Even with the reduced numbers of the defenders, this fiendish thing would make their remaining water supply inadequate. And then another thought struck him.
Suppose it stayed there, so that even if by some miracle the garrison held out, it made holding the fort impossible no matter how many men, or how much water there was.
The men were looking at him. Tex let the dead snake drop to the catwalk and vanish under a pall of scarlet beetles.
"Clean up this mess," said Tex automatically. Breska's black eyes were brilliant and very hard. Why didn't the men move?
"Go on," Tex snapped. "I'm ranking officer here now."
The men turned to their task with a queer reluctance. One of them, a big scar-faced hulk with a mop of hair far redder far than Tex's, stood long after the others had gone, watching him out of narrowed green eyes.
Tex went slowly down into the compound. There were no breaks in the net, but another few days of rust would finish them.
What was the use of fighting on? If they left now, they might get out alive. Headquarters could send more men, retake Fort Washington.
But Headquarters didn't have many men. And the woman with the eyes like pale-green flames wouldn't waste any time.
Some falling body had crushed a beetle-bomb caught in the net. The scarlet things were falling like drops of blood on Kuna's body. Tex smiled crookedly. In a few seconds there'd be nothing left of the flesh Kuna had cherished so dearly.