"What are you going to do?" Captain Higgins asked. Tactfully, since Craig had planned and executed the rescue attempt, Higgins was making no effort to exert his own authority. "If I understand correctly, they offer half of us a chance to live, if we surrender."
"I don't believe they will keep any promise they make," Craig said slowly. "I think they are trying to trick us into surrendering. However I might be wrong. I am willing to put it to a vote. What do you say: Shall we surrender or shall we fight?"
The narrow passage was full of sailors who had overheard everything that had been said. There was a moment of silence. Then a gruff voice growled.
"I say fight!"
A chorus instantly answered the first voice.
"Fight the devils!"
"They won't ever give us a chance if we surrender."
"Fight our way out of here."
Captain Higgins listened. "They're good boys," he said, a suspicious quaver in his voice.
"All right," Craig said. "We fight. This temple is almost a fortress. In here, we can hold them off indefinitely. They don't have artillery, so they can't blast us out, and their planes have been destroyed, so they can't bomb us. We'll hold here until we have a chance to escape."