Part 8 (1/2)
”Very well,” I gasped, irritated ”But why borrow trouble?”
He reached out, touched rinned ”It does--see coals--to Newcastle”
There was a thunderous boo crash A cloud of s over the northern end of the ruined fortress
It lifted swiftly, and I saw that the whole side of the structure had fallen, littering the road with its frag these wereOn the farther side of this stony dike our pursuers were held like rushi+ng waters behind a sudden fallen tree
”Timed to a second!” cried Ventnor ”Hold 'em for a while Fuses and dynaht on 'e was noell in advance; Ruth and dick less than half a reen tunnel I saw Drake stop, raise his rifle, e Ruth by the hand, race back toward us
Even as he turned, the vine-screened entrance through which we had coht lay safety, streamed other armored men We were outflanked
”To the fissure!” shouted Ventnor Drake heard, for he changed his course to the crevice at whose s--had lain
After hi out of the tunnel, down over the lip of the bowl, leaped the soldiers We dropped upon our knees, sent shot after shot into the up, sped on
All too short was the check, but once ain
Now Ruth and dick were a scant fifty yards from the crevice I saw him stop, push her fro ith the to the pony, lifted from its back a rifle Then into the mass of their pursuers Drake and she poured a fusillade They huddled, wavered, broke for cover
”A chance!” gasped Ventnor
Behind us was a wolflike yelping The first pack had re-formed; had crossed the barricade the dyna upon us
I ran as I had never known I could Over us whined the bullets frouns Closeto the mouth of the fissure If we could but reach it Close, close were our pursuers, too--the arrows closer
”No use!” said Ventnor ”We can't make it Meet 'em from the front
Drop--and shoot”
We threw ourselves down, facing thee sharpening of the senses that always goes hand in hand with deadly peril, that is indeed nature's su of every reserve to raphic nicety--the linked mail, lacquered blue and scarlet, of the horsemen; brown, padded armor of the footmen; their bows and javelins and short bronze swords, their pikes and shi+elds; and under their round helmets their cruel, bearded faces--white as our ohere the black beards did not cover thes of ancient Persia's long dead power, these Men of Xerxes's ruthless, world-conquering hordes; the lustful, ravening wolves of Darius whom Alexander scattered--in this world of ours twenty centuries beyond their time!
Swiftly, accurately, even as I scanned the into them They advanced deliberately, heedless of their fallen Their arrows had ceased to fly I wondered why, for noell within their range Had they orders to take us alive--at whatever cost to thees left, Martin,” I told hiht to be able to hold that hole in the wall He's got lots of aot us”
Another wild shouting; doept the pack
We leaped to our feet, sent our last bullets into them; stood ready, rifles clubbed to meet the rush I heard Ruth scream--