, Revel m'lad," he said aloud, "it's time you came up
with a brilliant idea!"

And there wasn't a scheme in his head.

CHAPTER VII

The haughty maid has left the Mink,
She finds her father's place;
The squire has looked her in the eye:
"Now what a fox to chase!"

He's called in all his friends and kin,
And dealt out guns and shells;
He's sworn an oath to catch the Mink
By all the seven hells!

--Ruck's Ballad of the Mink

Lady Nirea was puffing and blowing and clawing her way through endless
miles of creepers, thorns, and brushwood. She wished Revel were carrying
her now, even if it meant the loss of her clothing again. Now she
appreciated what a job he'd done, for naked though she'd been, not half
as many scratches had marred her skin on their first journey.

Ahead of her, the giant called Rack was doing his best to break trail
for her; and in front of him, with a rope under his arms which the
red-bearded man held tightly, went Dawvys, her father's servant.

As she understood the tale from Rack's few sentences, growled out in a
voice that reeked with hatred of somebody, whether herself or Revel or
whom she couldn't tell, he had caught Dawvys just emerging from the
forest and made him lead the way back to the domed glade. Ewyo the
squire had sent Rack out for her, and Rack was evidently all a rucker
should be--faithful, reverent, and obedient to the least command of the
gentry.

She remembered waking, Revel's strong hand still clamped on her wrist,
and seeing this walleyed brute just aiming a swing of a pick at his
brother's head. She had screamed, and Rack had missed. She wondered
whether he had meant to hit at all. There was already a bloody gash on
Revel's scalp, and the little yellow man, Jerran, lay quite still with
red trickling out of his head.

Then Rack had picked up Revel's pick and disengaged the grip of his hand
(was it as cold and lifeless as she'd thought? could the Mink be dead?)
from her wrist, and booted Dawvys out on the trail.

That had been hours ago. They were still bumbling through the forest,
although the sun was high.

"He's leading us wrong," she panted. "Don't trust him. He's an important
rebel."

"He wants to live as badly as we do, Lady. He'll take us home."

And sure enough, they had come shortly to the rim of the woodland. She
swayed and nearly collapsed. "Give me your arm, rucker," she said. "I
give you permission to