Part 5 (1/2)

Rick knew that the otten away before this The fact that he was still lying in wait couldpursued by the Spindrifters, and he had waited in the hope of picking off one or two of theers of ice laid the the object of deadly intentions He lay very still

His hand brushed soht he knehat it was He was lying in a patch of the tiny pink flowers known as _cadena de a the day They grew like weeds anywhere they were allowed to flourish

The humor of it touched him How ro a desperado through an ancient Spanish city, and to be flat on one's stoot out of this with a whole skin, he would write her about it, o too close and thorns a about it, he probably would still be lying there at dawn He rose to his knees, then to his feet, holding his breath until lack of response from the rifleman told him he had not been observed Then he resumed his slow uidebooks to the Philippines mentioned the walled city as a ”must-see” item for tourists, and Rick had intended to take a daytime tour This was not a suitable substitute He would still have to return by day Hebut the upper edge of the wall and the silhouette of the ancient cathedral a few hundred yards away Butof the darkness, told his in the thick wall

Suddenly he stopped, all senses alert He had heard soid with the strain of listening, he heard a whisper no louder than the rustle of a

”Rick?”

”Yes,” he breathed

Even though he was expecting it, he gave an involuntary jump when Scotty's hand touched his sleeve Scotty's lips touched his ear and the husky ex-marine whispered almost inaudibly:

”Gate to the street Ten paces ahead I have an e to throw it If he fires and is close enough, rush hiht”

Rick found Scotty's shoulder and squeezed it to indicate agree fullback in any direction

Scotty moved away In a moment Rick heard the faint scrape of s with air, then held his breath, waiting

He sensed rather than saw Scotty lift the gas druh quite a bit, but Scotty launched it like a ainst the sky, then it landed with an appalling clatter, struck sparks from a stone, and rolled noisily away

The rifle flamed one, twice It was perhaps twenty paces away, and the shooting was toward the drum Rick rushed forward, arlove, then a cry of pain The rifle blasted again, ht he heard a siren wail, but there wasn't ti toward the rifleman His shoulder struck flesh which yielded Then warrabbed for it The rifle barrel! He leaned on it, keeping it vertical, and put his weight into the job of driving its owner back off balance

A blow caught him under the eye and he saw stars For a rip, then he released the rifle and reached until he found cloth He pulled, letting hio backward as the wearer of the cloth was pulled off balance He landed on his back, and a knee in the chest drove the air out of hi out One connected and the shock of hitting bone ran through his knuckles and up his arrunted, trying to roll out froain his fist lashed out and connected He drew it back for another punch

Brilliant light illulare and saw Scotty's grim face above him Scotty had his fist cocked back for a punch that would have knocked hirunted Scotty was forcing the air out of hi feet pounded the earth and hands jerked both of them to their feet Scotty held the sniper's rifle, but the sniper was gone

A Filipino policehts of a 45 caliber Colt autohts of the prowl car's head lahtly smaller than the entrance to Ma down!” he gulped

”Officer,” Tony said crisply, ”these are the two boys frolar” He added, ”Apparently they succeeded only in catching each other What in the na to do?”

The boys looked embarrassed ”We had the sniper,” Rick explained ”But we ht the lar, but it was Scotty”

”He threw the rifle aton him and connected, then the rifle knockedmate came back froalog

”No use,” the first policeone We would need help to find hi places Can you give a description? By the tiet him later”