Red, crouched in the darkness below, felt Don’s weight suddenly leave his shoulders. Glancing up, he saw his friend’s dim form disappearing inside the boat.
Moments passed, with only a faint whisper of movement from inside the covered lifeboat. Red Pennington waited nervously at his post, alert for the slightest sound of approaching footsteps. If the spy had hidden something of value, the fellow might be coming back for it at any time!
Red’s reasoning was better than his hearing, as a matter of fact. When he did hear the faint step behind him, it was too late to turn. Jerking his head to one side, the stocky lieutenant just saved himself.
A numbing blow descended on his shoulder. With a grunt, Red whirled, his fist coming up in a wicked hook which contacted flesh and bone. The unseen assailant’s gasp of pain came a second before Red’s whoop: “I’ve got him, Don! Come—ugh!”
The thug’s elbow jammed into Red’s midriff, and loosened a perfectly good hammer lock. The lieutenant gagged, lost his grip and his footing together, as the enemy tripped him with a jiu-jitsu trick.
At that second, Don Winslow’s lithe form dropped from above.
Only darkness and the snakelike agility of the Scorpion spy prevented his capture then and there. The man leaped over Red’s body, barely avoiding Don’s rush, and jumped for the rail beyond the lifeboat.
Red, scrambling to his feet, lunged for the boat’s forward end. Without warning there came a heavy splash from overside. Don’s shout, “Man overboard!” followed instantly.
“G-great guns, Don!” Red gulped, bringing up against the rail. “I thought he’d knocked you overside! What happened, anyway?”
“He jumped!” clipped Don Winslow as other voices on deck and bridge took up the cry of “Man overboard!” “Listen, Red! You hustle aft and get a place in the first boat that’s lowered. Don’t tell ’em the whole story—only that someone attacked you and jumped overboard when you fought back. Lively now, before anybody sees us together!”