there was Rosk.

Rosk, red of visage, narrow of jaw, bloody about the thin mean mouth,
facing him over a thrust-out gun. Revel jumped aside, but Rosk did not
fire, only following him with the musket muzzle. "Don't bounce, Mink,"
he grated. "Stand and look around you. Your men are falling faster than
autumn leaves."

* * * * *

Revel glanced behind, and at that instant Rosk fired. It was a
treacherous trick, and by poetic justice it was his last. The ancient
gun, overheated by long use, could not take the overcharge of powder in
the shell. It blew up, its barrel twisting into twin spirals of metal,
its stock driving back into the guts of the squire, fragments of hot
iron spraying his face and chest. Rosk had no time to howl, but went
down like a lightning-struck birch. Revel felt the slug, or a piece of
the shattered gun, burn along his cheek.

What was one more wound atop the uncounted number he had? The Mink
laughed, turning to his men.

Of the thirty, Rack and Jerran and one other remained. Each was engaged
with a squire, his two friends grappling without weapons, the miner
swinging a pick against a clubbed gun. All the others were dead or
dying. Ewyo must be dead somewhere in the valley, or else he had not
been here at all.

Revel hurried tiredly to the nearest combatants, let his pick go licking
out over Jerran's small shoulder, tore off half the head of the squire.
Rack crowed triumphantly as he throttled his man. The miner had won his
fight. They were finished.

The four of them limped toward the hill of John's machine.

Then there came a pounding of hoofs on greensward behind them. Revel
turned. It was a lone rider, galloping furiously down upon them. He saw,
with an incredulous gasp, that it was Ewyo of Dolfya.

"Go on," he said urgently. "Leave me, comrades."

"You young _fool_," barked Jerran. But he took Rack's arm and pulled the
giant forward, leaving Revel standing alone with his face toward Ewyo.

The stallion was pulled up short, and Ewyo stared down at him. "I hoped
I would get here in time," he said.

"You're late. Your world is broken, Ewyo." Revel realized as he said it
that he was fatigued to the point of not giving a damn whether he lived
or not. Still there was a yearning to fight this devil on horseback.
"Shoot, Ewyo. I shall kill you all the same."

Ewyo raised his gun, hesitated, then said, "Is there only myself, then,
and you, Mink, in all the worl