There was something artificial about the situation.

John was able to see more clearly now; there were more than a dozen men in the road, watching them.

He said: 'We might as well get things straight. Do I take it you want us to back-track and find a road round the town? It's a nuisance, but I see your point.'

Another of the men laughed. 'Not yet you don't, mister!'

John made no reply. For a moment he weighed the possibilities of their getting back into the cars and fighting it out. But even if they were to succeed in getting back, the women and children would be in the line of fire. He waited.

It was fairly clear that the man in tweeds was the leader. One of the small Napoleons the new chaos would throw up; it was their bad luck that Masham had thrown him up so promptly. It had not been unreasonable to hope for another twelve hours' grace.

'You see,' the man in tweeds said, 'you've got to look at it from our point of view. If we didn't protect our- , selves, a place like this would be buried in the first rush.

I'm telling you so you will understand we're not doing anything that's not sensible and necessary. You see, as well as being a target, you might say we're a honeypot.

All the flies - trying to get away from the famine and the atom bombs - they'll all be travelling along the . I main roads. We catch them, and then we live on them -

that's the idea.' , 'Bit early for cannibalism,' Roger commented. 'Or is it a habit to eat human flesh in these parts?'

The man in tweeds laughed. 'Glad to see you've got a sense of humour. All's not lost while we can find something to laugh at, eh? It's not their flesh we want - not yet, anyway. But most of 'em will be carrying something, if it's only half a bar of chocolate. You might say this is a toll-gate combined with a customs house. We inspect the luggage, and take what we want.'