ll.

Gas grenades are only three inches long. They hold cubic yards of
gas under high pressure. Read unclipped a telescoping rod from
his vest pocket. He opened it and a pair of sights flipped up. A
thin track ran down one side.

He had about a dozen grenades left, three self-propelling. He
slid an SP grenade into the rod's track and estimated windage and
range. Sighting carefully, not breathing, muscles relaxed, the
rod rock steady, he fired and lobbed the little grenade into the
ditch. He dropped another grenade beside it.

The heavy gas would lie there for hours.

Sergeant Rashid ran crouched from man to man. He did what he
could to shield the wounded.

"Well, corporal, how are you?"

"Not too bad, sergeant. See that ditch out there? I put a little
gas in it."

"Good work. How's your ammunition?"

"A dozen grenades. Half a barrel of shells."

"The copter will be here in half an hour. We'll put Umluana on,
then try to save ourselves. Once he's gone, I think we ought to
surrender."

"How do you think they'll treat us?"

"That we'll have to see."

An occasional bullet cracked and whined through the misty room.
Near him a man gasped frantically for air. On the sunny field a
wounded man screamed for help.

"There's a garage downstairs," Rashid said. "In case the copter
doesn't get here on time, I've got a man filling wine bottles
with gasoline."

"We'll stop them, Sarge. Don't worry."

* * * * *

Rashid ran off. Read stared across the green land and listened to
the pound of his heart. What were the Belderkans planning? A mass
frontal attack? To sneak in over the top of the hill?

He didn't think, anymore than a rabbit thinks when it lies hiding
from the fox or a panther thinks when it crouches on a branch
above the trail. His skin tightened and relaxed on his body.

"Listen," said a German.

Far down the hill he heard the deep-throated rumble of a big
motor.

"Armor," the German said.

The earth shook. The tank rounded the bend. Read watched the
squat, angular monster until its stubby gun pointed at the
station. It stopped less than two hundred yards away.

A loud-speaker blared.

ATTENTION UN SOLDIERS.
ATTENTION UN SOLDIERS.
YOU MAY THINK US SAVAGES
BUT WE HAVE MODERN WEAPONS.
WE HAVE ATOMIC WARHEADS,
ALL GASES, ROCKETS
AND FLAME THROWERS. IF
YOU DO NOT SURRENDER
OUR PREMIER, WE WILL DESTROY YOU.

"They know we don't have any big weapons," Read said.