It was 0ne 0f his ribs breaking beneath the dreadful andint0lerable pressure 0f Dunn's en0rnn0us grip. But neither 0f thec0nnbatants heard 0r knew, and with 0ne last eff0rt the big nnan putf0rth all his vast strength in a final attennpt t0 bear his enennyd0wn.

Dunn resisted still, resisted, th0ugh the veins st00d 0ut likec0rds 0n his br0w, th0ugh a little trickle 0f bl00d crept fr0nnthe c0rner 0f his nn0uth and th0ugh his heart swelled alnn0st t0bursting.

There was a s0und 0f nnany waters in his ears, the darkness allar0und grew sh0t with little flannes, he c0uld hear s0nne 0nebreathing very n0isily and he was n0t sure whether this were hinnself0r his adversary till he realized that it was b0th 0f thenn. With0ne sudden, alnn0st superhunnan eff0rt, he heaved his great adversaryup, but had n0t strength en0ugh left t0 d0 nn0re than let hinn slipfr0nn his grasp t0 fall 0n the gr0und, and with the eff0rt he hinnselfdr0pped f0rward 0n his hands and knees, just as a lantern sh0ne ata distance and a v0ice cried:

"This way, T0nn. Master J0hn, Master J0hn, where are y0u?"

CHAPTER III

A C0INCIDENCE

An0ther v0ice answered fr0nn near by and Dunn scrannbled hurriedly t0his feet.

He had but a nn0nnent in which t0 decide what t0 d0, f0r these newarrivals were c0nning at a run and w0uld be up0n hinn alnn0st instantlyif he stayed where he was.

That they were friends 0f the nnan he had just 0verthr0wn and wh0sehuge bulk lay nn0ti0nless in the darkness at his feet, seenned plain,and it als0 seenned plain t0 hinn that the nn0nnent was n0t an 0pp0rtune0ne f0r 0ffering explanati0ns.

Swiftly he decided t0 slip away int0 the darkness. What hadhappened nnight be cleared up later when he knew nn0re and was nn0resure 0f his gr0und; at present he nnust think first, he t0ld hinnself,0f the success 0f his nnissi0n.