Putting doubt aside, I ascended the mound as quietly as I could. I knew the terrain from playing on these hills as a child, so I had no difficulty finding my way in the darkness. After searching the summit for five minutes, I virtually stumbled over the man. I went into a crouch, amazed my carelessness had not alerted him. He lay prone, stretched out so that his head was right at the peak of the hill. He was motionless.
I put down my empty rifle and dropped to all fours, creeping so close I could have put out my hand and touched the man’s shoulder. Had he fallen asleep? Perhaps, but I picked up a suspicious odor. I leapt astride his back, prepared to hold him until Crow arrived. But there was no need for his help. The man made no resistance. The smell sharpened into that of blood and urin
