I had not been long waiting before the bolt of the hatch was drawn back and the "doctor" thrust in his hand and raised one of mine to make sure that I was still unconscious.
"He's all right," he announced. "We'd better do it now. I'll bring him out."
"Wait a bit. Here's a boat of some sort ahead."
The "doctor" drew back quickly, but left the hatch open.
"I'm afraid of it, doc, and that's the truth," said Marlen.
"Don't be a fool, man. It's fifty times as safe as trusting our skins on the liner. The ship's doctor will want to know a heap of things. Dragen doesn't know that, but I do. There isn't a single mark of violence on him, and it'll look exactly a case of his having dropped into the river."
"Well, wait till we get past this boat."
A long silence followed.
So they were going to adopt the "doctor's" former suggestion and murder me rather than run the risk of taking me to the liner.
Instead of frightening me this roused all the fight there was in me. I had to fight for my life, and I waited as tensely as they until the launch should have passed the boat, and settled myself in the best position I could choose for the attack when the moment came.