take that fence once we've got the gun quiet. You can get the men up within a hundred yards of it, along the ditch. The fence is climbable.

'They will bring the gun round to bear on us as soon as they realise they are under fire from the rear. That's when you take our lot in.'

Roger said doubtfully: 'Will it work?'

It was Pirrie who answered him. 'Yes,' he said, 'I believe it will.'

He stood with Arm, looking at the children as they lay asleep on the ground - Davey and Spooks and Steve tangled up together, and Mary a little apart, her head pillowed on an out-thrust arm. He told her then, in an undertone, of David's plan. When he had finished, she said: 'Why didn't you? We could have done it. We could have got away from Pirrie somehow' - she shivered 'killed him if necessary! There's been enough killing of innocent people - and now there's going to be more.

Oh, why didn't you take it? Can't we still?'

The sun had gone down and the moon was yet to rise.

It was quite dark. He could not see much of her face, nor she of his.

He said: 'I'm glad of Pirrie.'

'Glad!'

'Yes. I need the thought of that trigger finger of his to stiffen me, but it only stiffened me into taking the right course. Arm, some of the things I've had to do to get us here have been nasty. I couldn't have justified them even to myself, except in the hope that it would all be different once we got to the valley.'

'It will be different.'

'I hope so. That's why I won't pay for admission in treachery.'

'Treachery?'

'To the rest of them.' He nodded his head towards the