ing low, shot it over the
saucer's edge. He waited long moments, but nothing happened. Had the men
who attacked them still been in the woods below, they certainly would
have fired at the tempting target.

"Bring that light here, will you, professor?" Rick called. "Something
hit me in the eye awhile back." He tried to keep the concern out of his
voice. Had he been blinded in that eye?

Scotty and the professor hurried to him in some concern. Zircon shot the
light into his face and he blinked with his good eye.

"Good heavens," Zircon said softly. Then, on closer examination, he
sighed with relief. "A scratch, just below the eyebrow. The eye itself
isn't damaged. Scotty, find the first-aid kit, please? We'll have this
cleaned up in a jiffy."

While Scotty held the light, Zircon cleaned the wound and washed the
blood from Rick's eye. Then, in the midst of the operation, there was a
metallic clang from where Sing stood guard.

Scotty flashed the light over in time for them to see Worthington Ko
stretch limply on the ground. Sing's smile flashed. "He was waking up. I
didn't want to bother you, so I made him sleep some more."

Rick had to chuckle. Their efficient guide had bashed Ko with his frying
pan.

Zircon completed giving Rick first aid. "That's clotting nicely, Rick."
He cut a tiny piece of sterile gauze and affixed it with a bit of tape.
"There you are. Good as new by morning. I suspect that a chip of stone
must have struck you."

Rick tested the action of his eyelid on that side. The gauze felt ten
times as big as it actually was, but it was all right. "Thanks,
professor," he said. "Now, let's take a look at our captive."

Worthington Ko's slumber, induced by Sing's mighty frying pan, was not
very deep. A cupful of water in the face brought him around readily
enough and he peered up at the Americans. He had lost his glasses in the
shuffle, and without them there was no doubt that he had one glass eye.
He peered balefully from the good one.

"What," he demanded, "is the meaning of this?"

"We might ask the same," Zircon stated, "except that we can assume that
you sponsored the attack on us. What we want to know is, why?"

Ko snorted indignantly. "Nonsense! I was coming to your aid, having made
my way through that mob of Tibetan bandits." He rubbed his head. "And
then someone struck me."

"Were you going to use that grenade as a calling card?" Rick asked
caustically.

Ko opened his mouth to speak, but