He had dismounted. Fumbling under his cloak, he brought out something that glinted oddly in the starlight.
Then Nelson glimpsed what it was — the hoop of platinum with the two quartz disks mounted on it, that odd ornament or instrument which had sparked the treasure-lure of their quest.
"What the—!" Sloan exploded harshly. "If there's danger, we've no time to waste here!"
"Wait!" commanded Shan Kar. "Wait and be silent! All depends on whether I can contact my friends!" He had put the platinum hoop upon his head like a crown. He crouched, his strange headgear glistening vaguely.
Nelson felt incredulous wonder. What was Shan Kar doing with the odd thing? What was it?
Chapter IV
HIDDEN LAND
The moon was rising. As it gleamed above the mountains east of them, its lambent light poured down into the dark forest of the gorge like quicksilver trickling through a sieve.
Shan Kar remained crouched as a pool of the vague light widened around him. The little quartz disks on the headpiece of platinum he wore caught the light and shone brilliantly. The man's olive face was taut, his eyes stared, unseeing, into the darkness.
"What is it? What has happened now?" came Li Kin's anxious voice from the darkness.