dark, out to the headland and lifted on to a shelf just above the water, where he could spend the night. And then, tomorrow . . . But tomorrow was tomorrow. First, he had to be moved, and for that to happen his leg must be protected.
She could see it in the clear water, foot and ankle grossly swollen. She could sense the grind of the bone-ends as the leg moved in the water. She must stop that grinding. When Greb had broken Nuhu’s arm . . . What could she use? There was nothing in the slop and slither of the sea. She looked along the barren little beach. A curtain of creeper hung from the cliff. A ridge of dried tide-wrack marked the highest reach of the waves. She left the water and climbed the burning shingle, thinking perhaps if she made a bundle of wrack and bound it round with creeper . . . A white gleam in the wrack caught her eye. Bone? She pulled the object free and found it was a crooked branch, wave-worn and sun-bleached. The thought of bone was still there, so she laid it against her leg. The bent part at the end followed the line of her feet. Something fizzed in her mind and said
Yes. I can do it
.
Carrying the branch she climbed and tested the creeper, swung herself up the mat and bit through suitable strands, as she had done for earlier attempts at net-making. On her way back to the water she gathered an armful of wrack and settled at the edge of the wave-lap to experiment on her own leg. This was awkward. She turned, saw Tong watching from the water and grunted
Come-help
. Children never gave commands to adults, but he came without resentment, only puzzled that she wanted to do things to his leg when it was Presh’s that needed her healing magic.
Her mind was still fizzing but her movements were slow. Her earlier experiments with creepers, reeds and grasses had taught her that a step-by-step approach was best, trying out each element and testing its possibilities and limits before moving on. She laid the branch beside Tong’s leg, looped creeper round it to hold it in place, padded it with wrack and tied the creeper more firmly, making adjustments till she was happy. She untied the bundle and turned towards Presh.
He would have to be right out on the beach. She couldn’t work in the water. Again she called
Come-help
, and set Tong and Hooa by his shoulders and Ma-ma by his waist while she readied herself to look after the broken leg. Having seen her experimenting on Tong’s leg they now understood what she wanted, and as soon as she grunted a
Now
they bent and lifted Presh.
At once he barked
Stop
. They stopped and looked at Li. She gestured and grunted
Now
and again they lifted Presh, and this time merely hesitated at his bark and then carried on, though he wrestled to loose Tong’s grip and cried with pain. As soon as he was out on the beach Ma-ma knelt by him, coaxing and soothing and stroking his mane. When Li started to work he tried to kick her away with his good leg, so that it took three males to hold him still. By now the helpers had understood what was needed – it had been the means, the possibilities and difficulties, that had been beyond them. Even Presh in the end lay still, only wincing or moaning as his leg was moved to work the lashings beneath it. By then many of the tribe had returned to the headland to forage, and a shark-watch had been set, though at whiles they’d come back to see what was happening and to help keep a cooling spatter of water over the group on the beach. There was a return of confidence and security. The tribe had its leader, though he was hurt for the time being. Li would see that he got well.
When they’d finished they carried Presh down into the water and towed him out towards the headland. He didn’t resist. It would be hard to say how much the splint Li had made prevented the break from hurting, and how much the change was due to the fact that once his commands had been overruled to get him out of the water both he and the tribe accepted
She could see it in the clear water, foot and ankle grossly swollen. She could sense the grind of the bone-ends as the leg moved in the water. She must stop that grinding. When Greb had broken Nuhu’s arm . . . What could she use? There was nothing in the slop and slither of the sea. She looked along the barren little beach. A curtain of creeper hung from the cliff. A ridge of dried tide-wrack marked the highest reach of the waves. She left the water and climbed the burning shingle, thinking perhaps if she made a bundle of wrack and bound it round with creeper . . . A white gleam in the wrack caught her eye. Bone? She pulled the object free and found it was a crooked branch, wave-worn and sun-bleached. The thought of bone was still there, so she laid it against her leg. The bent part at the end followed the line of her feet. Something fizzed in her mind and said
Yes. I can do it
.
Carrying the branch she climbed and tested the creeper, swung herself up the mat and bit through suitable strands, as she had done for earlier attempts at net-making. On her way back to the water she gathered an armful of wrack and settled at the edge of the wave-lap to experiment on her own leg. This was awkward. She turned, saw Tong watching from the water and grunted
Come-help
. Children never gave commands to adults, but he came without resentment, only puzzled that she wanted to do things to his leg when it was Presh’s that needed her healing magic.
Her mind was still fizzing but her movements were slow. Her earlier experiments with creepers, reeds and grasses had taught her that a step-by-step approach was best, trying out each element and testing its possibilities and limits before moving on. She laid the branch beside Tong’s leg, looped creeper round it to hold it in place, padded it with wrack and tied the creeper more firmly, making adjustments till she was happy. She untied the bundle and turned towards Presh.
He would have to be right out on the beach. She couldn’t work in the water. Again she called
Come-help
, and set Tong and Hooa by his shoulders and Ma-ma by his waist while she readied herself to look after the broken leg. Having seen her experimenting on Tong’s leg they now understood what she wanted, and as soon as she grunted a
Now
they bent and lifted Presh.
At once he barked
Stop
. They stopped and looked at Li. She gestured and grunted
Now
and again they lifted Presh, and this time merely hesitated at his bark and then carried on, though he wrestled to loose Tong’s grip and cried with pain. As soon as he was out on the beach Ma-ma knelt by him, coaxing and soothing and stroking his mane. When Li started to work he tried to kick her away with his good leg, so that it took three males to hold him still. By now the helpers had understood what was needed – it had been the means, the possibilities and difficulties, that had been beyond them. Even Presh in the end lay still, only wincing or moaning as his leg was moved to work the lashings beneath it. By then many of the tribe had returned to the headland to forage, and a shark-watch had been set, though at whiles they’d come back to see what was happening and to help keep a cooling spatter of water over the group on the beach. There was a return of confidence and security. The tribe had its leader, though he was hurt for the time being. Li would see that he got well.
When they’d finished they carried Presh down into the water and towed him out towards the headland. He didn’t resist. It would be hard to say how much the splint Li had made prevented the break from hurting, and how much the change was due to the fact that once his commands had been overruled to get him out of the water both he and the tribe accepted
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