Spearman laughed. Wright said, "You will, Abro Pakriaa. If you will
accept one of us as commander, the army can strike as one soldier.
There would be less confusion. And Lantis will not expect it."
That brought shrewdness to the little red face. "But you can do
nothing hiding behind this pile of stones."
"A temporary shelter while we shoot. You know our fire sticks. This
building commands the upper part of the lake and this end of the
meadow. We will not be trapped here. There will be no siege. If it is
necessary to retreat, we'll know the right moment to do it."
The oldest captain, Nisana, a wiry, quiet woman, said, "Abro Kamisiaa
herself spoke of a thing like this."
Pakriaa murmured absently, "Did I give you leave to speak?" But she
was not angry; she was considering it. "This is better, Tocwright,
what you say now. I will send, learn if my sisters agree. But who will
be the leader?"
"That should be decided now," Wright said, and Paul thought: _Here it
comes, Ed--you get what you want at last._ And he remembered that
obscure thing which might not have been in Spearman's mind at all:
_desertion_--the thing was a dirty word, and the mind would not speak
it. But Wright was staring at him--at him, not at Spearman. "There's
only one of us," Wright said, "who ought to lead, in this trouble.
That is _my_ feeling, Abro Pakriaa, but I alone cannot decide it. All
of us here should vote on it."
Pakriaa understood the nature of a vote. Under her iron monarchy,
minor village matters were often decided by that method if her own
attitude happened to be neutral. Once made, and approved by herself, a
pygmy vote was binding as magic. Her gaze touched the giants with a
sour smile. She was visibly counting; then she was studying Paul with
new curiosity.
Of the giants, only the two new recruits were not in evidence. Paul
glimpsed the red-furred boy peering from the doorway of Mijok's
private room; Surok went in to soothe him. Pakriaa said, "I will
consent. After the vote I will inform my sisters as quickly as I can."
Wright's fingers were frozen in his gray beard. "Then I ask that Paul
Mason take command, his orders to be followed without question."
Paul could not speak. _How did this happen? How can I...._ He heard
Ann, imitating the formality of Wright's words, but with an undertone
of passionate protest: "I ask for the leadership of Edmund Spearman."
Spearman frowned at her, flushed, proud, perhaps amazed. He said
doubtfully, "Other nominations...? Voice vote?"
"Voice vote, as you wish," Wright said.
"M-make it voice vote," Dorothy whispered, and her face was begging:
_Is it too much? Can you stand it? Is it what I ought to do..._?
"Satisfactory," Spearman said. Paul nodded helplessly.