With a desperate effort he got to his knees and grasped my wrists
in his powerful black hands and tore my own grip loose. He was
half-way to his feet, and far more powerful than I; I changed my
tactics. Wrenching myself loose, I fell back a step; then, as he
twisted round to get at me, I lunged forward and let him have my
fist squarely between the eyes.
The blow nearly broke my hand, but he dropped to the floor. The
next instant I was joined by Harry, who had overcome the other
Inca with little difficulty, and in a trice we had them both
bound and gagged along with the remainder of the family in the
corner.
Owing to my strategy in withholding our attack until the Incas
had got well within the room and to one side, we had not been
seen by those constantly passing up and down in the corridor
without; at least, none of them had entered. We seemed by this
stroke to have assured our safety so long as we remained in the
room.
But it was still necessary to remain against the wall, for the
soft patter of footsteps could still be heard in the corridor.
They now came at irregular intervals, and there were not many of
them. Otherwise the silence was unbroken.
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