es of the two young noblemen
accompanying Jotan?"

Tykol, his active mind racing, did not at once reply. It was clear these
men meant no good to any of Jotan's followers. His cue was to simulate a
certain amount of fear to satisfy them his answers were the truth until
he could discover exactly what was afoot.

Ekbar leaned forward and lifted his knife again. "Shall I give you a
second taste of this?" he growled.

Tykol appeared to flinch. "No," he mumbled. "I will tell you. Their
names are Javan and Tamar."

"How many men are with them?"

"Thirty-seven."

"You lie!" Ekbar snarled. "Fifty were in the party when it left Ammad."

The young captive digested this information quickly. It proved these men
were Ammadians like himself; how else could they have known that?

"I am not lying," he said sullenly. "Three nights ago lions attacked our
camp and killed and ate the others, wounding many of the rest of us."

* * * * *

Ekbar, remembering the bandages he had glimpsed while spying on the
camp, nodded to himself. It would make his task of wiping out the
balance of them that much easier.

"What positions do these two men hold in the line of march during the
day?" he demanded.

"Javan now marches at the head of the column."

The captain's head jerked up sharply. "Don't lie to me, you son of Gubo!
Jotan marches there; he is in charge of his men. There is no need for
you to attempt to shield him--he will be dead in a few hours!"

It was all Tykol needed. He knew now that he himself would not live to
see tomorrow's sun; and while the thought was sobering enough it did not
dim his determination to save the life of his beloved master.

And so Tykol threw back his head and laughed--laughed until a heavy blow
from the fist of Ekbar sent him sprawling. The captain gestured angrily
to the others to drag the youth upright again, then said:

"You laugh, fool. Does the thought of Jotan's death mean so little to
you?"

"That is not why I laugh," Tykol told him, grinning. "I laugh because no
act of yours can take his life--for he no longer has a life to take!"

Strong fingers twisted into the front of his tunic and jerked him
forward. "What do you mean? The truth, jackal, or I cut you in bits!"

Tykol appeared properly cowed. "The lions got him--as they got the noble
Tamar. It was terrible, I tell you! For hours they crouched just outside
the circle of fires while their roars filled the n