VIII.
An hour later he said: "I'm afraid we're lost good and proper."
"What do we then? Stay for the dawn?"
"We could, of course, though I don't like the idea with these hijackers hanging around." After further thought he added: "All we need to make things perfect is to be treed by a yeki."
As if in answer, a low roar came across the mountains. Fouri threw her arms around his neck. "I fear!"
"There, there." He patted her back. "It's many hoda away." Although he could have stood in that agreeable position all night, they had more urgent things to think of. "If I could only find that long ridge again, we could walk right down the top of it—I know, you hold Avvaü." No more letting his mount run loose for him!
He took off his sword belt, found a tree with low branches, and climbed. While it was hard going, especially since the trunk was smooth and the branches widely spaced, he nevertheless managed to raise himself eight or ten meters above the ground.
There were still only hills dotted with patches of woods and isolated trees, fitfully moonlit. Was that the missing spur? Couldn't be sure—
Then he snapped his attention to one thing—a little spark of light, far off, like a fifth-magnitude star. He strained his eyes, then remembered to look just to one side of it. Yes, there it was all right, twinkling like a star on a cold Earth night. That meant, prob-ably, a fire. The robbers?
He studied as much as he could see of the terrain, noted the position of the moon, and descended. "If we go over that way, we may run into trouble. On the other hand, if they're sitting around the fire, they probably won't see us if we're careful, and we should be able to find our road at least."
"Whatever my hero says."
Hasselborg's eyebrows went up with a jerk. So, he was a hero now? He set out again briskly, stopping from time to time to verify his direction. At the end of an hour's walk he could see the spot of light from ground level.
"We'll have to be very quiet," he whispered. "At least I know where I am now. Come on."
He began a big circle to the left of the fire, spiral-ing gradually closer to it. After another quarter-hour he halted at the top of a steep slope.
"Here's the road," he said. "The thing seems to go right towards our friends."
The fire was now out of sight. As they skidded down the slope and started along the road, Hassel-borg recognized the place as the slope up which he was walking the aya that afternoon when the idea of painting a sunset came to him. He dropped Fouri's hand and held his sword to keep it from clanking.
"Here's the buggy," he breathed.
He poked about it but found no sign of its having been tampered with. Up ahead, although the fire itself was invisible, he could see the light from it on trees over the crest of the rise.
"Hold the aya a minute," he said.
He left Fouri and walked slowly up the slope, crouching as he neared the top lest he blunder into the gang unawares. For the last few feet he lowered himself to hands and knees, then peered cautiously over.
Seven robbers stood or squatted about the fire, which had been built alongside the road. Two, crudely bandaged, sprawled in the dirt; the others ate in hasty gulps. Hasselborg could hear the snorts of their animals tethered nearby and the words:
"Why in the name of the stars didn't you—"
"Fool, how knew I you'd run off after—"
"You zeft! The caravan was no matter; we were being paid for the girl. All should have—"
"A fine thing—four slain, two hurt, one missing, and not a kard to show! The dasht can keep his gold for all—"
"Why slew you not the folk of the caravan? Then they'd not have taken courage and—"
"Ransoms, idiot—"
"… hasten, lest the soldiery find us—"
"… the dasht promised—"
"Ghuvoi the dasht! I think of the dour. 'Tis nigh his bourne—"
Hasselborg crept back and whispered: "If we hitch up quietly, we can drive right through them. Are you game to try? I don't think they'll follow us very far into the dour's dominions."
"Whatever you say."
They unsaddled the aya, jumping fearfully at every click of a buckle. Then they put its harness back on it, moving snail-slowly to avoid noise.
"Now," said Hasselborg when they had hitched Avvaü to the carriage, "can you drive?"
"Well enough."
"All right, take the reins. To get speed up fast, I'll have to run alongside and then swing aboard. When I say 'go', use the whip for all it's worth. Ready? Go!"
He reached in and snapped off the brakes as the whip whistled and crackled. The carriage shuddered, the wheels crunched, and dirt flew from the six hoofs of the outraged animal. Hasselborg, walking alongside with one hand on the carriage body, broke into a trot, then into a run, and then swung aboard.
"Give him the business!" he said. Hanging onto the dashboard with his left hand, he drew his sword with his right and leaned out.
As they topped the rise into the firelight, they picked up speed until they were hurtling at the group of men by the fire.
The minute they appeared, some of the robbers looked around at the noise. These jumped to their feet and reached for weapons as the vehicle bore down upon them. One held up a hand like a traffic cop and shouted, then leaped for dear life. Another stepped forward with a sword. Hasselborg thrust at him. His stroke was parried with a clang, and then they were through and thundering into the dark.
"They don't seem to be coming after us," said Hasselborg, leaning out of the buggy and looking to the rear. "I guess they were as badly scared as we were and didn't know their chosen victim was in this rig."
"What mean you, chosen victim?"
Hasselborg told her what he had overheard.
"That foul unha!" she cried. "Not satisfied with forcing me to flee his court, Jam hires cutthroats to kidnap me! I'll make him pay for this, the way Queen Nirizi made the jeweler pay for what he did."
Although Hasselborg would like to have known what drastic fate Queen Nirizi inflicted upon the jeweler, he had other things to occupy him at the moment. They passed the place where the caravan had been attacked. Aside from a brief glimpse of the ruins of the bishtar cart and a couple of unburied bodies, nothing remained.
Hasselborg said: "I think I see what happened. The bandits thought they had everything under control, and so they did until a couple of them tore away after that fellow who rode off on his aya, and some more came after us, which left only a couple guarding the prisoners. Seeing which, the prisoners grabbed up the weapons they'd just laid down and smote the robbers hip and thigh. When the others came back after hunting for us, the caravan was miles away, and they didn't dare follow it out of Jam's territory, since they'd bought their protection from him."
"Then my people may still live! We should catch them ere they reach Hershid, think you not?"
"Don't know; I'd have to scale it off on the map, and I don't know how accurate that is."
"Well then, will you take over the driving now?"
"In a minute." Hasselborg gave another look to the rear. The robbers' fire slid out of sight. A couple of miles more and he said: "Let's stop long enough to light the lanterns. This tearing around in the dark d la Ben Hur gives me the bleeps."
"Is that an expression in your native tongue? Surely my lord showed courage enough on that ride through the hills. I could have done nought without you, 0 man of might."
"Oh, I'm not so hot as all that," he said, fumbling with the lanterns and glad that she could not see his look of embarrassment. "In fact, the whole idea—" He was about to say that the whole idea of rescuing her had been a piece of irrational folly, which he would never have undertaken if he had stopped to think, but judged such a remark tactless. "There, now at least we shan't miss a turn and smash up."