At Bo-Bo's shot, a hairy body plummeted down, to hit the ledge. Bo-Bo's
woman instantly ran it through with one of her spears. The other
ape-thing, the one Dorita had shot, was still clinging to a rock above.
Two of the children scampered up to it and speared it repeatedly,
screaming like little furies. Dorita and one of the older girls got the
rock off Kalvar Dard's legs and tried to help him to his feet, but he
collapsed, unable to stand. Both his legs were broken.

This was it, he thought, sinking back. "Dorita, I want you to run ahead
and see what the trail's like," he said. "See if the ledge is passable.
And find a place, not too far ahead, where we can block the trail by
exploding that demolition-bomb. It has to be close enough for a couple
of you to carry or drag me and get me there in one piece."

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you think?" he retorted. "I have both legs broken. You can't
carry me with you; if you try it, they'll catch us and kill us all. I'll
have to stay behind; I'll block the trail behind you, and get as many of
them as I can, while I'm at it. Now, run along and do as I said."

She nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she agreed.

The others were crowding around Dard. Bo-Bo bent over him, perplexed and
worried. "What are you going to do, father?" he asked. "You are hurt.
Are you going to go away and leave us, as mother did when she was hurt?"

"Yes, son; I'll have to. You carry me on ahead a little, when Dorita
gets back, and leave me where she shows you to. I'm going to stay behind