Yellow-hair nodded and then after a moment had passed and he had not moved, I said, "He isn't doing it," to Bill in a tone of inquiry.
"He's done it. He telepathed it to them."
"Why didn't you?" I asked. Cuff, looking very annoyed, stared away from me, and Skagarach laughed maliciously. "He can't telepath as smoothly as I, I'm afraid."
"Then why is he first leader?" I asked, chancing another swat on the head.
Bill Cuff, however, only stared at Skagarach evilly and said, "Because I'm the strongest of us all, and the smartest."
"That's not my opinion," said Skagarach.
"I'll show you proof if you want it," shouted Cuff angrily, but the yellow-haired one shook his head. "Not now, not now. This is our night."
The boats slid in beneath the walls of rock and the pilots skilfully halted them inches from the island. There was no way to go ashore except to leap to the rock and clutch and clamber upward. The rock wasn't sheer, but it was rough and cold and if not actually dangerous, at least mighty uncomfortable. At midnight the first Neanderthal—Bill Cuff—jumped from the first boat, and at 12:06 two hundred of us stood on the island of Odo.
It was very dark here, darker than it had been on the sea; there were trees everywhere. But I found I could see outlines without trouble, if not actual features within those outlines. Looking around me, I saw in this way the figure of a woman, and knew it was Nessa.
"Nessa! How did you get here?" I said, shocked. "You oughtn't to climb—"