Then the east darkened, and became a red
so deep as to be practically black, and unfamiliar bright stars began to
peep through it.
Before darkness was complete, Cochrane dragged burning branches from the
edge of the new fire--the heat was searing--and built a new and smaller
fire in the place where the ship had been.
"This isn't for warmth," he explained briefly, "but so we'll have light
if we need it. And it isn't likely that animals will be anything but
afraid of it."
He went off to drag charred masses of burnable stuff from the burned-out
first forest fire. He built a sort of rampart in the very center of the
clearing. He brought great heaps of scorched wood. He did not know how
much was needed to keep the fire going until dawn.
When he finished, Babs was silently at work trying to find out how to
keep the fire going. The burning parts had to be kept together. One
branch, burning alone, died out. Two red-hot brands in contact kept each
other alight.
"I'm sorry we haven't anything to eat," Cochrane told her.
"I'm not hungry," she assured him. "What are we going to do now?"
"There's nothing to do until morning.
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