Part 20 (1/2)

They had left their jeeps on the roadway that passed above the village

So far as they knew, no one had seen them approach Now, perhaps a hundred feet above the cluster of huts, they sat at the edge of a terrace and waited for the moon to rise

Rick studied the landscape below His feet dangled over thirty feet of vertical wall He would have to make his way down that wall to the next terrace, and then down the next and the next until he ee level He would be verydown the three stone steps at home, except that he wasn't as sure-footed as an ant on vertical surfaces

Then, once the bottom was reached, they had to find Tony, free him, and take him up the terraces to the jeeps Rick shook his head They probably would have to fight every inch of the way, and there was no assurance that they wouldwood to a se coures Scotty moved closer to him ”We need a way to cover our retreat Any ideas?”

”No good ones We could station a couple of the gang to heave rocks down”

”That's probably as good as anything”

A shadowy figure approached, cli down the terraces froo see what he finds out”

Below, the fire was burningwood Apparently there was to be a large bonfire He groaned softly That ht to make their task harder

Chahda consulted with his friend for a few el, Pilipil, and Balaban were grouped at the rear of the terrace, waiting for instructions

”Dog Meat knohich hut Tony is in Has two guards Nangolat gone so up the fire?” Rick asked

”Not know I think better weMeat will take us to Tony We cut hiht our way back”

Suddenly they stiffened as a rhythel Manotok ao music,” he whispered ”I've heard it before The instrus_, like pans, suspended fro ready for some kind of ceremony down there”

”Then we'll wait,” Scotty said ”If they get started on some kind of ceremony, we may have a chance to reed, and Chahda nodded

They crouched on the edge of the terrace and watched as the fire belo into a roaring blaze Men and wo could be called music--were next to the fire

Then, the people fell back, and six an to dance It was a stiff, formal sort of dance with little body estures which Rick could not interpret, while the feet shuffled slowly in the dust

Scotty touched his shoulder ”Let's go Chahda, you, Rick, Dog Meat, and I will go Angel, Pilipil, and Balaban will stay here to cover our retreat Angel, you can use a rifle Have Pilipil and Balaban pry loose soment We don't want a war, but we don't want to lose our heads, either”

”How about our truck?” Rick asked

Chahda replied ”It is not here Nangolat took it We get Tony, then we take the road Nangolat took Dog Meat knows”

The fire was bright enough so Rick could see Dog Meat for the first tiorot was an older edition of Pilipil He wore only a breechcloth and the little pillbox hat in which he kept his no Meat went to the edge of the terrace and slipped over He climbed doith incredible swiftness Then Chahda followed Rick htly across his back, then followed His feet groped for toe holds in the rough stone wall of the terrace and found them without tooMeat or Chahda's He was painfully conscious that he was an excellent target Below, chanting voices joined the rhyth The sound of their descent would not be heard