umb and forefinger
in the motion of loosing a shaft; let the hands sink. His gaze calmly
lifted from theirs and dwelt on the farthest wall. Not another word did
he speak.

"Begorry! there's yer answer!" triumphed Tim. "He says, 'Fight!' And I
bet he can sling a wicked bow and arrer, at that. Don't ye s'pose he
wants a crack at them Red Bones, after the way they used him?"

"I think, comrades, that the man has settled the matter for us," Pedro
seconded. "None of us wants to run away; and, as Tim says, we are
expected to help Monitaya. We should be considered cowards, worse than
dogs, if we refused. If we do not fight the Red Bones we may have to
fight these Mayorunas, who now are our friends. We must stay."

McKay nodded, still studying the expressionless countenance of Rand.

"That's settled," he announced, crisply. "Now, Lourenco, find out
Monitaya's plan of battle."

The chief had finished his examination of the women and Lourenco
promptly put the question. Monitaya laconically replied.

"His purpose is not changed by our arrival, Capitao. He and his men go
to-morrow to attack and destroy the Red Bones. When they reach the town
of Umanuh they will surround it, and all will rush in when the chief
gives his yell of war."

"About what I expected. An Indian has a single-track mind always. But
his strategy is rotten. Might be good enough if he had only Umanuh to
deal with, but with Schwandorf in the game it's different. Ask him how
he expects to protect his women while he's gone."

"He says," Lourenco reported, "that there will be no danger to the
women, because his warriors will be between the women and their enemies
until those enemies are dead."

"Very simple. So simple that it's foolish. He doesn't figure on the
other fellow's mind at all; doesn't realize that a man like Schwandorf
is bound to outguess him on such straightaway tactics and isn't at all
likely to play into his hands. But that's the exact situation. The
German will outguess him, and it's up to him to outguess the German in
turn. We'll do his guessing for him.

"Schwandorf goes into Umanuh's town, learns what's happened, finds the
Red Bones frothing at the mouth, and is sore himself. He figures that
we've returned here with the women, that Monitaya's men are blood-mad
against the Red Bones, and that they'll do just what they are planning
to do--march on Red Bone town and leave their women unprotected except
by the old men, whose defensive power