"No," Rok considered sardonically, "Toka didn't have to marry
Kolano--so we could get you and Elees out of that pit."
Roya was silent a long moment. "Rok," she commanded, "whistle for that
big slick-skin we saw around here the other day!"
Rok's shrill blast cut away. A distant roar drifted back over the
jungle. Rok whistled again. The distant roar answered--closer.
"Head for the opposite shore!" Roya commanded.
In moments the canoe was beached on the firm mud. Above the throbbing
of the Big Brown came the distant crashing of trees and brush.
Rok's whistle split again through the shadowy jungle. Roaring
acknowledgement, The Big Snake was now so near the ground quaked with
the rhythm of its coming.
Old Ledo was peering into the canoe. "Hey--how did all these packs of
berries get under the thwarts?"
"Divide the packs among us," Roya commanded.
The Big Snake burst from a stand of fern trees and tore straight for
Roya. With a happy roar it slewed to a ground-gouging stop. Then,
missing Toka, it whined plaintively.
Roya held up her clenched left hand, raised its little finger and
pointed to Elees. The Big Snake grunted. Roya raised the next finger
and pointed to Old Ledo. The next finger was Rok, the next Roya
herself. Each time the intently watching Big Snake understood. Roya
raised her thumb. The Big Snake whined plaintively. Roya pointed in
the direction of the underground river and sang a snatch of the choral
that had enticed them in there. The Big Snake frowned.
Roya held up her right hand and raised and lowered those fingers again
and again and gestured that hand toward the underground area. Then she
gripped her right hand, representing Kosanna, around her left thumb,
representing Toka. She made Toka struggle against Kosanna. The big
slick-skin began rumbling deep in its great belly. Its bulging red eyes
began burning with rising anger. Its tail and colossal body rippled as
it poised to race to Toka's help. Roya shook her head emphatically. The
big slick-skin rumbled questioningly.
In the deepening twilight, Roya swiftly fingered a design in the smooth
mud of the shore. The drawing crudely portrayed the big slick-skin and
Roya and friends. It was also a map of the valley and the Big Brown on
down to distant Sandcliff and the great dinosaur herd in that area.
Roya pointed a finger to the character representing the big slick-skin,
then pointed to the monster itself and raised her head and pretended
to roar toward Sandcliff. She pointed to the herd around Sandcliff and
wriggled her fingers to portray them running up valley to this spot.
The Big Snake instantly whipped its head aloft and faced down valley.
It yawned its cavernous mouth and blasted the darkening twilight with
a roaring that slammed away and back and away again in echo. Quickly
there was an answering roar from far down valley. The big slick-skin
instantly blasted away another series of mighty roars. At once the Big
Snake far down valley acknowledged and relayed the imperative message
on. And even farther down valley a third Big Snake began blasting the
purple night with that peculiar series of mighty roars. And the call to
the Big Snakes was flashing down the valley and summoning the colossal
monsters to the rescue!
"Why not pile aboard old slicky here," Rok urged, "and start the fun
now!"
"Those flesh-eating fish in that river would cut him down in moments,"
Roya explained.
"But the other Big Snakes can't get here till dawn!" Rok protested.
"We'll camp on that butte." Roya gestured the big slick-skin to kneel.
From atop that butte, the whole valley radiated away in starlit beauty.
Sitting on the dewy grass, Roya ripped open a leaf-wrapped pack. The
others joined in. The big slick-skin stood guard.
* * * * *
_In the black court, the twelve pairs of silvery eyes stared on into
the coldly shining Sphere Of All Time...._
_Armed with great clubs of broken limestone, the hordes of Ophid were
straddling aboard the multitude of dragons that had stretched out full
length. Ophid leaped astride the neck of the largest. Flapping its many
sets of great wings, the dragon rose its sinuous lengths up through the
haze and shot for the tunnel. The other dragons and their wildly eager
riders swarmed after. Into the gloom of the tunnel tore Ophid's lead
dragon and burst into the weird outer area. Without pause Ophid swung
his swarm over the river and tore up-stream. Into the gloom of that
vast cavern the wild Dragon Men and their mad monsters poured...._
* * * * *
In the dimness Toka watched the boudoir door ease slowly open. Framed
by soft and loose titian hair, a white oval of features peered slowly
around the door.