The Saint Meets His Match (She was a Lady)

He got it into his hand; but Essenden kicked his wrist, and the automatic fell into the stream again. Essen­den plunged frantically; and the Saint, with only one sound leg to stand on, was sent staggering back against the wall. And by some miracle Essenden's hand found the gun without a second's groping.

With the face of a fiend, Essenden took deliberate aim. And the Saint, flattened against the wall, looked death in the eyes.

The second chance—thrown away.

Of course, he ought to have settled Essenden thorough­ly, when he had the advantage, instead of relying on a lasting effect from the lucky blow he had landed on the man's jaw.

The strengthening current an inch above the Saint's knees now, seemed to be trying to pluck his feet from under him and whirl him away. That underground tide must grow in a few more minutes into something with the power and ferocity of a maelstrom. And the Saint would be shot, and the tide would carry him away with it into the unfathomed depths from which it rose. With­out a trace. . . . And that would be the end. . . .

With a queer feeling of carelessness, Simon Templar gathered his muscles for the shock of the bullet.

Then he saw Jill Trelawney moving.

She was struggling towards Essenden; and in another step her movement would bring her into the line of fire.

With a cry, the Saint hurled himself forward.

He fell. It was impossible to hurl oneself effectively through that swelling torrent. As he went down, he heard the report of Essenden's shot go booming and reechoing through the cave.

Then his hand closed upon an ankle.

He jerked, with all his force; and as he fought up . through the flood he saw Essenden spinning into the water.

One hand especially he saw—a hand holding a gun, waving wildly as Essenden fell.

In shallower water, Simon caught the hand and the gun, and twisted the gun right round so that it aimed into Essenden's own body.

"Now shoot!" gasped the Saint.

Essenden squinted at him.

"You're another meddler," said Essenden, and tight­ened his finger on the trigger.

 

 

Chapter IX

HOW SIMON TEMPLAR KISSED JILL TRELAWNEY,

AND MR. TEAL WAS RUDE TO MR. CULLIS

 

ESSENDEN was gone. As his body went limp, the rising mill-race fury of the stream whipped him up and swept him away into the dark depths of the cave, further than the ineffectual light at the entrance could penetrate.