Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child

Za took the blazing branch. 'You will wait here.'

'We'll come out with you.'

'No. You will wait here!'

Holding the blazing branch high above him, Za went through the tunnel.

Angrily Ian watched him go. 'Why can't we go with him?'

'It might be safer in here,' said the Doctor. 'Let him go, Chesterton, let him go. Let him show the Tribe fire, establish his leadership. Then he'll set us free.'

The chanting came to an instant halt when Za marched out of the cave bearing his blazing torch.

He advanced on the circle of warriors, and they shrank fearfully back. Za held out the torch. 'Fire!'

Horg stretched out his hand to the flames, and nodded reverently.

Za looked challengingly around the circle. 'Kal is dead. I give you fire. I am the leader.'

Horg bowed his head. 'Yes. You are the leader.'

'We shall give food and water to the new tribe in the cave of skulls,' ordered Za.

'There is no meat.'

Za looked at the rising sun. 'I shall go into the forest and bring back meat.'

Horg licked his lips hungrily. 'Yes. I remember how well the meat and the fire join together.'

'We shall join them again. Guard the new tribe well. They must be here when I get back. The rest of you gather wood. We shall keep the fire alive in the great cave.'

Za handed the blazing branch to Horg, and headed for the forest.

Hur watched him go, her eyes shining with pride. 'Bring fruit and water,' she ordered. 'I must feed the new tribe - as Za, the leader, commands.'

Inside the cave of skulls, the wait seemed endless. 'It didn't work,' said Ian. 'He's going to keep us here.'

'Someone's coming,' called Susan.

Hur came into the cave carrying fruit wrapped in a piece of skin.

'Look, what's going on?' demanded Ian. 'Why are we being kept here?'

Hur put the fruit down by the fire. 'Za has gone into the forest to hunt. Later there will be meat for you.'

'Why can't we go outside?' asked Barbara. 'Please let us go out,' pleaded Susan. 'It's terrible in here.'

'Za has ordered that you stay. Za is the leader.'

'But we helped you! We even gave you fire.'

'Yes, we have fire now,' said Hur flatly.

Hur started to move away, but Barbara caught her by the arm.

'How long have we got to stay in here? How long must we stay with you?'

'Forever,' said Hur simply. Pulling herself free, she turned and left the cave.

'We have fire now,' mimicked Ian bitterly. 'Yes, and I was the one who gave it to them - like a fool. I should have waited, bargained with them...'

'Don't worry, my boy, you did the right thing,' said the Doctor.

'The only possible thing.'

Barbara nodded. 'At least we're still alive. We'd have been sacrificed by now if we hadn't given them fire.'

Susan looked round the gloomy cave. The light from the little fire played eerily on the shattered skulls.

'Forever,' she whispered. 'You heard what she said. They're going to keep us here forever...'

12

Escape into Danger

Ian Chesterton woke out of a nightmare-haunted sleep, to find that the nightmare was real. He was still in the cave of skulls.

Barbara was shaking him gently by the shoulder. 'Ian, wake up.

You've slept most of the day. The Doctor says it'll be dark again soon.'

Ian sat up and looked around. Susan and Barbara were sitting beside him, and the Doctor was adding branches to the fire.

'They've brought us some meat,' said Susan. 'I think it's supposed to be cooked.' She pointed to a leaf on which were a few chunks of charred and bloody meat.

'There's some water too,' said Barbara, 'in a kind of hollow stone. We saved you some.'

'All the comforts of home, eh?'

She passed Ian a kind of natural stone bowl, and he sipped the water thirstily. 'I don't think I'll bother with the meat.'

'I shouldn't,' said Barbara. 'It isn't very nice.' Ian looked at the Doctor, who sat gazing blankly into the fire. He looked tired and dispirited.

They heard movement from the back of the cave.

Za appeared from the gloom. He marched up to the fire and stood looking down at them. 'You have meat now.'

No one answered.

'The animal was strong and hard to kill, but I killed it. Now there is meat for all the Tribe. The meat is good.'

More silence.

'They have brought you fruit and water in a hollow stone.' Za looked down. 'Is this the stone?'

'He's trying to make conversation,' thought Barbara hysterically.

Za seemed puzzled, almost hurt by their lack of response. 'Has anyone hurt you?'

The Doctor raised his head. 'When are you going to let us go?'

'You will stay here,' said Za flatly. 'I have the thing that you made, but I do not know if it will make fire for me. It will be best if your tribe and my Tribe join together - forever.'

'No,' shouted Ian angrily. 'We want to leave here!'

'Why? The cave is warm and dry. We will bring you food and water and wood to feed the fire. There is no better place on the other side of the mountains.' Menacingly, Za raised his axe. 'Do not try to leave here - or you will die!'

He turned and strode from the cave.

Ian found a sharp stick, speared a piece of meat, looked at it in disgust and pitched it into the fire, where it sizzled angrily.

The Doctor said moodily. 'Fire! Fire is still the answer, somehow, I'm sure of it. They revere it! If only we could use it to frighten them in some way.' He kicked moodily at a skull at his feet.

It rolled into the fire, sat there, grinning at him.

'Look at that skull, grandfather,' said Susan fearfully. 'It looks almost alive.'

Inside the empty eye-sockets of the skull, little flames flickered like glaring eyes.

Ian looked at the skull, and then jumped to his feet. 'Not alive, Susan - dead! Get me some pieces of wood, will you? We're going to make some torches - we can use the fat from the meat. Doctor, see if you can find me four skulls, not too badly bashed up.'

'What happens then?' asked Susan.

'Then to all intents and purposes, we're going to be dead. Just like that skull!'

Ian pointed to the fast-blackening skull in the heart of the fire.

The Tribe was having a great feast that night, sitting round the huge fire that roared at the mouth of the main cave. They crowded around it, roasting chunks of bloody meat on the end of sticks, thrusting them into their mouths when they were no more than charred. Children munched and played in the circle of firelight. Their mothers looked on, with no fear that the beasts from the forest would snatch them away.

Za sat in the place of honour, flanked by Hur on one side, Horg on the other. He looked proudly around his Tribe. They were warm, well fed, and safe - and he was their chief.

Suddenly there came a terrible cry of fear and a Tribesman ran into the circle of firelight.

Za jumped to his feet in anger. 'You were told to guard the strangers. Why are you here?'

The man was almost sobbing with fear. 'I was waiting outside the tunnel when I heard the stranger tribe calling me. There was a great wailing and shouting, so I crept to the end of the passage to look... There has been great magic, Za. You must come and see.'

'Show me,' ordered Za. 'The men will come with me, the rest stay here.' He ran towards the cave of skulls, Horg and the warriors at his heels. Hur ran after them.