This he proved able to do. It was fortunate that Nick had been able to keep awake, for Swift’s men did not announce their coming. They simply came.
They were unarmed, rather to Nick’s surprise, but they approached the hut door without hesitation, almost as though they expected him to stand aside for them. When he didn’t, they stopped, the foremost half a spear’s length away. He may have intended to say something, but Nick spoke first.
“What do you want? My friends are all wounded and can’t help you. There is no room in the hut. Go to the others, if you want shelter.”
“Swift sent us for wood.” It was a calm statement, with no “or else” concealed in it, as far as Nick could tell by the tone.
“I have only enough to keep my own fire going for the night. You will have to use the other piles.”
“They are used up.”
“That isn’t my fault. You know that wood burns up hi a fire; you shouldn’t have put so much on.”
“You didn’t tell us that. Swift says that you should therefore give us your own wood, which we saw you taking, and tell us how much to use.”
It was evident that the chief had seen through at least part of Nick’s scheme, but there was nothing to do now but carry it through.
“As I said, I have only enough for this fire,” he said. “I shall not give it up; I need it for myself and my friends.”
Very much to his surprise, the fellow retreated without further words. Apparently he had gone as far as his orders extended, and was going back for more. Initiative did not flourish under Swift’s rule.
Nick watched the group as it rejoined the main crowd and began to push its way through to the chief. Then he turned and nudged Jim.
“Better get up, you and Nancy,” he whispered. “Swift can’t let this go. I’ll fight as well as I can; you keep me in ammunition.”
“What do you mean?” Nancy’s thoughts were less swift than usual.
“I can’t fight them with axes; they’d be through in two minutes. I’m tired and slow. I’m going to use torches— remember what it feels like to be burned? They don’t; I warned them about it when I was at their village, and they were always very careful, so none of them has any real experience. They’re going to get it now!”
The other two were on their feet by this time. “All right,” agreed Jim. “We’ll light torches and pass them to you whenever you call. Are you going to poke with the things, or throw them? I never thought of fighting that way.”
“Neither did I, until now. I’ll try poking first, so give me long ones. If I decide to throw, I’ll call for really short ones—we don’t want them throwing the things back at us, and they will if there’s enough to hold on to. They’re not too stupid for that—not by a long day’s journey!”
Jim and Nancy gestured agreement and understanding, and turned to the piles of firewood that almost covered the floor. The fire was burning quite close to the doorway; Nick took his stand once more in the opening, and the other two on either side of the blaze, where they could hand torches to him as rapidly as he might need. Everything was ready when the party returned to the hut.
It was a little larger this time; Swift himself had joined it. They approached to within half a dozen yards, and spoke briefly and to the point.
“If you don’t let us in to get the wood, my knives will take care of you. You have seen what I mean.”
“I have seen,” acknowledged Nick. “That’s why I want nothing to do with you. If you come any closer, it is at your own risk.”
He had never before seen Swift hesitant or uncertain, but for just a moment now the chief seemed to be running over the implications of Nick’s words. Then he was himself again.
“Very well,” he said, and swept forward with four spears couched along his forearms.
Nick’s battle plan had to be scrapped at the beginning; the spears were longer than his torches. He did succeed in striking their points aside before they touched him, but he could not reach Swift even with the spears out of the way. His hatred of the chief paralyzed his judgment for an instant, and he hurled both his left-hand torches at the giant’s chest.
Swift ducked, barely in time. Those behind him were in a close-packed wedge whose central members were unable to dodge quickly enough, and howls of pain arose in several voices as the torches struck and scattered burning coals in all directions. The chief ducked backward to just beyond spear’s length, resuming his attack stance.
“Half circle!” he snapped. The warriors obeyed with speed and precision, forming a thin line centered on Nick. “Now, all at once—get him!” The semicircle contracted, and the spear points came toward the door.
Nick was not too alarmed. None of the attackers was in a position to deliver the upward thrust which would get under scales; stone points were more likely to push him back than to penetrate. If he were pushed back against anything solid, of course, it would be a different story; the real danger at the moment, though, was that several of the fighters would get within knife range at once, and so occupy him that a spearsman could get close enough for long enough to strike from below. For just an instant he hesitated, wondering whether he should throw or strike; then he made up his mind.
“Short ones!” he ordered to the helpers behind him.
Nancy already had several foot-long sticks with their ends in the fire; she had them in his hands instantly, and was lighting others. For perhaps ten seconds Nick did his best to emulate a machine gun. More than half his projectiles missed, but a good many didn’t; and after the first three or four seconds another factor complicated the fight. Still burning torches and fragments of glowing wood were being more and more thickly scattered before the doorway, and the attackers were getting involved with these. Feet were even more sensitive to the fire than were scales, and the effect was distracting, to put it mildly. Swift, to do him justice, stayed with his men and fought as hard as any; but at length even he had had enough and withdrew a few yards, limping slightly. Nick laughed aloud as he went.
“Better get your own firewood, Swift, my friend! Of course you won’t find any within an hour’s walk of the village; we’ve used it up long ago. Even if you know where the best places to get it are, you won’t be able to get there and back through the rain. You needn’t worry, though; we’ll take care of you when you go to sleep. I wouldn’t want anything to eat you, friend Swift!”
It was almost funny to watch Swift’s fury. His hands tightened on the spear shafts, and he rose to full height on his walking legs, shaking all over with rage. For several seconds it seemed an even bet whether he would hurl the spears or charge the door across the scattered coals. Nick was perfectly ready for either, but was hoping for the latter; the mental picture of Swift with burned feet was! a very attractive one.
But the chief did neither. In the midst of his fury he suddenly relaxed, and the spear points dropped as though he had forgotten them for a moment. Then he shifted the j weapons backward until he was holding them near their j centers of gravity, in “carry” position, and turned away from the hut. Then, seemingly as an afterthought, he turned back and spoke to Nick.
“Thanks, Chopper. I didn’t expect that much help. I’d better say good-bye, now; and so had you—to your i Teacher.”
“But—you can’t travel at night.”
“Why not? You did.”
“But how about Fagin? How do you know he can?”
“You told me he could do anything you could. You also said he’d agree to do what we said. If he forgets that, or changes his mind, we can thank you for showing us what to do. Do you suppose he’ll like the touch of fire any better than we do?” Swift chuckled and strode swiftly back to the main group, bawling orders as he went. Nick began shouting at least as loudly.