her to a small tree, and
she strove incessantly to free herself, turning her head at an acute and
painful angle, only to face the same direction in which she had been
tied. There was no breaking the spell which held her. And she would soon
wear herself out with that struggling. Then he struck an expert blow.

The girl sagged limply, and he untied her. It all depended now on the
range of the beam or broadcast of that diabolical machine. From the
attitude of the coyotes, he assumed that those using the machine had not
made any attempt to come close. They might not even know where their
quarry was; they would simply sit and wait in the foothills for the
caller to reel in a helpless captive.

Travis thought that if he moved Kaydessa farther away from that point,
sooner or later they would be out of range and she would awake from the
knockout, free again. Although she was not light, he could manage to
carry her for a while. So burdened, Travis started on, with the coyotes
scouting ahead.

He speedily discovered that he had set himself an ambitious task. The
going was rough, and carrying the girl reduced his advance to a
snail-paced crawl. But it gave him time to make careful plans.

As long as the Reds held the balance of power on this side of the
mountain range, the rancheria was in danger. Bows and knives against
modern armament was no contest at all. And it would only be a matter of
time before exploration on the part of the northern settlement--or some
tracking down of Tatar fugitives--would bring the enemy across the pass.

The Apaches could move farther south into the unknown continent below
the wrecked ship, thus prolonging the time before they were discovered.
But that would only postpone the inevitable showdown. Whether Travis
could make his clan believe that, was also a matter of concern.

On the other hand, if the Red overlords could be met in some practical
way.... Travis' mind fastened on that more attractive idea, worrying it
as Naginlta worried a prey, tearing out and devouring the more delicate
portions. Every bit of sense and prudence argued against such an
approach, whose success could rest only between improbability and
impossibility; yet that was the direction in which he longed to move.

Across his shoulder Kaydessa stirred and moaned. The Apache doubled his
efforts to reach the outcrop of rock he could see ahead, chiseled into
high relief by the winds. In its lee they would have protection from a