lines of the nomad and rebel front had to break.

The drums went _boom_, ah, _boom_, ah, _boom_, ah, _boom_.

The Tulan phalanx moved slowly, obliquely across the valley. The hedge
of spears ruthlessly pressed the mass of enemy infantry before them.

The sergeants paced behind, shouting over the din. "Dress it up. You
there, you've been hit, fall out to the rear."

"I'm all right," the wounded spearman snarled, battle lust in his voice.

"Fall out, I said," the sergeant roared. "You there, take his place."

The Tulan phalanx ground ahead.

One of the sergeants grinned wanly at Barry Watson as his men moved
forward with the preciseness of the famed Rockettes of another era.
"It's working," he said proudly.

Barry Watson snorted, "Don't give me credit. It belongs to a man named
Philip of Macedon, a long ways away in both space and time."

Cogswell called, "Our right flank cavalry is falling back. Joe wants to
know if you can send any support."

Watson's face went expressionless. "No," he said flatly. "It's got to
hold. Tell Joe and the Khan it's got to hold. Suggest they throw in
those cavalry units they're not sure of. The ones that threatened mutiny
last week."

Joe Chessman stood on the knoll flanked by the Khan's ranking officers
and the balance of the Earthmen. Natt Roberts was on the radio. He
turned to the others and worriedly repeated the message.

Joe Chessman looked out over the valley. The thirty-thousand-man phalanx
was pressing back the enemy infantry with the precision of a machine.
He looked up the hillside at the point where the enemy cavalry was
turning the right flank. Given cavalry behind the Tulan line and the
battle was lost.

"O.K., boys," Chessman growled sourly, "we're in the clutch now.
Hawkins!"

"Yeah," the pilot said.

"See what you can do. Use what bombs you have including the napalm. Fly
as low as you can in the way of scaring their horses." He added sourly,
"Avoiding scaring ours, if you can."

"You're the boss," Hawkins said, and scurried off toward his scout
plane.

Joe Chessman growled to the others, "When I was taking my degree in
primitive society and primitive military tactics, I didn't exactly have
this in mind. Come on!"

It was the right thing to say. The other Earthmen laughed and took up
their equipment, submachine guns, riot guns, a flame thrower, grenades,
and followed him up the hill toward the fray.

Chessman said over his shoulder to Reif, "Khan, you'r