### 247

You steady yourself by wedging your foot firmly between the guide ropes of the bridge, and then you draw an Arrow to your Bow and let it fly at the bandit axeman. It strikes his axe below the blade and splits the wooden haft in two. The bandit shrieks with alarm, drops his shattered weapon, and then flees into the jungle as fast as his skinny legs will carry him. His confederates quickly lose their nerve when they see you reaching for a second Arrow and they, too, turn tail and disappear into the trees.

Suddenly you glimpse a face peering out from the crevice in the gorge. You spin around and release your second Arrow, sending it whistling towards the startled eyes of the bandit who is pulling the rope attached to the underside of the bridge. He dodges back into the darkness and your shaft shatters harmlessly against the rocks, but in his panic to avoid your Arrow he accidentally lets the rope slip from his hands.

As the floor of the bridge ceases to sway, you quickly remount your horse and coax him across to the far side. The bandit’s angry voice echoes through the gorge as you make good your escape along the jungle trail that continues beyond the bridge.

Turn to 205.