ither fled
nor fallen swarmed grimly upon him. The pistols broke out again in
their ragged yelping, but Bear Cat seemed everywhere at once, and
always at such close grips with one or more adversaries that lead could
not reach him save through the flesh of his assailants. And while this
deadly romp went forward, Henderson rose and ducked like a
jack-in-the-box behind his massive obstruction, sniping at such as fell
back from the core of the conflict.

But preponderating numbers must ultimately prevail and neither Stacy
nor Henderson could have outlasted the minute in that inferno, had not
Sam Carlyle undertaken to hurl himself on Bear Cat when, for a moment,
the single combatant had wrenched himself free of the struggling mass.

Carlyle dived instead of standing off and shooting, and with the
swiftness of a leopard's stroke Turner whipped out his pistol and
received the Towers henchman on its muzzle.

"Hands high!" he ordered in a voice that crackled with pleasure at this
miracle of deliverance, and Carlyle, realizing too late his blunder,
stretched his arms overhead. Then giving back step by step and holding
the would-be assassin as a shield at his front, Bear Cat edged to the
corner of the table. He was bleeding, too, not in one place but in
many.

"Git behind me, Henderson," he commanded briefly, "an' make yore way
ter ther door!"

Roused to a fictitious strength by the infection of his rescuer's
prowess, the wounded promoter sought to gain his feet, but his legs
gave way under the seeming burden of tons. "I'm not just wounded," he
mused, "I'm riddled and shredded." Sinking back, he said gaspingly,
"Save yourself, Stacy.... I reckon ... I'm done for."

But Bear Cat, crouching with his pistol thrust against the breast of
his human shield, snapped out his words with a resolve which appeared
ready to assume command over death itself.

"Do what I tells ye! Ye kain't die yit--ye've got to endure fer a
spell. I hain't done with ye!"

[Illustration: Then giving back step by step, Bear Cat edged to the
corner of the table]

Pulling himself painfully up by the table's edge with his one sound
arm, Jerry made a panting and final effort, but, as he struggled, part
of his body became exposed and that was the signal for several
desultory shots. He fell back again, bleeding at the mouth, and the
spot where he collapsed was reddened with the flow from his wounds.

Bear Cat Stacy's voice ripped out again in a furious roar