Jake did as he was commanded, and in the darkness the remainder of the terrible fight was waged.
The engineer pulled until to Neal it seemed as if his arms would be torn from their sockets, and the alligator retained his hold as he struggled to throw off Cummings.
The noise of the combat sounded almost deafening to Teddy, who was doing his best to listen for any unusual disturbance among the foliage outside, and he felt confident that if the enemy was anywhere in the vicinity the secret of their hiding place would soon be discovered.
The struggle lasted only five minutes; but Neal would have said an hour had passed since he was first seized, and then Cummings won the victory by slipping from the alligator's back regardless of the rapidly moving tail, and stabbing him under the fore leg.
Even then it appeared as if the victory was to be purchased at a great cost, for, in order to avoid being killed by the monster's dying struggles, Cummings was forced to release his hold, and the current carried him rapidly toward the channel formed by the waters through the rock.
"Light the torch!" he shouted, putting forth all his strength in order to breast the tide. "I'm in the middle of the stream, and likely to be carried through the wall."
Jake had pulled Neal high up out of the water the instant the alligator's hold was released, and at this appeal he dropped him suddenly, groping around for the bundle of wood so hurriedly cast aside.
It was several seconds before he could find it, and then much valuable time was lost in trying to ignite the fuel made damp by the spray which had been thrown up. It seemed to him that never had he been so clumsy, and the anxiety to move quickly only served to retard his efforts.
Finally, after what to Teddy appeared to be a very long while, the fat wood was ignited, and then it could be seen that Cummings was in a most dangerous position. He was not more than six feet from the aperture through which the water raced with redoubled force because the opening was several inches lower than the surface, and swam as if nearly exhausted.
Jake was the only one who could render any assistance just at this moment, and he proved to be equal to the occasion.