 A twig snapped in the darkness, and the dark figure of a man darted across a small clearing. Mason moved silently in pursuit, stalking the man as he would a wild animal, striving to drive him into the trap. On opposite shores of the river, the seconds waited for the sound of gunfire that would tell them that the battle had begun. They imagined the tense excitement of the two enemies, the breathless wait for a sound, the expectation of a death shot.