"Wait," Ri begged, fighting off the rope with his hands. "You don't
want to use me, sir. Not after I told you.... Please, sir. If anything
should happen to me.... Please, sir. Don't do it."
"Tie it," Extrone ordered.
"No, sir. Please. Oh, _please_ don't, sir."
"Tie it," Extrone said inexorably.
Lin bent with the rope; his face was colorless.
* * * * *
They were at the watering hole--Extrone, Lin, two bearers, and Ri.
Since the hole was drying, the left, partially exposed bank was steep
toward the muddy water. Upon it was green, new grass, tender-tuffed,
half mashed in places by heavy animal treads. It was there that they
staked him out, tying the free end of the rope tightly around the base
of a scaling tree.
"You will scream," Extrone instructed. With his rifle, he pointed
across the water hole. "The farn beast will come from this direction, I
imagine."
Ri was almost slobbering in fear.
"Let me hear you scream," Extrone said.
Ri moaned weakly.
"You'll have to do better than that." Extrone inclined his head toward
a bearer, who used something Ri couldn't see.
Ri screamed.
"See that you keep it up that way," Extrone said. "That's the way I
want you to sound." He turned toward Lin. "We can climb this tree, I
think."
Slowly, aided by the bearers, the two men climbed the tree, bark
peeling away from under their rough boots. Ri watched them hopelessly.
Once at the crotch, Extrone settled down, holding the rifle at alert.
Lin moved to the left, out on the main branch, rested in a smaller
crotch.
Looking down, Extrone said, "Scream!" Then, to Lin, "You feel the
excitement? It's always in the air like this at a hunt."
"I feel it," Lin said.