Mac shuddered. "As long as that wall holds them," he said, "it isn't hopeless. But the sooner the boat gets here, the better off we'll be. Are you trying Adonis City, Limpy?"
"All over the dial!" Limpy groaned. "They don't answer!"
Swede shook his head. "The fishmen know what the odds are. Look at that."
Mac saw three natives fling up their arms, claw over the wall and throw themselves into the 'pedes' jaws. They fought to their feet and raced toward the fence, but their fleetness didn't save them. Long before they reached the wire, they were black and shapeless, covered from head to foot with clinging, rending animals.
"The fence," Swede explained quietly. "That's why they went crazy."
Far to the right, a corps of centaurpede engineers had hauled up the huge tree trunk. Using it as a battering ram again, they smashed down a section of the barrier. Now they were rushing in, tearing the chargeless fence to pieces. As the two men watched tensely, another section collapsed with a splash into the mud. Instantly, the 'pedes began moving it toward the concrete wall.
"I knew they'd find a way," said Swede. "They're going to use the fence segments as ladders." He turned away.
Mac, continuing to stare down, suddenly stiffened. The 'pedes were acting queerly, moving around sluggishly, as if they had lost interest in their task! He frowned and faced his companions.
"That's funny," he muttered. "They're stopping—they seem confused."