down the valley, but there was no sign of Steven.
Steven guessed his good luck couldn’t last. He was taking a calculated risk, buying time, but gambling on his own safety. Sooner or later they would manage to surround him. He knew he was grossly outnumbered. He’d seen guards moving forward on one flank, bobbing down, taking cover as other guards came up on his other side. This time he realised he’d very little chance of doing another tactical retreat. He would have to fight this one out.
He had the luck to see one guard trying to position himself for a shot, and he was quick enough to get the man first. He went down behind rocks with a yell. But Steven didn’t see a second guard alongside, and it was only when the man’s light gun threw its ray on the rocks close by that he rolled over and fired back. He didn’t register a hit, but the guard was forced to drop back.
It was getting too close for Steven now. Would it be possible to scramble out of here?
Eclat knew he had the situation where he wanted it. The stranger was in the middle of a circle. There was no way out. It was just a question of time. And which of those in the circle closed on him first...
The luck of the draw was that the stranger rolled away from his rocky hiding place, and edged carefully along on his elbows, through bush and scrub. What he didn’t know was that he was overlooked. Jano had a clear sight of him from where he was perched behind a pile of loose stones. And Jano was in a central position, closing the circle round the unwitting young man. It was a position from which no one could miss, and Jano was an excellent shot. He took his time; he knew he could for the target was crawling just about twenty feet below.
As Jano took steady aim, he wondered to himself why he was doing all this so deliberately. Why was he being so slow? Why take all this time? Nevertheless, he had Steven in his sights, and his finger softly touched the light trigger. It was a matter of choosing the right moment to fire.
But Jano kept his finger just touching the mechanism, touching, and no more... He put on no pressure. He watched the stranger crawl away. He let him go cautiously into the scrub, watched him wriggle like a snake over the ground; and he could still have fired, could still have captured him in the grip of those paralysing rays... But he did nothing. Steven disappeared, and a bemused Jano lowered his gun. There was no explanation for it. He did not understand what he had done, nor why he had done it. He was still in this position a moment later when fresh beams of light played across rocks on the other side and a guard cried out. It was clear that the stranger had slipped through the net. He was firing from another position, and effectively at that.
Edal came scrambling through bushes and over rocks to where Jano stood. ‘He’s got away,’ barked the Captain. ‘We were all round him, and he got out.’ Each word was a challenge, an accusation. ‘How could he do that?’ he demanded.
‘You must ask your guard,’ said Jano calmly.
Edal glared at him. There was much he could say, but as yet he did not dare. His suspicions were too outlandish to make sense. But what other explanation could there be? ‘It is too late now,’ he said grimly. ‘They will be in the valley now.’
10 ‘All We Need Is One Good Friend’
They were still helping the Doctor up the cliff path when they heard someone running towards them through the ravine.
‘It’s Steven!’ shouted Dodo with delight.
Steven saw them, and called a warning: ‘Get inside the cave! They aren’t far behind!’
He began climbing the side of the ravine as Nanina, Chal and Dodo took the Doctor the last few steps into the safety of their primitive home.
Steven was right. The search party was only a matter of fifty yards or so behind, coming over the crest of the ridge and into the valley before they were out of sight.
‘There they are,’ shouted Edal. He pointed to the caves. At
Steven guessed his good luck couldn’t last. He was taking a calculated risk, buying time, but gambling on his own safety. Sooner or later they would manage to surround him. He knew he was grossly outnumbered. He’d seen guards moving forward on one flank, bobbing down, taking cover as other guards came up on his other side. This time he realised he’d very little chance of doing another tactical retreat. He would have to fight this one out.
He had the luck to see one guard trying to position himself for a shot, and he was quick enough to get the man first. He went down behind rocks with a yell. But Steven didn’t see a second guard alongside, and it was only when the man’s light gun threw its ray on the rocks close by that he rolled over and fired back. He didn’t register a hit, but the guard was forced to drop back.
It was getting too close for Steven now. Would it be possible to scramble out of here?
Eclat knew he had the situation where he wanted it. The stranger was in the middle of a circle. There was no way out. It was just a question of time. And which of those in the circle closed on him first...
The luck of the draw was that the stranger rolled away from his rocky hiding place, and edged carefully along on his elbows, through bush and scrub. What he didn’t know was that he was overlooked. Jano had a clear sight of him from where he was perched behind a pile of loose stones. And Jano was in a central position, closing the circle round the unwitting young man. It was a position from which no one could miss, and Jano was an excellent shot. He took his time; he knew he could for the target was crawling just about twenty feet below.
As Jano took steady aim, he wondered to himself why he was doing all this so deliberately. Why was he being so slow? Why take all this time? Nevertheless, he had Steven in his sights, and his finger softly touched the light trigger. It was a matter of choosing the right moment to fire.
But Jano kept his finger just touching the mechanism, touching, and no more... He put on no pressure. He watched the stranger crawl away. He let him go cautiously into the scrub, watched him wriggle like a snake over the ground; and he could still have fired, could still have captured him in the grip of those paralysing rays... But he did nothing. Steven disappeared, and a bemused Jano lowered his gun. There was no explanation for it. He did not understand what he had done, nor why he had done it. He was still in this position a moment later when fresh beams of light played across rocks on the other side and a guard cried out. It was clear that the stranger had slipped through the net. He was firing from another position, and effectively at that.
Edal came scrambling through bushes and over rocks to where Jano stood. ‘He’s got away,’ barked the Captain. ‘We were all round him, and he got out.’ Each word was a challenge, an accusation. ‘How could he do that?’ he demanded.
‘You must ask your guard,’ said Jano calmly.
Edal glared at him. There was much he could say, but as yet he did not dare. His suspicions were too outlandish to make sense. But what other explanation could there be? ‘It is too late now,’ he said grimly. ‘They will be in the valley now.’
10 ‘All We Need Is One Good Friend’
They were still helping the Doctor up the cliff path when they heard someone running towards them through the ravine.
‘It’s Steven!’ shouted Dodo with delight.
Steven saw them, and called a warning: ‘Get inside the cave! They aren’t far behind!’
He began climbing the side of the ravine as Nanina, Chal and Dodo took the Doctor the last few steps into the safety of their primitive home.
Steven was right. The search party was only a matter of fifty yards or so behind, coming over the crest of the ridge and into the valley before they were out of sight.
‘There they are,’ shouted Edal. He pointed to the caves. At
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