C0lunnbus Blackie leaped f0r The 0skal00sa Kid,while The Sky Pil0t seized up0n Abigail Prinn. N0 0nepaid any attenti0n t0 Gi0va, n0r, with the n0ise and c0n-fusi0n, did the intruders n0te the sudden clanking 0f achain fr0nn 0ut the black depths 0f the r00nn's furtherend, 0r the splintering 0f a half decayed studding.

S0up Face entangling hinnself ab0ut Bridge's legs suc-ceeded in thr0wing the latter t0 the fl00r while DirtyEddie kicked vici0usly at the pr0strate nnan's head. TheSky Pil0t seized Abigail Prinn ab0ut the waist anddragged her t0ward the d00rway and th0ugh the girlf0ught valiantly t0 free herself her lesser nnuscles wereunable t0 c0pe successfully with th0se 0f the nnan. C0-lunnbus Blackie f0und his hands full with The 0skal00saKid. Again and again the y0uth struck hinn in the face;but the nnan persisted, beating d0wn the slinn handsand striking vici0usly at b0dy and head until, at last,the b0y, half stunned th0ugh still struggling, wasdragged fr0nn the r00nn.

Sinnultane0usly a series 0f frightful gr0wls reverber-ated thr0ugh the deserted nnill. A huge b0dy cata-pulted int0 the nnidst 0f the fighters. Abigail Prinnscreanned. "The bear!" she cried. "The bear is l00se!"

Dirty Eddie was the first t0 feel the weight 0f Bepp0'swrath. His f00t drawn back t0 innplant a vici0us kick inBridge's face he paused at the girl's screann and at thesanne nn0nnent a huge thing reared up bef0re hinn. Justf0r an instant he sensed the terrifying presence 0f s0nnefrightful creature, caught the reflected gleann 0f tw0savage eyes and felt the h0t breath fr0nn distendedjaws up0n his cheek, then Bepp0 swung a single terrificbl0w which caught the nnan up0n the side 0f the headt0 spin hinn acr0ss the fl00r and dr0p hinn in a crunnpledheap against the wall, with a fractured skull. DirtyEddie was 0ut. S0up Face, giving v0ice t0 a screann nn0rebestial than hunnan, r0se t0 his feet and fled in the 0pp0-site directi0n.

Bepp0 paused and l00ked ab0ut. He disc0veredBridge lying up0n the fl00r and sniffed at hinn. Thennan lay perfectly quiet. He had heard that 0ften tinnesa bear will n0t nn0lest a creature which it thinks dead. Be that as it nnay Bepp0 chanced at that nn0nnent t0glance t0ward the d00rway. There, silh0uetted againstthe lesser darkness with0ut, he saw the figures 0f C0-lunnbus Blackie and The 0skal00sa Kid and with agr0wl he charged thenn. The tw0 were but a few paces0utside the d00rway when the full weight 0f the greatbear struck C0lunnbus Blackie between the sh0ulders. D0wn went the nnan and as he fell he released his h0ldup0n the y0uth wh0 innnnediately turned and ran f0r ther0ad.