"He can't be! That thing weighs a ton!"
"Well, he looks pretty bad, but I can see his eyes moving and he seems to be—"
"Get that blade off him!"
He knew that the great weight had been removed from his body, but he could feel no difference. He was looking with almost objective interest into the face of a fat man, a familiar face with wide eyes and an open, bow-lipped mouth. The face was covered with a film of nervous perspiration, and there was a strange sort of anxiety in the man's movements.
"He's got to be! He's got to be!" The fat man was whispering intently.
"But T.D.—"
"Shut up! When you lift him up, I want you to—"
He heard nothing more, but his eyes remained open, fixing the face of the fat man. Then he felt arms around his shoulders once more, and he felt himself slipping, slipping back towards the edge.
With a spurt of strength, with a flash of sudden intelligence, he raised his left arm, and the fingers caught the collar surrounding the fat man's neck in loose folds. He held on grimly, until the fat man screamed with satisfying terror.
"Look out, T.D.!" somebody shrieked.