109

‘I count six of them … and a truck,’ says Rickenbacker, as he peers through the dirty windshield at the distant bridge.

‘They’re from Yuma,’ offers Cookie. ‘Puma scouts. Probably part of the group that came lookin’ for me.’

Carefully you assess the situation. A frontal attack on the bridge could prove costly, and the long whiplash aerial that you see fixed to the clansmen’s pick-up can only mean that they are in contact with their base at Yuma. It would not take very long for their leader, Pentagon, to send reinforcements if the scouts radioed that they were under attack. The foul, black waters of the Gila River may look uninviting, but at least they are shallow and fordable, and it would be easy for you to circle around this bridge in the pick-up and cross further upstream, where you could not be seen. However, no matter how shallow the water, the convoy’s buses would never make it. No, the only way the convoy is going to reach the Imperial Reservoir is by crossing here at this bridge.

Rickenbacker, who has been given a transceiver by Pop Ewell, radios the convoy to inform them of the situation. At once they suspect that Cookie is trying to lead you into a trap. He denies the charge, and in order to prove his good intent, he offers to try to lure the clansmen away from the bridge.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 252.

If the number is 5–9, turn to 114.