dragon with
underslung lower jaw distended. The town of Highland Park clung to the
jutting land, and the Highland Bullring appeared as a white dot more
than four miles from where Catriona and Stonecypher stood. The
ringmaster's barge was a red rectangle skirting Russel Chapel Island.

Dan pulled the answer from the buzzing radioak. He walked over and held
the radiophoto an inch from Stonecypher's long nose. It read:

Request OK. Time: July 4. 3:47 pmest.

Two attached permits granted each duelist the privilege of carrying one
handgun with a capacity of not more than ten cartridges of not less
than .32 caliber. Below the permits appeared an additional message:

L. Dan due at Watauga Duelpen. 11:46 amest. For duel with J.
George.

"Government and Taxes!" Dan cursed. Throwing Stonecypher's permit, he
leaped into the green and gold butterflier and slammed the canopy. The
four wings of the semi-ornithopter blurred with motion, lifting the
craft into the sky. The forward wings locked with negative dihedral, the
rear wings angled to form a ruddevator, and the five-bladed propeller
whined, driving the butterflier in a shallow dive for the peninsula.

* * * * *

Catriona said, "Ah hope he's late, and they shoot him. Ah knew you'd
finally have to fight, but--"

"You keep out of it next time," said Stonecypher. "I happen to know that
feller's killed two women in the pen. He don't care for nothin'. Oughta
known better than to let him come here. He made out like he wanted a
guard dog, and I thought--"

"Nevah mind, Stony. Ah've got to help you. You nevah even fiahed a gun."

"Later, Cat. The ringmaster may want to stay for dinner. I'll look after
the mules."

Catriona touched Stonecypher's cheek and went to the house. Stonecypher
unharnessed the Appaloosa mules. While they rolled, he took, from an
empty hay rack, a rubber-tipped spear and a tattered cloth dummy. The
dummy's single arm terminated in a red flag.

Stonecypher concealed spear and dummy beneath the floor of the dog
house. Going to the paddock, he patted the bull between the horns, which
had been filed to a needle point. "Still goin' through with it?"
Stonecypher asked.

"Yaaaa," the bull lowed. "Yaooo kuhl Daan. Err'll kuhl uhhh kuhlerrs."

"All right, Moe. I'll kill Dan, and you kill the killers." Stonecypher
stroked the massive hemisphere of the bull's jaw. "Goodbye, Moe."

"Gooodba," the bull echoed. He l