hem climbed into it, with
shouts to the others.

With a significant glance to Mercer I leaped suddenly to my feet. I was
perhaps twenty feet from the boat, and the space between us was fairly
clear. A single bound landed me beside it, almost among four of the men
who were standing there in a group. Before they had time to face me I was
upon them.

I scattered them like nine-pins, and two of them went down under my blows.
The other two flung themselves upon me. I stumbled over some inequality of
the ground, and we all three fell prone. This was the first time I had
come actually to hand grips with any of the Mercutians.

I felt now not only their lack of strength, but a curious frailness about
their bodies--a seeming absence of solidity that their stocky appearance
belied. These two men were like half-grown boys in my hands. I was back on
my feet in a moment, leaving one of them lying motionless. The other rose
to his knees, his face white with pain and terror.

I left him there and looked about me. Miela was fluttering around near by,
as I had instructed her--just off the ground and with the whole scene
under her eyes. It was she on whom I depended for warning should any of
the quarry attempt to escape us.

At the edge of the water another man was lying, whom I assumed Mercer had
felled. There was a great commotion from the boat. I ran toward it. A man
was standing beside it--an old man with snow-white hair. He stood still,
seeming confused and in doubt what to do. As I neared him he turned
clumsily to avoid me. I passed him by and bounded over the boat's gunwale,
landing in its bottom. The first thing I saw was Mercer struggling to his
feet with four of the Mercutians hanging on him. One had a grip on his
throat from behind; another clutched him about the knees.

The two others let go of him when they heard me land in the boat. One had
evidently had enough, for he dived overboard. The other waited warily for
my onslaught. As I got within reach I hit at his face, but my blow went
wild. He hit me full in the chest, but it was the blow of a child.

At that instant I heard Mercer give a choking cry, and out of the corner
of my eye saw him go down again. I could waste no more time upon this
single antagonist. The man had his hands at my throat now. I seized him
about the waist and carried him to the gunwale. He clung to me as a rat
might cling to a terrier, but I shook him off and dumped him in the water.

I turned