"You'll have trouble getting thirty-odd women in there, Grant."
"They can sit up all night. But send them up. Yes, and the wounded men, too."
"Can do." Kennedy started passing the word. Caroline came storming up, spear in hand
"Grant, what's this nonsense about the girls having to go up to the cave? If you think you're going to cut me out of the fun you had better think again!"
Cowper looked at her wearily. "Carol, I haven't time to monkey. Shut your face and do as you are told."
Caroline opened her mouth, closed it, and did as she was told. Bob Baxter claimed Cowper's attention; Rod noticed that he looked very upset. "Grant? You ordered all the women up to the cave?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry but Carmen can't."
"You'll have to carry her. She is the one I had most on my mind when I decided on the move.
"But-" Baxter stopped and urged Grant away from the others. He spoke insistently but quietly. Grant shook his head.
"It's not safe, Grant," Baxter went on, raising his voice. "I don't dare risk it. The interval is nineteen minutes now.
"Well... all right. Leave a couple of women with her. Use Caroline, will you? That'll keep her out of my hair."
"Okay." Baxter hurried away.
Kennedy took the first watch with a dozen men spread out along the fire line; Rod was on the second watch commanded by Cliff Pawley. He went to the Baxter house to find out how Carmen was doing, was told to beat it by Agnes. He then went to the bachelors' shed and tried to sleep.
He was awakened by yells, in time to see one of the leonine monsters at least five meters long go bounding through the camp and disappear downstream. It had jumped the barrier, the stakes behind it, and the fire behind that, all in one leap.
Rod called out, "Anybody hurt?"
Shorty Dumont answered. "No. It didn't even stop to wave." Shorty was bleeding from a slash in his left calf; he seemed unaware of it. Rod crawled back inside tried again to sleep.
He was awakened again by the building shaking. He hurried out. "What's up?"
"That you, Rod? I didn't know anybody was inside. Give me a hand; we're going to burn it." The voice was Baxter's; he was prying at a corner post and cutting rawhide strips that held it.
Rod put his spear where it would not be stepped on, resheathed Colonel Bowie, and started to help. The building was bamboo and leaves, with a mud-and-thatch roof; most of it would burn. "How's Carmen?"
"Okay. Normal progress. I can do more good here. Besides they don't want me." Baxter brought the corner of the shed down with a crash, gathered a double armful of wreckage and hurried away. Rod picked up a load and followed him.
The reserve wood pile was gone; somebody was tearing the roof off the "city hall" and banging pieces on the ground to shake clay loose. The walls were sunbaked bricks, but the roof would burn. Rod came closer, saw that it was Cowper who was destroying this symbol of the sovereign community. He worked with the fury of anger. "Let me do that, Grant. Have you had any rest?"
"Huh? No."
"Better get some. It's going to be a long night. What time is it?"
"I don't know. Midnight, maybe." Fire blazed up and Cowper faced it, wiping his face with his hand. "Rod, take charge of the second watch and relieve Bill. Cliff got clawed and I sent him up."
"Okay. Burn everything that will burn-right?"
"Everything but the roof of the Baxter house. But don't use it up too fast; it's got to last till morning."
"Got it." Rod hurried to the fire line, found Kennedy. Okay, Bill, I'll take over- Grant's orders. Get some sleep. Anything getting through?"
'Not much. And not far." Kennedy's spear was dark with blood in the firelight. "I'm not going to sleep, Rod. Find yourself a spot and help out."
Rod shook his head. "You're groggy. Beat it. Grant's orders."
"No!"
"Well... look, take your gang and tear down the old maids' shack. That'll give you a change, at least."
"Uh- all right." Kennedy left, almost staggering. There was a lull in the onrush of animals; Rod could see none beyond the barricade. It gave him time to sort out his crew, send away those who had been on duty since sunset, send for stragglers. He delegated Doug Sanders and Mick Mahmud as firetenders, passed the word that no one else was to put fuel on the fires.
He returned from his inspection to find Bob Baxter, spear in hand, holding his place at the center of the line. Rod put a hand on his shoulder. "The medical officer doesn't need to fight. We aren't that bad off."
Baxter shrugged. "I've got my kit, what there is left of it. This is where I use it."
"Haven't you enough worries?"
Baxter grinned wanly. "Better than walking the floor. Rod, they're stirring again. Hadn't we better build up the fires?"
"Mmm... not if we're going to make it last. I don't think they can come through that."
Baxter did not answer, as a joe came through at that instant. It ploughed through the smouldering fire and Baxter speared it. Rod cupped his hands and shouted, "Build up the fires! But go easy.
"Behind you, Rod!"
Rod jumped and whirled, got the little devil. "Where did that one come from? I didn't see it."
Before Bob could answer Caroline came running out of darkness. "Bob! Bob Baxter! rve got to find Bob Baxter!"
"Over here!" Rod called.
Baxter was hardly able to speak. "Is she- is she?" His face screwed up in anguish.
"No, no!" yelled Caroline. "She's all right, she's fine. It's a girl!"
Baxter quietly fainted, his spear falling to the ground. Caroline grabbed him and kept him from falling into the fire. He opened his eyes and said, "Sorry. You scared me. You're sure Carmen is all right?"
"Right as rain. The baby, too. About three kilos. Here, give me that sticker- Carmen wants you."
Baxter stumbled away and Caroline took his place. She grinned at Rod. "I feel swell! How's business, Roddie? Brisk? I feel like getting me eight or nine of these vermin.
Cowper came up a few minutes later. Caroline called out, "Grant, did you hear the good news?"
"Yes. I just came from there." He ignored Caroline's presence at the guard line but said to Rod, "We're making a stretcher out of pieces of the flume and they're going to haul Carmen up. Then they'll throw the stretcher down and you can burn it."
"Good."
"Agnes is taking the baby up. Rod, what's the very most we can crowd into the cave?"
"Gee!" Rod glanced up at the shelf. "They must be spilling off the edge now.
"I'm afraid so. But we've just got to pack them in. I want to send up all married men and the youngest boys. The bachelors will hold on here."
"I'm a bachelor!" Caroline interrupted. Cowper ignored her. "As soon as Carmen is safe we do it- we can't keep fires going much longer." He turned away, headed up to the cave.
Caroline whistled softly. "Roddie, we're going to have fun."
"Not my idea of fun. Hold the fort, Carol. I've got to line things up." He moved down the line, telling each one to go or to stay.
Jimmy scowled at him. "I won't go, not as long as anybody stays. I couldn't look Jackie in the face."
"You'll button your lip and do as Grant says- or I'll give you a mouthful of teeth. Hear me?"