"They're down, needless to say."

"Wayness?"

"They're down."

"And mine are down."

Without further ado Julian jumped to the ground, followed by Milo. Glawen remained in his saddle, perplexed by the conduct of his hunter, which had not become quiet.

Julian walked in front of his bunter, Albers, who instantly emitted a terrible squeal and, bounding forward, kicked Julian. Glawen seized his gun; at the same time his own mount uttered a cry so shrill and piercing that it seemed to defeat the sense of hearing. It reared high on its back legs, throwing Glawen to the ground. Blowing great bubbles of froth from its proboscis the bunter hurled itself on Milo, kicking and stamping and pounding. Then it seized Milo and tossed him high into the air.

Glawen, dazed by the fall, twisted around and fired his gun, to blow away Albers' head. His own mount, turning away from Milo, once p again rose squealing on its hind legs, peering down at Glawen while flailing the air with its other legs in an odd dance of triumph and hatred. Kneeling and sick with horror, Glawen fired the gun, again and again. Explosive pellets mangled the hunter's interior and blew away its head; for a moment it stood erect then toppled ponderously to the ground.

Wayness, crying and sobbing, was trying to jump down from the saddle, in order to run to Milo. Glawen yelled: "Don't move! Stay where you are! You can't help him."

He cautiously advanced on the remaining two hunters, those ridden by Milo and Wayness. The blinders properly covered their eyes; they stood quivering with repressed passion, but, unable to see, could not move.

Glawen told Wayness: "Be ready with the gun, but don't come down to the ground."

Julian lay white-faced and moaning, his legs twisted away from his pelvis at strange angles. He gazed up at Glawen:

"You did this to me! You arranged it all!"

Glawen said: "Try to relax. I'll get help as soon as I can."

He went to look down at Milo, who was clearly dead. Then he stumbled to Wayness' burner and called the lodge by the emergency radio.

In his first hurried call to Bodwyn Wook Glawen had imparted only essential facts. Bodwyn Wook dispatched Ysel Laverty and a team of investigators to Mad Mountain Lodge, then returned a call to Glawen, who reported the circumstances at greater length.

"I have dozens of suspicions," said Glawen.

"I'm sure of nothing. Julian's conduct is especially ambiguous. He went out to the stables and talked politics with Orreduc and his helpers. Julian admitted celebrating the virtues of himself and the LPF and no doubt identified the rest of us as flagrant Chartists and aristocrats, anxious to tyrannize the Yips, and send them off to the Great Spiral Nebula. I don't see how he could have arranged the bunter attack, especially since he was first off his mount and the first to be hurt."

"The plan might have gone wrong. But I am not clear as to his motive."

"It's not overwhelming. He disliked both Milo and me to the point of detestation. At this time he probably included Wayness in his circle of enemies; she had just broken off what he thought to be a definite understanding. Julian was in a black mood, no doubt as to that. A murderous mood?

Probably not. But the event would not have occurred if Julian had not incited the Yips and set the wheels in motion."

"You are inclined, then, to exculpate Julian."

"I seesaw back and forth in my thinking. It seems absurd to believe that Julian plotted with Orreduc. On the other hand, when we went

to the stables, Julian made a great point of selecting the bunter with the green saddle, whom he named Albers. I wondered at the time what was going on. Whatever the case, Albers proved faithless and savaged Julian without hesitation.

"Conceivably the plot might have called for Julian to jump down from Albers, then jump back aboard and ride off while the rest of us were being trampled and tossed, and for a fact he took Albers some distance apart before he dismounted. If this were the plot, Orreduc swindled Julian.

Why? I doubt if Orreduc will tell us. Perhaps to eliminate a possible accuser, if things went wrong. More likely because he cared not a fig for the LPF and here was a chance to kill four bad woskers at a single swipe, including one who used big words and wore a white hat. I might note that Julian accused me of arranging his injury a strange thing to say unless the idea was already in his mind."

"Interesting but inconclusive," said Bodwyn Wook.

"What were you telling me in connection with the blinders?"

"They are proof, definite and final, that Orreduc premeditated the murder. The blinders were slit and the seams loosened. This morning they were carefully wedged in place over the eyes so that they seemed in good condition.

But once raised and then lowered, they would flap wide open and the bunter would have a clear view ahead. If we all had ajighted together and all of the blinders had failed, we would all have been killed. The burners would have run away and the verdict would have been 'an accident."

"But two of the blinders, on the beasts ridden by Milo and Wayness, failed to unfold. I was able to shoot the other two and except for Milo, we're alive today.

"Also, to make the scheme even nastier, I'm sure that the burners were not properly prepared for riding, which incriminates the assistants as well. I think that the burners were teased and infuriated, then blindered and brought out in a state of total rage."

"I've sent up a pair of biologists," said Bodwyn Wook.

"They will give us a definite answer. Where is Orreduc now?"

"In the manager's office, looking glum. After I called you, I went out to the stables and told Orreduc that there had been a serious accident. I brought him to the lodge, so that he and his assistants could not cook up a joint story, in case they had not done so already. I asked Orreduc if he owned a gun, and he said no. But I searched him and found that he was carrying a handgun. I asked why he had misinformed me; he said that the gun belonged to the stable and was not his personal property. The manager is now keeping an eye on him."

"Perhaps Orreduc will reveal what part, if any, Julian played in the affair. Otherwise, conspiracy will be impossible to prove. Now, then:

I have been in touch with the Conservator and Dame Cora. The girl had already called them from the lodge. How is she bearing up?"

"She is sitting quietly, doing nothing. I think she feels she's living a bad dream and wants to wake up."

"The team should be arriving at any minute, and also transport for Julian and the body. The girl, I expect, will want to return as well. Captain Laverty will be in charge;

give him what help he needs and then you can come home too."

Glawen went to Wayness' room and knocked.

"It's Glawen."

"Come in."

Wayness sat on the couch, looking out the window. Glawen went to sit beside her. He put his arms around her and hugged her close. At last Wayness began to cry. After a few moments Glawen said: "It wasn't an accident. Orreduc had cut the leather of the blinders so that they fell open. He hoped that we'd all be killed."

"Why should he do such a thing? I can't understand it."

"He'll be questioned. Perhaps he'll explain. Julian might have told him that we were here to phase him and his helpers out of their jobs. Julian surely identified us as Chartists of full stripe."

Wayness huddled close to him.

"What an awful place this is!"

"There won't be any more Yips and no more bunters," said Glawen.

Wayness straightened up and combed her hair with her fingers.

"It's foolish to waste time in vain regrets, and yet " Once again she started to cry.