saw the enemy tribe was about to
descend. They saw the two men at the same time. For a long moment the
modern and the prehistoric stared at each other. It was the modern who
made the first move:

"Men of Sobar!" Allerdyce shouted. "Hear me!"

There were a full fifty of them. Three of them stepped forward, spears
held ready for the throwing. One of them was a giant of a man, a full
seven feet tall and wide as a barn door.

"Who calls Sobar," the giant asked.

"I do," Allerdyce replied. "The messenger of the Great Spirit...." He
hoped Sobar knew of this Great Spirit. "He has sent me because Sobar
has displeased him...."

For a few seconds silence reigned. Then the giant stepped forward a
few more steps, and his brow tight in a scowl of anger, asked:

"I do not believe you. You look like one of the swamp people, face of
an ape...."

Allerdyce felt the brittle coldness of a terrible anger sweep through
him. He had been called ape before. And always the one who had done
the calling had suffered for his temerity. But mixed with his anger
was the knowledge that death could be the result of an unwise move or
word. Yet time was not on his side, for Sobar was taking the
initiative and was stepping even closer and behind him the other two
were also coming toward him in imitation of their leader.

"Hold!" Allerdyce suddenly called in a ringing, imperative voice. "You
do not believe me, then, eh? A test, Sobar...?"

The other was silent, waiting for the stranger to continue.

"Drop your weapon," Allerdyce said. "You and I, unarmed, to the
death...."

Then gone was the scowl, gone the furrowed brow. Here was meat to
Sobar's liking. Here was something he was not frightened of. Spirit or
man, Sobar was not afraid of combat of arms. Flinging the spear to one
side Sobar motioned for the other to come to him.

Allerdyce made a feint to come in low but the other merely waited,
arms wide, legs spread, and body shifting from the waist. Once again
Allerdyce feinted, and as Sobar's body shifted to the side the other
seemed to want to come from, Allerdyce leaped forward and grabbed
Sobar by his right wrist and using the hand as a lever pivoted on it
until he was behind the giant. Then Allerdyce began to exert pressure
in a hammerlock.

All the while he had been moving the giant had been still, as if
confused. But as pain came in a rush to his shoulder blade, he moved.
Never had Allerdyce felt such strength. For though the wres