sprang
again, and that's when luck deserted him. His feet tangled in the
coarse thatchwork. He felt himself going over the edge, spinning
wildly off-balance, plunging headlong into the ground as the
thorn-weapon was flung far out of his grasp.

With a startled oath, Kueelo whirled about. Latham had a vision of the
man's ludicrous face. Then a tiny, shiny tube appeared like magic in
the Martian's hand. A power-rapier. Latham had heard that Martians
carried them always. Tiny and easy to conceal. A press of a stud
released a rapier-like shaft of electronic power that reached perhaps
five feet.

This occurred to Latham in a mere kaleidoscopic instant, then he was
propelling himself forward. His shoulder took Kueelo squarely in the
middle. Kueelo screamed as he went back. He tried to get the shiny
tube up. Latham got hold of the Martian's wrist and jerked it sharply
against his knee. Kueelo let out another yell and dropped the
power-tube.

* * * * *

The Martian was small, but possessed of a wiry strength. He was
squirming like an ocelan, bringing his knees up into Latham's groin.
Latham felt fainter every moment. He let go of the wrist and tried to
find the power-tube. Kueelo smashed a fist into his face.

"I'll kill you, Earthman, I swear it! I've got to kill you!" The
Martian kept yelling that, his little voice going shrill. Then he
yelled, "Kraaz! Kraaz!" Latham got a hand around Kueelo's throat and
he didn't yell any more. The place was very still. Then Latham heard a
sloughing sound of heavy footsteps coming up the slope. Kraaz was the
Jovian! That's when the real panic hit Latham and he knew he had to
get the power-rapier.

He fumbled and found the power-rapier. Kueelo brought a knee into his
stomach and Latham felt sick. He couldn't get the weapon around.
Kueelo had hold of his wrist and was bending it backward. Latham
thought: _Kraaz is coming! If I don't_--

They twisted and rolled and Kueelo was trying with both hands for the
weapon. Latham held onto the weapon. Kueelo was using his knees to
keep him down and Latham kept feeling weaker. Kueelo kept coming
forward and making noises in his throat and he seemed big and heavy.
He kept going forward until he got a knee against Latham's throat.
Latham thought: _the Jovian's running now, he's almost here_--

Kueelo pressed with his knee and Latham's head went back. His throat
was hurting and blocking the air. The knee pressed ha