nfairly too, biting and kicking when
opportunity permitted. Three times Johnny barely missed a blow on the
head which meant unconsciousness, then death.

At last, panting, perspiring, bleeding and bruised, Johnny clamped his
right arm about his antagonist's neck and, flopping his body across his
chest, lay there until the Russian's muscles relaxed.

Sliding to a sitting position, the American began feeling about in the
dark. At last, gripping a flashlight, he snapped it on. The face of the
Russian revealed the fact that he was not unconscious. Johnny slid to a
position which brought each knee down upon one of the Russian's arms. He
would take no chances with that man.

Slowly Johnny flashed the light about, then, with a little exclamation,
he reached out and gripped the handle of the Russian's revolver.

"Now," he mocked, "now I have you, sir. Now I shall kill you, sir."

He had hardly spoken the words when a body hurled itself upon him,
knocking the revolver from his hand and extinguishing the light.

"So. There are others! Let them come," roared Johnny, striking out with
his right in the dark.

"Azeezruk nucky." To his astonishment he recognized the voice of
Iyok-ok. What he had said, in Eskimo, was, "It would be a bad thing to
kill him," meaning doubtless the Russian.

"Azeezruk adocema" (he is a bad one), replied Johnny, throwing the light
on the sullen face of the Eskimo.

"Eh-eh" (yes), the other agreed.

"Then what in thunder!" Johnny exclaimed, falling back on English. "He
tried to kill me. Kill me! Do you understand? Why shouldn't I kill him?"

"No kill," said the Eskimo stubbornly.

Johnny sat and thought for a full three minutes. In that time, his blood
had cooled. He was able to reason about the matter. In the army he had
learned one rule: "If someone knows more about a matter than you do,
follow his guidance, though, at the time, it seems dead wrong."
Evidently Iyok-ok knew more about this Russian than Johnny did. Then the
thing to do was to let the man go.

Before releasing him, he searched him carefully. Beyond a few
uninteresting papers, a pencil, a cigaret case and a purse he found
nothing. Evidently the revolver had been his only weapon.

As he searched the man, one peculiar question flashed through Johnny's
mind; if the Russian had the envelope full of diamonds on his person,
what should he do, take them or leave them? He was saved the necessity
of a decision; they were not there.

"