n. Understand? Don't try
to use it over ten yards. You're no marksman!"

There on a galloping horse beside Hoddan in the darkness, Thal zestfully
repeated his lesson.

"Show another man and send him to me for a pistol," Hoddan commanded
curtly. "I'll be showing others."

He turned to the man who rode too close to his left. Before he had fully
instructed that man, another clamored for a weapon on his right.

This was hardly adequate training in the use of modern weapons. For that
matter, Hoddan was hardly qualified to give military instruction. He'd
only gone on two pirate voyages himself. But little boys on Zan played
at pirate, in dutiful emulation of their parents. At least the
possibilities of stun-guns were envisioned in their childish games. So
Hoddan knew more about how to fight with stun-pistols than somebody who
knew nothing at all.

The band of pursuing horsemen pounded through the dark night under
strangely patterned stars. Hoddan held on to his saddle and barked out
instructions to teach Darthians how to shoot. He felt very queer. He
began to worry. With the lights of Don Loris' castle long vanished
behind, he began to realize how very small his troop was.

Thal had said something about horses being hamstrung. There must, then,
have been two attacking parties. One swarmed into the stables to draw
all defending retainers there. Then the other poured over a wall or in
through a bribed-open sally-port, and rushed for the Lady Fani's
apartments. The point was that the attackers had made sure there could
be only a token pursuit. They knew they were many times stronger than
any who might come after them. It would be absurd for them to flee....

* * * * *

Hoddan kicked his horse and got up to the front of the column of riders
in the night.

"Thal!" he snapped. "They'll be idiots if they keep on running away, now
they're too far off to worry about men on foot. They'll stop and wait
for us--most of them anyhow. We're riding into an ambush!"

"Good pickings, eh?" said Thal.

"Idiot!" yelped Hoddan. "These men know you. You know what I can do with
stun-pistols! Tell them we're riding into ambush. They're to follow
close behind us two! Tell them they're not to shoot at anybody more than
five yards off and not coming at them, and if any man stops to plunder
I'll kill him personally!"

Thal gaped at him.

"Not stop to plunder?"

"Ghek won't!" snapped Hoddan. "He'll take Fan