"Lie flat," Zircon ordered.
There was the sound of ripping cloth. Zircon grunted. "Hmmmm."
Ko moaned. "I wish to go to my ancestors alone."
"You're not going to your ancestors," Zircon replied scornfully. "I doubt that they'd have you. In case you're interested, Rick's bullet merely plowed a nice, round hole through some of the fat on your right side. You haven't even lost enough blood to make the wound interesting."
Ko's voice was suddenly animated. "Are you sure?"
"Quite sure. No, don't try to get up. Stay where you are. If you try to run I'll order our seeing-eye marksman to finish the job." Zircon continued, "Rick, Scotty, Chahda. Stay where you are. I saw some torches stacked in one of the tents. I'll get them and be right back."
The three boys assured him that they wouldn't move. Rick, for one, had no intention of prowling about in the blackness.
While they waited, Scotty asked, "What happened to you, Rick?"
Rick hesitated. He couldn't give an adequate account of what he had experienced during the recent hours. Or was it weeks? He summed it up. "After we got separated, I couldn't find you again. I wandered around. Then I sat down in a big cave and fell asleep. When I woke, there was a Tibetan with a candle. I followed him to a boat landing, slugged him, and rowed across the lake. He's waiting, tied up, across the lake at the spot from where I fired. How about you?"
"We look for you," Chahda said. "We look a long time, and almost get lost ourself."