going to walk right out, through the gate, and if anybody tries to stop us—" "Hey," said Sauer, waking up. "—if anybody tries to stop us, you'll get a bullet right in—" "Hey!" Sauer was roaring loud as Lafon himself now. "What's this talk about the two of you? You aren't going to leave me and Flock!" "Shut up," Lafon said conversationally, without taking his eyes off the governor. But Sauer, just then, was not the man to say "shut up" to, and especially he was not a man to take your eyes away from. "That's torn it," O'Leary said aloud. The girl started to say something. But he was no longer there to hear. It looked very much as though Sauer and Lafon were going to tangle. And when they did, it was the end of the line for the governor. Captain O'Leary hurtled out of the sheltering cell and skidded down the corridor. Lafon's face was a hawk's face, gleaming with triumph. As he saw O'Leary coming toward him, the hawk sneer froze. He brought the gun up, but O'Leary was a fast man. O'Leary leaped on the lithe black honor prisoner. Lafon screamed and clutched; and O'Leary's lunging weight drove him back against the wall. Lafon's arm smacked against the steel grating and the gun went flying. The two of them clinched and fell, gouging, to the floor. Grabbing the advantage, O'Leary hammered the con's head against the deck, hard enough to split a skull. And perhaps it split Lafon's, because the dark face twitched and froth appeared at the lips; and the body slacked. One down! Now Sauer was charging. O'Leary wriggled sidewise and the big redhead blundered crashing into the steel grate. Sauer fell and O'Leary caught at him. He tried hammering the head as he swarmed on top of the huge clown. But Sauer only roared the louder. The bull body surged under O'Leary and then Sauer was on top and O'Leary wasn't breathing. Not at all. Good-by, Sue-Ann, O'Leary said silently, without meaning to say anything of the kind; and even then he wondered why he was saying it. O'Leary heard a gun explode beside his head.
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