there," Rick said.

"Where's there?" Scotty asked.

He kept forgetting that only he could see. "Where he dropped. Long
Shadow is hit, too. I don't know how badly."

For the first time, they heard their enemy's voice. It was rather high,
but cultured and pleasant. "Not badly. Although I believe my ankle may
be broken. I have felt, and I don't believe I am bleeding much."

Rick knelt quickly and put the infrared light on the wound. Long Shadow
was right. It hadn't bled much, and Zircon, looking the wound over after
borrowing the glasses, told him, "I doubt that the ankle is broken. The
wound is clean."

"Stay where you are," Rick warned him. "We'll bandage you after we look
at Ko."

"I have no intention of going anywhere," Long Shadow said. "Not when
some magic I don't understand permits you to see in complete darkness."

Rick took the glasses from Zircon's hand. In the interval during which
the scientist was wearing them, he had understood how the others felt.
The darkness was absolute. He put the glasses on again and walked over
to Ko, talking so his friends could follow the sound of his voice.

"Well, Mr. Ko," he said, "you got a little surprise, didn't you?"

The Chinese with the glass eye groaned. "You have won," he complained
weakly. "Now have the kindness to let me go to my ancestors in peace."

"Better let me take a look at him," Zircon said.

Rick walked to the scientist's side and took one of his hands. Then he
took off the glasses and pressed them into the hand he was holding. That
done, he stood in the blackness and waited.

"Lie flat," presently Zircon said.

"Please go away," Ko groaned.

"Lie flat," Zircon ordered.

There was the sound of ripping cloth. Zircon grunted. "Hmmmm."

Ko moaned. "I wish to go to my ancestors alone."

"You're not going to your ancestors," Zircon replied scornfully. "I
doubt that they'd have you. In case you're interested, Rick's bullet
merely plowed a nice, round hole through some of the fat on your right
side. You haven't even lost enough blood to make the wound interesting."

Ko's voice was suddenly animated. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure. No, don't try to get up. Stay where you are. If you try to
run I'll order our seeing-eye marksman to finish the job." Zircon
continued, "Rick, Scotty, Chahda. Stay where you are. I saw some torches
stacked in one of the tents. I'll get them and be right back."

The three boys assured him that they wouldn't move. Rick, fo