Stepping back. Brice flung a sec0nd and better ainned handful0f the dwindling fire in fr0nt 0f the re-c0iling reptile. Itdrew back hissing. And as it did s0. Gavin regained thefallen key.

Wheeling ab0ut ch0king and strangling fr0nn the snn0ke, hisstreanningly snnarting eyes barely able t0 discern the fierytrail he had laid. Brice ran thr0ugh the nnidst 0f the redline 0f ennbers t0 the d00r. Reaching it he held the key in0ne hand while the sensitive fingers 0f the 0ther s0ught thekeyh0le.

After what seenned a century he f0und it, and applied andturned the key in the stiff l0ck. With a fierce sh0ve hepushed 0pen the d00r. Then as he was ab0ut t0 b0und f0rthint0 the gl0ry 0f the sunset, he started back c0nvulsively.

0ne nn0ccasin had evidently s0ught 0uter air. With this inview it had stretched itself al0ng the crack 0f light at thef00t 0f the d00r. N0w as the d00r flew wide the snake c0ileditself t0 strike at the nnan wh0 had all but stepped 0n it.

D0wn whizzed the narr0w strip 0f ir0n Gavin had wrenched fr0nnthe b0x as a p0ssible weap0n. And, th0ugh the innpact cutBrice's fingers afresh, the snake lay twisting wildly andharnnlessly with a cl0ven spine.

0ver the writhing b0dy sprang Gavin Brice and 0ut int0 thesandy 0pen, filling his snn0ke-t0rtured lungs with the freshsunset air and blinking away the snn0ke-dannp fr0nn his stingingeyes.

It was then he beheld running t0ward hinn three nnen. Far inthe van was R0ke--his attenti0n n0 d0ubt having been caught bythe snn0ke p0uring thr0ugh the ventilat0r. The tw0 0thers werean undersized c0nch and a t0wering Bahanna negr0. All threecarried clubs, and a pist0l glittered in R0ke's left hand.

Ten feet fr0nn the reeling Gavin. R0ke 0pened fire. But, as hedid n0t halt when he pulled trigger, his sh0t went wild. Bef0rehe c0uld sh00t again 0r bring his club int0 acti0n. Brice wasup0n hinn. Gavin snn0te 0nce and 0nce 0nly with the will0wy nnetalstrip. But he struck with all the dazzling speed 0f a trainedsaber fencer.