ere standing over the girl, and one had a
pistol in her hand.

Rick started forward, then stopped helplessly. The pistol wasn't
pointed at him. It was pointed at Jan's head!

He looked into Jan's pleading eyes and shifted his weight uncertainly.
He didn't know what to do now.

Jan did. Her arms were lashed tight, but her legs were free. She
lifted one of them in a kick that caught the pistol-holding woman
behind the knees. The pistol hand lifted as the woman flailed for
balance, and Rick sprang like a charging fullback. His widespread arms
embraced both women and slammed them back into the cabin wall. Then he
scrambled to his feet in search of the gun. It was under Jan's chair.
He bent to pick it up when Barby gave a muffled cry from behind the
gag. Rick whirled.

The two men were rushing him from the cabin entrance.

There wasn't much room in the cabin, but it gave Rick an advantage. He
dove toward the men, who stopped their rush briefly. But Rick hadn't
made the dive with the intention of meeting them head on. There was a
table along the wall next to the corner where Barby was tied up. Rick
went under it.

The men rushed for the table. Rick reached out and grabbed an ankle.
Bracing his legs, he gave a mighty heave. Striped shirt went over
backward in front of Barby, who stamped with both bare feet on his
stomach. The breath went out of him with a whoosh.

Rick gathered his legs and shoved upward. The table heaved into the
other man and threw him off balance long enough to give Rick a chance
to get to his feet. Keeping the table between him and the dark man,
Rick watched for an opening. Striped shirt was on his knees, shaking
his head.

The dark man was tired of waiting. He launched himself across the
table, arms outstretched. It was the best move he could have made,
from Rick's point of view. The boy knew he could not compete with
either man in strength. He had to depend on speed, and the infighting
tricks he had learned from Scotty. He used one now. At the last moment
he side-stepped and his hand flashed down. It was a judo chop, the
hand held stiff, the blow delivered with the side opposite the thumb.
It was effective. The man dropped to the floor, shaking his head. Rick
used the _savate_, the blow delivered with the heel. It landed
against the side of the man's neck. He went over sideways.

Striped shirt was on his feet now, but still starved for air. His
mouth hung open as he gasped, but he was coming