I decided then not to make any attempt to escape or attract help for the present. And it was fortunate that I did so.
When Dragen returned to the car he told the two men that all was in readiness, and that they were to carry me down to the boat.
On the way I lolled in their arms as limp as a corpse. They handled me pretty roughly, and in getting on to the boat the doctor tripped and flung me on to the little deck in order to save himself from falling.
"Don’t be a clumsy fool, doctor," called Dragen sharply, with an oath.
"He can’t feel anything," was the growling response. "And you don’t need to curse me, Dragen."
"I’ll do worse than curse you if you drive me to it," came the sharp, angry retort, the threatening tone of which indicated Dragen’s power over the other.
"This won’t help us to get the boat under weigh, will it?" put in Marlen. "Come on, doc, let’s put the passenger to bed."
But the other laughed sulkily. "You can finish the job by yourselves," and he turned back toward the car.
"Come back," called Dragen furiously, "or it’ll be the worse for you."
The "doctor" turned on him with a fierce oath. "I’ve owed you something long enough, and this would be a mighty good place to pay the debt in. I’m a better man than you, and if you use that tone to me again I’ll prove it."
"What’s the good of spitting at one another like two infernal tomcats?" put in Marlen.
"To hell with your tomcats," was the fierce retort. "Let him do the thing without me if he can. A dirty, low, sponging bully speak to me like that!" and, giving, a full rein to his temper, he let loose such flood of invective upon Dragen that I expected every instant to see the two come to blows.
I began to hope that I should find in the quarrel a chance of getting away, and I glanced round me stealthily in search of something with which I could arm myself for a struggle with the third man, Marlen.
But Dragen, perceiving that a quarrel at that juncture meant the failure of the whole adventure, kept his head and his temper. He let the "doctor" storm and rage without attempting a reply until the man’s fury had spent itself in words.
Then he turned to Marlen and asked quietly: "And what are you going to do? Going through with me or back with the doc? You can have the car to run away in if you like."