'Za set them free! They have gone with Za to show him how to make fire.'

' I set them free,' said Old Mother proudly. 'Now they will not make fire any more. There will be no more fire!'

'You freed them?' Kal saw an end to all his hopes - the secret of fire lost, or given to Za - and all because of this meddling old woman. 'You freed them?'

A surge of blind rage swept through him, and suddenly the stone knife in his hand was buried in Old Mother's heart.

The old woman stared disbelievingly down at the knife for a moment, then fell dead at his feet.

Kal plucked out the knife, wet with the old woman's blood, and thrust it beneath his skins. He would have to think of something to tell the Tribe.

Ian was busy showing Susan and Barbara how to make an improvised stretcher. 'The poles go through the sleeves of the coats like that you see...'

Susan knelt to wipe Za's forehead, but Hur thrust her rudely away. 'No. He is mine.'

'I was only trying to help him.'

Ian smiled. 'I think she's jealous of you, Susan.'

Baffled, Hur looked around the group. 'I do not understand any of you. You are like a mother with a baby. Za is your enemy. Why do you not kill him?'

Ian said, 'These people just don't understand kindness or friendship. See if you can explain, in a way she'll understand, Barbara.'

'We will make him well again,' said Barbara gently. 'We will teach you how fire is made. All we ask in return is that you show us the way back to our own cave.'

A feeble voice from the ground said, 'Listen to them, Hur.

They speak truth. They did not kill me.' By now Za was conscious, though still dazed.

'I'm getting worried about the time,' said Ian. 'We've been here far too long. Are we all ready?'

'I'm terribly thirsty,' said Susan. 'Can I just go and get a drink?'

Ian nodded, and Susan went over to Hur and said hopefully,

'Water?'

Hur led the way to the stream and Susan followed.

'Be careful!' called Barbara.

Susan looked at the Doctor, who was standing a little apart, sulking. 'Do you want some water, grandfather?'

'No, I do not!'

'What about giving us a hand here, Doctor?' called Ian.

The Doctor folded his arms and turned his back.

'Don't take any notice of him,' said Susan over her shoulder.

'He's often like this, especially when he doesn't get his own way!'

Ian finished checking over the stretcher. It would have to be pretty solid to carry Za's weight.

'Maybe it was a good idea making friends with these two,' said Barbara hopefully. 'We might even stand a better chance of getting back to the ship.'

Ian looked up from his task and saw that the Doctor had picked up a heavy pointed stone and was advancing stealthily towards Za.

He sprang up and gripped the Doctor's wrist. 'What are you doing?'

'Let go of me,' said the Doctor indignantly. 'I was just going to ask him to draw some kind of map on the ground, to show us the way back to the TARDIS.'

Ian looked narrowly at the old man. Just how much ruthlessness was the Doctor capable of, if he felt it might save his own and Susan's life?

He took the stone from the Doctor's hand and tossed it aside.

'It's a good idea, Doctor, but I don't think he's in a fit state to draw any maps. We'd better get going.'

Susan and Hur were back from the stream by now, and the Doctor looked on scornfully, while Ian and the three girls struggled to roll Za onto the stretcher. They managed it at last.

'Will you take one end, please, Doctor?' said Ian. 'You surely don't expect me to carry him?'

'You surely don't expect one of the girls to do it?' said Ian blandly. 'Lead the way please, Susan.'

Fuming, the Doctor picked up his end of the stretcher, Ian took the other, and the little party set off.

Kal had roused the rest of the Tribe, and they were milling about confusedly outside the main cave. 'The strangers have gone,'

shouted Kal. 'Za and Hur have gone with them. We must go after them and bring them back.'

'Hur would not help the strangers to escape,' said Horg.

'She has gone with them all the same.'

Horg shook his head in puzzlement. 'Where is Old Mother?

Has she gone with them too?'

'She sits silent in the cave of skulls,' said Kal. 'I saw her there, but she would not move or speak.' Horg led the way to the cave of skulls and they all crowded inside.

Old Mother sat cross-legged, staring into space, leaning against a pyramid of skulls.

'She will tell you what happened,' said Kal. 'Ask her.'

Horg reached out and touched Old Mother on the shoulder.

She tipped over sideways, and fell stiffly to the ground. 'She is dead.'

In a loud, compelling voice Kal said, 'My eyes tell me what happened here. I see pictures as I do when I sleep. Za and Hur came here to free the strangers, so that they could steal the secret of fire for themselves. Old Mother tried to stop them, and Za killed her. Za has gone with them. He is taking them back to their own tree in return for the secret.'

Horg said slowly, 'The old woman is dead. Za and the strangers are gone. It must have been as your eyes saw it.'

'I am your leader now,' shouted Kal. 'Follow me, and I will lead you to the strangers!'

It was Susan who reached the edge of the forest first. Pushing her way through a screen of bushes, she peered out onto the darkened plain and shouted, 'There! Over there! I can see the TARDIS!'

The others plodded slowly after her along the path. Carrying the weight of Za had slowed them down to a crawl. Frequent rests had been necessary, and it had taken them an incredibly long time to reach the edge of the forest. But they were here at last, and safety was in sight.

'Come on, Doctor,' shouted Ian. 'We're nearly there, just one final effort.'

'Yes, yes, very well,' grumbled the Doctor.

'Barbara, you and Susan hold back the bushes so we can get the stretcher through,' said Ian.

Barbara and Susan pulled the screen of bushes aside, and Ian led the way through the gap with the stretcher. As he came out onto the plain, he could make out the square blue shape of the TARDIS

just ahead.

Suddenly, to his horror, he saw a number of burly, skin-clad figures emerge from behind the TARDIS and advance towards them.

'Back!' shouted Ian. He retreated clumsily back into the forest, hampered by the stretcher, swung round and saw another group of tribesmen blocking the path.

The leader had a short jutting beard, and there was a stone knife in his hand.

They were trapped.

10

Captured

The Tribe was holding a council.

The four recaptured prisoners stood before Horg and the rest of the Tribe, guarded by a circle of warriors, led by Kal. Za was there too, still on his improvised stretcher, which had been placed on the ground before the flat-topped rock. Hur knelt anxiously beside him.

A kind of trial was taking place, with Kal accusing Za, and justifying his own actions to the Tribe.

The Doctor and the others watched carefully, realising that their own fates were probably at stake as well.

Kal was concluding his story. 'Za and the woman were going with the strangers - with our enemies! I led the others and we stopped them, brought them back here.'

'The strangers are not our enemies,' said Hur. 'They saved Za from death when the tiger attacked him by the stream.'

'Hear the woman speak for the strangers,' sneered Kal. 'She and Za let them out of the cave of skulls, and fled with them.'

'You lie,' shouted Hur. 'Old Mother set them free.'