In moments the canoe was beached on the firm mud. Above the throbbing of the Big Brown came the distant crashing of trees and brush. Rok's whistle split again through the shadowy jungle. Roaring acknowledgement, The Big Snake was now so near the ground quaked with the rhythm of its coming.
Old Ledo was peering into the canoe. "Hey—how did all these packs of berries get under the thwarts?"
"Divide the packs among us," Roya commanded.
The Big Snake burst from a stand of fern trees and tore straight for Roya. With a happy roar it slewed to a ground-gouging stop. Then, missing Toka, it whined plaintively.
Roya held up her clenched left hand, raised its little finger and pointed to Elees. The Big Snake grunted. Roya raised the next finger and pointed to Old Ledo. The next finger was Rok, the next Roya herself. Each time the intently watching Big Snake understood. Roya raised her thumb. The Big Snake whined plaintively. Roya pointed in the direction of the underground river and sang a snatch of the choral that had enticed them in there. The Big Snake frowned.
Roya held up her right hand and raised and lowered those fingers again and again and gestured that hand toward the underground area. Then she gripped her right hand, representing Kosanna, around her left thumb, representing Toka. She made Toka struggle against Kosanna. The big slick-skin began rumbling deep in its great belly. Its bulging red eyes began burning with rising anger. Its tail and colossal body rippled as it poised to race to Toka's help. Roya shook her head emphatically. The big slick-skin rumbled questioningly.
In the deepening twilight, Roya swiftly fingered a design in the smooth mud of the shore. The drawing crudely portrayed the big slick-skin and Roya and friends. It was also a map of the valley and the Big Brown on down to distant Sandcliff and the great dinosaur herd in that area. Roya pointed a finger to the character representing the big slick-skin, then pointed to the monster itself and raised her head and pretended to roar toward Sandcliff. She pointed to the herd around Sandcliff and wriggled her fingers to portray them running up valley to this spot.
The Big Snake instantly whipped its head aloft and faced down valley. It yawned its cavernous mouth and blasted the darkening twilight with a roaring that slammed away and back and away again in echo. Quickly there was an answering roar from far down valley. The big slick-skin instantly blasted away another series of mighty roars. At once the Big Snake far down valley acknowledged and relayed the imperative message on. And even farther down valley a third Big Snake began blasting the purple night with that peculiar series of mighty roars. And the call to the Big Snakes was flashing down the valley and summoning the colossal monsters to the rescue!
"Why not pile aboard old slicky here," Rok urged, "and start the fun now!"
"Those flesh-eating fish in that river would cut him down in moments," Roya explained.