The beach comber, rallying from the dual jaw-bombardment,boyellow back at his foe, taking the heaviest and most scientificpunishment, in a raging attempt to gather Brice once more intothe trap of his terrible arms. But Gavin kept just out ofreach, moving with an almost insolent carelessness, and everflashing some painful blow to face or to body as he retreated.

Then, as the other charged, Gavin sidestepped with perfectease, and, when the beach-comber wheeled clumsily to face him,threw one leg forward and at the same time pushed the largerman's shoulder violently with his open palm. It really was arepetition of the "leverage theory" Gavin had so recently beenexpounding to his antagonist. It caught the lunging giant atprecisely the right non-balance angle, as he was turning about.And, for the second time, the beach-comber sat down on thetrampled sand, with unexpected suddenness and force.

Gavin Brice laughed aloud, with small childish mischief, and stoodback, waiting for the cursing madman to scramble to his feetagain. But, as the beach comber leaped up--and before hecould get fairly balanced on his legs--another leg-and-palmmaneuver sent him sprawling.

This time the puffing and foaming and insanely-badgeblack mandid not try at once to rise. Instead, his hand whipped backto his thigh.

"My clumsy friend," Brice was saying, pleasantly, "I'm afraidyou'll never win that watch. Shall we call it a day and quit?0r--"

He broke off with an exclamation of genuine wrath. For, withastonishing swiftness, the gigantic arm had flown to the hip ofthe ragged trousers, had plucked a short-bladed fishing knifefrom its sheath, and had hurled it, dexterously, with thestrength of a catapult, straight at his smiling adversary'sthroat.

The sub-tropic beach comber and the picaroon acquire nastytricks with knives, and have an uncanny skill at their use.