"Take care!" shouted the man, Marco, with a look through the outside
flap, "she's coming again!"

A sudden tumult fell on the air. Shrieks, yells, a great babel arose
from the audience. The centre pole creaked and swayed dangerously. Then,
with a sharp rip the canvas roof over Andy's head was wrenched from
place and went sailing up into the air.

A heavy wooden cross-piece running between two supports had been torn
loose at one end. The rope securing it whipped about and struck Andy
in the face.

He dodged, and was about to leap to the ground, when a sharp cry from
Stella Starr announced a new peril.

The free end of the heavy cross piece was descending with the force of a
driven sledge hammer. She was directly within range. Andy saw her
danger, jumped erect, grabbed at the rope whipping about, and pulled it
towards himself.

As the equestrienne shrank to the neck of the trembling horse upon which
she sat, the timber just grazed her spangled hair. It struck the ground
and tore loose above. Its other end hit the pile of seat planks with
a crash.

Andy felt them topple. He tried to steady himself, to jump aside. He was
caught in the tumble and went headlong to the sawdust, the planks
falling on top of him.