umph. It
was his lead-cloth tunic, torn and useless as a garment, but
invaluable as a shield against the searing effects of those bolts of
radioactive flame. He hurriedly wrapped the fabric in a rough bundle
around his left forearm. The next time the tubes' violet flames
flashed toward him he thrust his rude shield squarely into their path.
There was a light tingling shock, and that was all. The bolts did not
sear through.

With new confidence, Dixon boldly charged the two Centaurians. A weird
battle ensued in the garishly lighted arena.

The effective range of the violet flashes was only about ten feet, and
Dixon's muscular agility was far superior to that of his antagonists.
By constant whirling and dodging he was able to either catch the
violet bolts upon his shielded arm or else dodge them entirely.

Yet, in spite of the Centaurians' clumsy slowness, they maneuvered
with a cool strategy that constantly kept the Earth man's superior
strength at bay. Always as Dixon tried to close with one of them he
was forced to retreat when a flanking attack from the other threatened
his unprotected back. And always the Centaurians maneuvered to bar
Dixon from attempting any dash toward the projectile.

* * * * *

The minutes passed, and Dixon felt his strength rapidly ebbing, both
from his herculean exertions and from the paralyzing rays of the green
moon beating down upon his unprotected head. As his speed of foot
lessened the Centaurians began inexorably pressing their advantage.

Dixon was no longer escaping unscathed. In spite of his frantic
efforts to dodge, twice the violet bolts grazed his body in searing
flashes of exquisite agony.

His muscles stiffened still more in the attack of the Green Sickness.
Desperately dodging a Centaurian bolt, he stumbled and nearly fell. As
he staggered to regain his balance, one of his antagonists scrambled
to the coveted position behind him.

It was only Ruth's scream of warning that galvanized Dixon's numbed
brain into action in time to meet the imminent peril.

In one mighty effort he flung his ax at the Centaurian in front of
him. The heavy blade cut deep into the thinly armored body. Mortally
wounded, the creature collapsed.

Dixon whirled and flung up his shielded left arm just in time to
intercept the violet bolt of the other Centaurian. Warily backing
away, Dixon succeeded in retrieving his ax from beside the twitching
body of the fallen in