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 guard's waist. Madden's grip was about to break under the strain the Teuton put on it, but his fingers clung desperately to the fellow's throat, for one shout would bring a hornet's nest around the fugitives. Just then Malone whispered hoarsely:

“They're all overboard, sir.”

Leonard caught the soft stir of oars in the water below.

“Shall Hi stick 'im, sir?” whispered Malone, grabbing the guard's bayoneted rifle. “Yonder, comes the new guard!”

Caradoc, who had been willing to blow up a whole shipful of men, panted out a sharp “No!” Just then the Englishman's long fingers slipped up on the tendons that ran down the guard's neck from his ears. He pinched them sharply. The struggling man suddenly gasped and lay still. Caradoc leaped to his feet. Madden scrambled up. Both were dripping with sweat. A man with a rifle was running down the deck toward them. The fellow raised his rifle.

“Overboard!” gasped Caradoc and took a sudden leap over the rail into the night.