Ko was still sitting. He had one hand pressed to his side.
The Tibetans were groping for their prisoners. Rick grinned. He aimed at the stone under their feet and fired. There was a chorus of yells. He levered another cartridge into the chamber and fired again.
The Tibetans fled, charging blindly toward the cave openings beyond the tents.
Long Shadow kept yelling orders, groping around in the blackness, but the Tibetans paid no attention. They reached the back wall of the cave. Two of them went headlong into openings. Others crashed into the walls, fell, crawled sideways, scrambling until they found the openings they so frantically sought.
Long Shadow's voice could be heard screaming in fury for his men to come back.
He couldn't see, as Rick could, that they were all now in the caves behind their leader.
Finally, giving up, Long Shadow started for safety himself.
It would never do to allow the thin man to get away, Rick thought. He wanted Long Shadow. He and his companions had questions to ask him, and they needed him to get them out of the Caves of Fear. He sighted carefully at the long legs that were feeling their way toward the back wall. He fired.
Long Shadow stumbled headlong, then he started to crawl. Rick stood up and yelled. "Gang! Get Long Shadow!"
His words echoed eerily through the cave.