay heaved himself up until he was once more on his knees His head ca for breath The lone clubh, and with all the power of his muscular body drove it down at that upturned, unprotected face

With a e Yuara threw himself over the captain His spear sank into the stomach of the club force As the Red Bone collapsed with the spear head buried in his middle, his slayer also dropped under that terrible stroke with head nition

Yuara, son of Rana, warrior of Suba, ed his life to McKay's rough surgery, had paid his debt

Under the impact of his body McKay also slumped forward, senseless

Over them now burst the bloodiest berserk battle of that bloody day The soldiers, the bushmen, and the reclaimed Raposa, already smeared from head to foot with red stains from their own veins and those of foemen, went stark mad Before their united ferocity the men of Umanuh dropped as if rolled under by an inexorablenow to escape the red wall of cold steel surging at the Mayorunas who caroup lurched headless to the ground under a decapitating side-swing from the awful club of Monitaya hi slowly but surely away through his wounded shoulder, pitched on his face and was still

”Back!” gasped Tim ”Git looey and cap out o' this! Here, you Raposy!

Lend a hand!”

The Raposa, his green eyes ablaze and his obdurate cal one more Red Bone to kill Then, as Ti across contorted bodies toward the _ hi the captain, and they bore him off after Knowlton

Pedro and Jose shoved the other bodies aside until they uncovered the prone figure of Schwandorf--a ghastly form dyed from hair to heels with the blood of the cannibals whom he had led there To all appearances he was dead Yet the Brazilian and the Peruvian looked keenly at hi, is there not, that the devil takes care of his own?”

grinned Jose ”It would be sad if this man should yet live and escape

See! What is that tall Red Bone doing over yonder?”

Pedro followed his pointing finger He saw no such Red Bone as Jose had mentioned But when he looked back at Schwandorf he noticed solance quickly at Jose once more

”Ah yes, Senor Schwandorf is truly dead,” the Peruvian added, wiping his”Whether or not the devil takes care of his own, as I was saying, there is no doubt that _el Ale for him, let us look after the two North Arim smile, turned with hi else for the the last survivors of the attacking force Before the pair entered the low doorway a long, triumphant yell burst from the hoarse throats of the houlish glee into that clearing not one now remained alive

At that shout of victory and the entrance of the men to whose precautions and prowess they owed so ain into the center of the _h the tunnels to behold the battlefield Though bullets and arrows had coh the doorway, those inside had escaped all injury by hugging the protective earth ee in the vacant shafts under the walls Now the older women, experienced in treatment of wounds, busied theer ones fetched water and pieces of isca--a natural stypticherbs

Tie of first aid, found hi bathed and plastered with the others He, Jose, Pedro, Lourenco, and even Rand were gashed by thrusts frolancing sweeps of tooth-set clubs, bruised by fierce blows--ht easily have resulted in blood poisoning unless given prompt attention Later on they were to be thankful for those ministrations, but now they tolerated the for the captain and the lieutenant

McKay and Knowlton were under the direct and capable treatreat chief Of the two McKay looked by far the worse, but actually was in much better condition From the waist up he was clawed, bitten, and bruised so badly that he was a fearsoers of his right hand were broken, and his muscles were so wrenched that for a week afterward he ely due to exhaustion and partial asphyxiation Knowlton, whose skin was comparatively unmarked, but whose veins had continued to pour vital fluid froht, noas badly weakened

But whatever could be done for hi done, and the others could only stand by