nd Calico ran into a
lot of trouble and Calico got a broken leg. Joe Silver took him back to
the ship. Daley and Jerry found each other and fought off a horde of
giants. Every man got all his bottles full of 'specimens' and then used
up most of his lead. Sparks--" she hesitated a moment--"Sparks is dead.
So is Randy Kinkare."

Pink said quietly into the dark, "I don't think Randy would mind that.
He didn't have much of a face left."

"Whatever that first one did to burn him, that's the weapon they used on
him and Sparks. Both of them were burnt to a...."

"Okay," he said. "Okay, okay."

"So Daley said they'd try to find us; but everyone got mixed up in the
caves, and there hasn't been a sign or sound of anyone for half an
hour."

"Half an hour?" The flesh chilled down his back. "How long have I been
out?"

"I don't know. A couple of hours."

"My Lord! The _Elephant's Child_ is to be blown up two hours from the
minute we left her!"

"Daley said Silver was going to countermand that order."

Pink groaned heavily. "He can't! Jackson had my absolute command on it,
and Jackson would see himself and Silver and the whole lot of them dead
before he'd fail to carry out a command of mine. That was important; we
calculated that two hours was more than enough to expend all the ammo,
and that if we weren't back by then, the hull would be crawling with
giants. Every bullet aboard came out with us. We couldn't take the
chance of the ship blasting off with giants on her, maybe in the form of
gnats or smoke or--no," he finished, "Silver, if he tried to change my
order, is either dead or unconscious or in the brig right now." He
lifted his left hand. "I've got to check the time," he said, and for an
instant switched on the dial of his glove watch.

It was a hundred and two minutes after landing time.

He had eighteen minutes to get back to the _Elephant's Child_.

CHAPTER XXI

He beamed his radio to its fullest extent. "Daley," he said. "Daley,
come in. Jerry. Cohan. Caleskie. Kole. Come in, anyone."

"Kole here, Captain. I'm on the plain. It was all fouled up in that
cave."

"What can you see?"

"They've got the big trap out of the ship," said the distant, tinny
voice of the crewman. "What a waste of good liquor! Beg your pardon,
Captain."

"Giants?" Pink asked.

"About a million of 'em, all headed for the trap. We should have tried
it first. Did you know Caleskie got his?"

"No, I didn't know. We had t