Head over heels Pritchard seemed to throw him, while the knife clattered harmlessly into the roadway.

The man lay crumpled up and moaning before the door of one of the houses.

Pritchard sprang after him.

The door had been cautiously opened and the man crawled through; Pritchard followed; then the door closed and Tavernake beat upon it in vain.
For several seconds--it seemed to Tavernake much longer--he stood gazing at the door, breathing heavily, absolutely unable to collect his thoughts.

The whole affair had happened with such amazing celerity! He could not bring himself to realize it, to believe that it was Pritchard who had been with him only a few seconds ago, who in danger of his life had performed that marvelous trick of jiu-jutsu, had followed his unknown assailant into that dark, mysterious house, from no single window of which was a single gleam of light visible.