lind rush and, as the man lurched
past, he lashed out with his right fist. The blow caught the other
under the ear, a fatal spot, and sent him toppling to the ground.

Meantime, Jack, with his back to a big tree, was hard pressed by two
men. In the hand of one gleamed a dagger. Good boxer though he was,
Jack could not ward off an attack like that for long, and Frank
realized it. He sprang forward to go to the rescue. Then a blow on the
head felled him, and all became darkness.

That blow came from a blackjack in the hands of Marjorie Faulkner's
assailant. Seeing the danger to his comrades from Frank, he released
the girl and attacked Frank. But his act brought down on him a
perfect fury, tearing, scratching at his face. It was Della, crying
with rage at the danger to Frank, insensible to everything else. She
was a whirlwind and the man had all he could do to ward her off. In
fact, he did not fully succeed, for her hands found his face and her
tearing fingers ripped a long gash down over his right eye, from which
the blood began to spout. Temporarily blinded, he dropped his
blackjack, and stumbled back, cursing.

Della did not follow up her advantage, but dropped to her knees beside
Frank and pillowed his head in her lap. His eyes were closed. The blow
that had felled him had been a shrewd one. Fortunately, however,
instead of descending full on his head, it had glanced off one side.
As she cradled him, smoothing back his hair and crying unrestrainedly,
Frank opened his eyes and gazed up.

For a moment his daze continued. Or did it? Was there not a gleam of
satisfaction in his eyes, quickly veiled, as he saw who had come to
his rescue?

Then he started to struggle to his feet.

All this had taken very little time and, while it progressed, Bob had
been gripped body to body with the biggest of the attacking party, a
husky fellow of his own six foot height but with the added weight of a
greater length of years. As this man leaped for him from the woods,
arm upraised with a blackjack clutched in his hand, Bob had seized the
descending wrist and thrown his other arm about the fellow's body.
Thus they had wrestled.

As Frank shakily, with Della's assistance, was getting to his feet,
there came a panting cry from Bob, another scream from Miss Faulkner.
Then through the air went flying the form of Bob's assailant. He had
fallen victim to Bob's famous wrestling grip, which lifted the man
from his feet and sent him flying