gh
the dense underbrush at its base.

In a moment they started again, the mules picking their way carefully
down the hillside. At the bottom of the hill was a rather dense forest,
and beyond it the valley.

Sing called back over his shoulder. "Llhan Huang is just past the woods.
We'll meet Ko there, I think. I just saw the last of his mules going
into the woods."

Rick stood up in his stirrups and rubbed his raw and aching thighs. The
three had ridden horseback before, but not to any great extent, and the
long trail was a hard initiation.

He noted that the sun was dropping behind the western peaks, and he knew
from experience that it would be dark in a few minutes. The great
western range was so high in the air that it brought night by blocking
out the sunlight surprisingly early in the afternoon.

Then he rode into the forest and gloom closed in around him. It was
cold. He zipped up his windbreaker and reached for his gloves. He saw
that the trail through the forest twisted and turned to miss the big
hardwood trees, so that sometimes he could see only the mule in front of
him. Zircon and Scotty, at the rear of the column, were out of sight
most of the time.

It grew darker rapidly. Rick reached into his saddlebag and drew out a
flashlight, tucking it into his jacket pocket where it would be handy.
When he could see the sky overhead, it was dark gray and he knew night
was close at hand.

Presently he found himself peering through the gloom even to see the
mule directly in front. When they got out of the woods it would be
lighter, he hoped.

Then, as he stood up again to ease his saddle burns, the woods around
them were suddenly alive with gunfire! His pony reared and would have
bolted if he had not gripped the reins tight and jerked him to a stop.
He caught a glimpse of orange flashes in the gloom, and from ahead he
heard a sudden scream from one of the mules.

Scotty's voice rose in a yell. "Turn around! Turn! Get back out of the
woods to the hilltop!"

Rick saw his friend's strategy at once. On the hilltop, they could fight
off almost a battalion. He pulled his quivering pony around on the
narrow trail and yelled at Sing.

The guide's voice came in answer. "Coming! We're coming!"

A slug whined past Rick's ear and slapped into a tree trunk. He tried
desperately to get the rifle out of his saddle sheath while controlling
his fear-crazed pony. Then he heard the roar of Sing's shotgun. There
was no soun