e one he had
captured.

He saw an odd structure at the water line and after a little study
realized that it was a barge of some kind, perhaps a floating pier. It
had odd derricklike wooden ladders on it. There were four of them,
perhaps three feet high. Beyond the barge he made out at least two
flat-bottomed boats.

Further back, against the limestone wall, he could see tents or lean-tos
made of some kind of cloth. He couldn't see clearly, but thought the
cloth might be felt. This, then, was a permanent camp! The tents must be
there to offer some protection against the cold and dampness.

He inspected the men again. They were all short. None of them could be
Long Shadow.

"Now what?" Rick asked himself.

It was certain that Long Shadow would come to the camp sooner or later.
It was almost as certain that Scotty, Zircon, and Chahda, if they
followed the trail of the wax candles carefully, would arrive sooner or
later at the boat landing to which the Tibetan had led him. Always
provided they hadn't been ambushed. He shivered at the thought. The cave
formations would make it easy for the enemy to lie in wait. Then, even
with their old-fashioned muskets and lack of shooting ability, they
could pick off the little party.

But they wouldn't do it without cost! Scotty was deadly with a rifle.
Zircon was a better than average shot.

Rick debated. It was no good to make his presence known. Far better to
lie in wait until Long Shadow came. Then, if he could take the camp by
surprise, his rifle would do the rest for him.

But how to take it by surprise?

He scanned the shore around the camp. In several places between him and
the camp shelf, the rock wall came right down to the lake's edge. Unless
he wanted to search for a way through the caves, he would have to swim.
Or use a boat.

Beyond the last sheer place, the camp shelf started. Its edge curved and
twisted for a little distance. If he could get to the starting point, he
could keep undercover easily enough. Then, making his way along the
wall, he could probably escape being seen until he was almost at the
tents. With luck, a sudden dash would bring him right to the enemy
without being seen first.

That was how he would do it. He would go back and get the boat, then lie
in wait in this very place until the time came. He withdrew from the
entrance, then paused suddenly. The men around the fire were getting to
their feet and walking toward the water. He watched as