heard Kaydessa shrilly screaming words he did not understand.

Travis was on his knees, coughing in the dust, exerting the muscles in
his chest and shoulders to loosen the lariat. On either side of him the
coyotes wove a snarling pattern of defiance, dashing back and forth to
present no target for the enemy, yet keeping the excited horses so
stirred up that their riders could use neither ropes nor blades.

Then Kaydessa ran between two of the ringing horses to Travis and jerked
at the loop about him. The tough, braided leather eased its hold, and he
was able to gasp in full lungfuls of air. She was still shouting, but
the tone had changed from one of recognition to a definite scolding.

Travis won to his feet just as the rider who had lassoed him finally got
his horse under rein and dismounted. Holding the rope, the man walked
hand over hand toward them, as Travis back on the Arizona range would
have approached a nervous, unschooled pony.

The Mongol was an inch or so shorter than the Apache, and his face was
young, though he had a drooping mustache bracketing his mouth with
slender spear points of black hair. His breeches were tucked into high
red boots, and he wore a loose felt jacket patterned with the same
elaborate embroidery Travis had seen on Kaydessa's. On his head was a
hat with a wide fur border--in spite of the heat--and that too bore
touches of scarlet and gold design.

Still holding his lariat, the Mongol reached Kaydessa and stood for a
moment, eying her up and down before he asked a question. She gave an
impatient twitch to the rope. The coyotes snarled, but the Apache
thought the animals no longer considered the danger immediate.

"This is my brother Hulagur." Kaydessa made the introduction over her
shoulder. "He does not have your speech."

Hulagur not only did not understand, he was also impatient. He jerked at
the rope with such sudden force that Travis was almost thrown. Then
Kaydessa dragged as fiercely on the lariat in the other direction and
burst into a soaring harangue which drew the rest of the men closer.

Travis flexed his upper arms, and the slack gained by Kaydessa's action
made the lariat give again. He studied the Tatar outlaws. There were
five of them beside Hulagur, lean men, hard-faced, narrow-eyed, the
ragged clothing of three pieced out with scraps of hide. Besides the
swords with the curved blades, they were armed with bows, two to each
man, one long, one shorter. One of the