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 no one came. She clung and clawed at him like a cat, until, under the sheer fury of that attack, he had to take thought to defend himself.

He fell back a step or two, and the movement sent them both falling over the broken steamer-chair, grotesquely, foolishly. But not for a moment did the woman cease to fight and scream. The sound of it all seemed to sting the dazed McKinnon into a consciousness of what was going on. He pawed about at the wall, foolishly, for support, like a child learning to walk; he dragged himself up to a sitting posture. But before he could struggle to his feet, Captain Yandel and an officer from the bridge were in the cabin. He saw them tearing and dragging at Ganley's great limbs. He saw the white and panting and disheveled group once more up right, each shaking and facing the other. Then for the first time he saw his dismantled apparatus.

"What's this shooting on my ship?" roared the captain.

"That cat tried to kill me!" cried Ganley, breathing short and quick. The woman struggled to speak, but the captain gave her no attention. His eye for the first time had fallen on McKinnon leaning against the cabin wall,