Everything happened at once. The girl took up a prolonged bout of screaming, tugging at the blanket to cover her quaking body, Wide Eagle kicking and twisting in a wild, desperate effort to free himself from the cords which bound him to the post. And Mason, whirling around, eyes wide, mouth open, scanning the horizon, the distant hillside. Nothing moved, no tell-tale flash of a muzzle, no glint from metal, Nevertheless Mason fired off round after round from his revolver, careless of where he shot, hopeful he might hit the unknown, invisible assailant.
Six shots rang out across the open plain, but nothing stirred, no sign of any living thing. Mason quickly tossed away his spent handgun and delved into the shoulder bag for another. He cursed, checking each cylinder, and realized several wer
