drama below reached its climax.

The furred one lay prone in the sand, uncaring. Above that mistreated
body, the human stood in the half-crouch of a fighting man, the puny
spear pointed up bravely at a mark it could not hope to reach, the
soft throat of one of the giant lizards. The reptile did not move to
speedily destroy. Instead, hissing, it reared above the two as if
studying them with a vicious intelligence. But there was no time to
wonder how long it would delay striking.

Raf's strong teeth ripped loose the tag end of the blast bomb, and he
lobbed it straight with a practiced arm so that the ball spiraled
across the arena to come to rest between the massive hind legs of the
lizard. He saw the man's eyes widen as they fastened on him. And then
the human captive flung himself to the earth, half covering the body
of the furred one. The reptile grabbed in the same instant, its
grasping claws cutting only air, and before it could try a second time
the bomb went off.

Literally torn apart by the explosion, the creature must have died at
once. But the captive moved. He was on his feet again, pulling his
companion up with him, before the startled spectators could guess what
had happened. Then half carrying the other prisoner, he ran, not
onward to the waiting Raf, but for the gate through which he had come
into the arena. At the same time a message beat into the Terran's
brain--

"This way!"

Avoiding bits of horrible refuse, Raf obeyed that order, catching up
in a couple of strides with the other two and linking his arm through
the dangling one of the furred creature to take some of the strain
from the stranger.

"Have you any more of the power things?" the words came in the archaic
speech of his own world.

"Two more bombs," he answered.

"We may have to blow the gate here," the other panted breathlessly.

Instead Raf drew his stun gun. The gate was already opening, a wedge
of the painted warriors heading through, flame-throwers ready. He
sprayed wide, and on the highest level. A spout of fire singed the
cloth of his tunic across the top of his shoulder as one of the last
aliens fired before his legs buckled and he went down. Then,
opposition momentarily gone, the two with their semiconscious charge
stumbled over the bodies of the guards and reached the corridor
beyond.

16

SURPRISE ATTACK

So much had happened so quickly during the past hour that Dalgard had
no chance to plan or even sort ou