The rush of the noisy waters sounded with fearful distinctness in his ears.
"Here, damn you, let go!" panted Montgomery.
[Illustration: "Here, let go!" panted Montgomery.] He felt Langham's hot breath on his cheek, he read murder by the wolfish light in his eyes.

He wrenched himself free of the other's desperate clutch, but as he did so his foot caught against one of the rails and he slipped and fell to his knees.

In the intervals of his own labored breathing, he heard the flow of the river, a dull ceaseless roar, and saw the flashing silver of the moon's rays as they touched the water's turgid surface.

Langham no longer sought to force him from the bridge, but bent every effort to thrust him down between the ties to a swift and certain death.
"You want to kill me, too!" panted Montgomery, as by a mighty effort that brought the veins on neck and forehead to the point of bursting, he regained his footing on the ties.
But his antagonist was grimly silent, and Joe, roused to action by fear, and by a sullen rage at what he deemed the lawyer's perfidy, turned and grappled with him.

Once he smashed his great fist full into Langham's face, and though the blow sent the lawyer staggering across the bridge, he recovered himself quickly and rushed back to renew the fight.
Montgomery greeted him with an oath, and they grappled again.
Langham had known in his calmer moments when he planned Joe's death, that his only hope of success lay in the suddenness of his attack.