I saw this, and with an old
trick learned at Uppingham I tripped him, so that he staggered and
nearly fell.
An oath escaped him, yet in that moment Elma succeeded in twisting the
gun from his sinewy hands, which I now held with a strength begotten of
a knowledge of my imminent peril. My whole future, as well as hers,
depended upon my success in that desperate encounter. He was huge and
powerful, with a strength far exceeding my own, yet I had been reckoned
a good wrestler at Uppingham, and now my knowledge of that most ancient
form of combat held me in good stead.
The man shouted for help, his deep, hoarse voice sounding along the
stone corridors. If heard by his comrades-in-arms, then the alarm would
at once be given.
We struggled desperately, swaying to and fro, he trying to throw me,
while I, at every turn, practiced upon him the tricks learned in my
youth. It seemed an even match, however, for he kept his feet by sheer
brute force, and his muscles seemed hard and unbending as steel.
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