He moved forward more quickly now. The land still probed at him with a hundred razor-sharp fingers, but he was out of Masterson’s line of vision and he could proceed without caution. Slowly he got to his feet and began running in a wide arc, circling around the boulders, heading for the side of the cliff. He smiled as he heard Dr. Perry speaking. Filibuster. Good old American filibuster. A filibuster in the Age of Reptiles. The thought amused him, but he was not forgetting the task that lay ahead of him.
* * * *“I’ll send Gardel over first.”
“I’m listening.”
“When Gardel gets there, Masterson, you’ll send Denise to us. Then I’ll come over to you.”
“That’s rather shrewd, Dr. Perry, but I don’t like it.”
“Why not?”
“What’s to prevent you from getting Denise and then not coming over to me yourself?”
“The thought hadn’t even entered my mind.”
“I’ll bet it hadn’t, Dr. Perry. Do you take me for a fool?”
“I give you my word of honor. As soon as Denise is safely here, I shall start across to you.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t like the arrangement.”
“Don’t you trust me, Masterson?”
“I do not trust anyone, Doctor.”
“Well, what’s your suggestion, then?”
* * * *The ground swelled upward to become a ring of boulders that ran around the side of the cliff. Chuck studied the boulders for a moment, pausing to catch his breath. And then he started to climb. Mounting the boulders was not too difficult, and he accomplished it with ease. Now only the cliff lay above him. Fifty feet up its side was a narrow ledge from which he could get a clear shot at Masterson if the situation was pressed that far. He hoped it wouldn’t be. The .45 was heavy on his waist as he reached for his first foothold on the sloping side of the cliff.
* * * *“Hello, Masterson?”
“I’m still here.”
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“I’m thinking.”
“Suppose you send Denise over first? Then when she’s here, Gardel and I can come over together.”
“Do you take me for an idiot?”
“Why? The idea sounds reasonable, Masterson.”
“To you, perhaps. But you’re four men there, and Gardel is only one. How do I know you won’t jump him as soon as the girl is in your camp?”
“We wouldn’t do that, Masterson.”
“How do I know you won’t?”
“You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
“In fact, Doctor, how do I know that Gardel isn’t bound and gagged right this minute? How do I know this isn’t just a trick to get the girl back to you?”
“That would be foolish, Masterson. You’d still have Dr. Dumar with you. You’d still have one hostage.”
“Let me see Gardel. Have him step out from behind the rock!”
* * * *He was almost to the ledge. His heart gave a vicious leap when he heard Masterson’s last request. He hadn’t counted on that. He hadn’t even considered it when forming his plan. He kept climbing, reaching for shrubs that jutted from the rocky side, tearing at the slope with grasping fingers. Ten feet. Ten more feet. Seven feet. He could see the rock far below him, with Arthur and Pete sprawled behind it. Dr. Ferry yanked Gardel to his feet and pulled the gaunt man with him out into the open. Arthurs rifle swung around slowly, pointed at the back of Gardel’s head. Five more feet.
* * * *“Here he is, Masterson.”
“Hello, Brock!”
“H-h-hello, Dirk.”
“What do you think, Brock? Shall I trust them? How does their plan sound to you?”
“I… I don’t know, Dirk.”
