"Whatever that first one did to burn him, that's the weapon they used on him and Sparks. Both of them were burnt to a...." "Okay," he said. "Okay, okay." "So Daley said they'd try to find us; but everyone got mixed up in the caves, and there hasn't been a sign or sound of anyone for half an hour." "Half an hour?" The flesh chilled down his back. "How long have I been out?" "I don't know. A couple of hours." "My Lord! The _Elephant's Child_ is to be blown up two hours from the minute we left her!" "Daley said Silver was going to countermand that order." Pink groaned heavily. "He can't! Jackson had my absolute command on it, and Jackson would see himself and Silver and the whole lot of them dead before he'd fail to carry out a command of mine. That was important; we calculated that two hours was more than enough to expend all the ammo, and that if we weren't back by then, the hull would be crawling with giants. Every bullet aboard came out with us. We couldn't take the chance of the ship blasting off with giants on her, maybe in the form of gnats or smoke or--no," he finished, "Silver, if he tried to change my order, is either dead or unconscious or in the brig right now." He lifted his left hand. "I've got to check the time," he said, and for an instant switched on the dial of his glove watch. It was a hundred and two minutes after landing time. He had eighteen minutes to get back to the _Elephant's Child_. CHAPTER XXI He beamed his radio to its fullest extent. "Daley," he said. "Daley, come in. Jerry. Cohan. Caleskie. Kole. Come in, anyone." "Kole here, Captain. I'm on the plain. It was all fouled up in that cave." "What can you see?" "They've got the big trap out of the ship," said the distant, tinny voice of the crewman. "What a waste of good liquor! Beg your pardon, Captain." "Giants?" Pink asked. "About a million of 'em, all headed for the trap. We should have tried it first. Did you know Caleskie got his?" "No, I didn't know. We had to suck them out into the open before they could spot the trap, Kole. Is Lieutenant Daley in sight?" "I saw him a while back, sir. He was headed out of a cave with the O. O. But it turned out they were going the wrong way, because I--" "Thanks, Kole. Report aboard ship. Don't get mixed up with the giants." "They won't bother me, sir. It's like a bunch of big bees tearing after a vat of nectar out here. They don't even see me." "What did he mean?" asked Circe. "A trap?" "Plastikoided lead box, twelve by twelve feet. All the alcohol in the ship was poured into it an hour after we left, and they set it outside as far from the ship as they could safely go. I didn't know it would work, but it was a try. It still doesn't affect Jackson's orders. I didn't know, I still don't know, but that some of the djinn can resist the stuff." "The _what_?" she asked, startled. "Never mind. We've got about a quarter hour to get back. Where in blazes is Daley?"