to a war
party of intelligent beings might have been lying in wait there.

A flitting shadow out of shadows. Nalik'ideyu pressed against Travis'
legs, making a barrier of her warm body, attracting his attention to a
spot at the left perhaps a hundred yards on. There was a great splotch
of dark there, large enough to hide a really formidable opponent; that
wordless communication between animal and man told Travis that such an
opponent was just what was lurking there.

Whatever lay in ambush beside the upper track was growing impatient as
its destined prey ceased to advance, the coyotes reported.

"Your left--beyond that pointed rock--in the big shadow--"

"Do you see it?" Tsoay demanded.

"No. But the _mba'a_ do."

The men had their bows ready, arrows set to the cords. But in this light
such weapons were practically useless unless the enemy moved into the
path of the moon.

"What is it?" Kaydessa asked in a half whisper.

"Something waits for us ahead."

Before he could stop her, she set her fingers to her lips and gave a
piercing whistle.

There was answering movement in the shadow. Travis shot at that, his
arrow followed instantly by one from Tsoay. There was a cry, scaling up
in a throat-scalding scream which made Travis flinch. Not because of
the sound, but because of the hint which lay behind it--could it have
been a human cry?

The thing flopped out into a patch of moonlight. It was four-limbed, its
body silvery--and it was large. But the worst was that it had been
groveling on all fours when it fell, and now it was rising on its hind
feet, one forepaw striking madly at the two arrows dancing head-deep in
its upper shoulder. Man? No! But something sufficiently manlike to chill
the three downtrail.

A whirling four-footed hunter dashed in, snapped at the creature's legs,
and it squalled again, aiming a blow with a forepaw; but the attacking
coyote was already gone. Together Naginlta and Nalik'ideyu were
harassing the creature, just as they had fought the split horn, giving
the hunters time to shoot. Travis, although he again felt that touch of
horror and disgust he could not account for, shot again.

Between them the Apaches must have sent a dozen arrows into the raving
beast before it went to its knees and Naginlta sprang for its throat.
Even then the coyote yelped and flinched, a bleeding gash across its
head from the raking talons of the dying thing. When it no longer moved,
Travis approached to