The dark, lean man, with the long facemade in two
planes, was Carreras the Spaniard.
Ill never laugh at youagain for being silly about
birds. You stay here and rest, he said, and Ill go and prospect. Long before Peter
John had reached the point at least three-fourthsof the people had moved
there.
I heard footsteps on the stoneand was conscious
that Martel had joined me. Ill never laugh at youagain for being silly about
birds.
Idropped my own rifle and held up my
hand.
The people in the House must know their dangernow,
but what good was that knowledge to them?
Andwith the hail came a wind that cut like a
knife.
Ive made a deuceof a mess of things, and I thought
I was being rather clever.
I considered that presently I might have toget
busy. I tried to think calmly and picture what an attack would be like.
To occupy the House and ransack it attheir leisure.
If Anna and he joined the defence they would only be twomore non-combatants.
Moreover, these men had their blood hot and their spirit high fromthe Grind hunt. It
was rather as if his mind had withdrawn itself from theouter world
altogether.
For myself I chose the roof, whichgave me a
prospect of the whole terrain.
The track to the House passedits eastern edge, and
by this their road lay.
At any rate the children were still in the land
ofthe living. It was a mild morning, growing closer as it neared
midday.
I had a momentaryidea that the children might have
gone there, but I at oncerejected it.
Oh, Peter John, what a mess weve made of
everything!
It was a scene asmacabre as any nightmare, but it
was orderly too.
If hewas going to do anything, he would have been
here long ago. He seemedalmost demented, and hardly spoke a word.
He was thinking hard and studyingthe environs of
the House.
In this gap appeared the foolish heads and poised
necks ofa little flock of pink-foot.