— 10 —
One full burst from the M‑16 did the trick. The bandits had already seen a star weapon in action and thought they were prepared for its effects. But they'd never seen a full automatic burst before. It was more than any of them could stand against.
As the first two fell, the remainder hesitated. That's all Nelson needed. He slung the rifle and brought the horse around in a sharp turn, drawing his knife at the same time. A slash across the throat killed one man outright, and with the same motion Nelson stabbed the adjacent man in the eye. The stunned assailant fell with the knife still in him.
From that point on it was easy. Nelson's horse became a weapon, shielding him from the majority of the bandits while he used the M‑16 to shoot or bash the one nearest him. When they finally decided they'd had enough, the bandits left six dead on or by the path.
Nelson fired a parting burst after the fleeing ones. He was pretty sure now that most of the band were dead; altogether, he'd killed ten today, and if they had many more, they would have attacked in greater force. Besides, Critos was no fool. He'd think for a while before trying an attack against star weapons again.
Nelson retrieved his mule and rode on until full dark. Then he set up his camp with the usual boobytraps and alarms and fell asleep, cradling his M‑16.
Go to section 12.