Then from that cliff came a strange wail. "Tooookaaaa!" It was repeated
over and over. "Tooookaaaa! Tooookaaaa!"
The raft nosed around into a broad channel that curved lazily into a
cavernous maw in the cliff. The walls and roof glowed with a soft light
and the choraling of Toka's name came clear and stronger. Toka let the
raft drift.
"The river is certainly slow enough in there," Roya mused.
"We could pole our way out easily enough," Elees reflected.
Old Ledo looked at these impetuous ones. "We could not come back
another time--when Sandcliff would know where we were going!"
"But what can happen?" Rok protested. "We've got our battle-axes--even
Elees and Roya have theirs!"
Old Ledo's unimpressed glance went to mid-raft. There were three great
black battle-axes and two smaller ones.
In that instant Toka weighed the pro and con. "We'll go in a little
way."
Roya and Elees swiftly placed each man's battle-ax handy then balanced
easily in mid-raft with their own light weapons. The lazy current
guiding the raft, the men shipped their poles.
Roya suddenly pointed over the side of the raft. "Look! glowing
fish--in all colors!"
"But how vicious looking!" Elees exclaimed.