It was his life or mine.

The hammer beat furiously in my head as we closed, and a fierce satisfaction rose in my heart.
He never had a chance, for though he was in good trim and had the light, wiry figure of the mountaineer, he hadn't a quarter of my muscular strength.

Besides, he was wrongly placed, for he had the outside station.

Had he been on the inside he might have toppled me over the edge by his sudden assault.

As it was, I grappled him and forced him to the ground, squeezing the breath out of his body in the process.