"I can imagine."
Ruel's gaze searched the herd."I don't see Danor."
"He is there." LiSung pointed impatiently. "How can you miss him? With that tattered ear hestands out like Satan in a crowd of angels."
Dilam's brows lifted insurprise. "You are still fighting themakhol?You are even morestubborn than I thought."
"Makhol?"Jane asked.
"It's onlyfoolishness," Li Sung said quickly. "The herd is here. Now, how arewe going to rid ourselves of this baby and get on with our work?"
"Danor seems to have thesituation under control so far. Why don't we see what he can do?" Ruel gotdown from his horse and unfastened the branches that formed the support for thestretcher. "Come on, Li Sung, let's pull the stretcher out into the middleof the herd and see what happens."
"What will happen is thatwe'll both be trampled by the beasts." Li Sung got off his horse. "Atleast, I will be trampled. You can run faster than me."
"I'll do it," Janeoffered.
"No!" Li Sung saidsharply. "It is my—" He stopped and shook his head."Madness."
Jane wasn't sure he wasn'tright as she watched Ruel and Li Sung each take one of the poles and drag thebaby elephant into the center of the herd. The two men appeared pitifully smalland weak surrounded by the huge beasts, and the elephants clearly didn'tappreciate the intrusion.
The elephants were closingaround them!
Her hands grasped nervously ather reins as the two men were suddenly lost to view.
"Be at ease," Dilamsaid softly. "Look, Danor."
Danor was edging forward,shouldering aside the other elephants until a narrow path was formed whichallowed Li Sung and Ruel to slip through the herd.
Jane breathed a sigh of reliefwhen the two men finally made it to the edge of the glade. "Caleb?"
"I don't know," Ruelsaid. "We'll have to see what happens. I saw at least four nursing cowsamong the herd, but they didn't seem very interested in adopting an orphan.Even if they'd stand still for it, I don't think the baby has the strength toget on his feet to nurse." He grimaced ruefully. "I may still have togo after the goats."
"I wish they'd move so Icould see." Jane had a sudden horrible thought. "What if they step onhim? He can't get up. They'll kill him!"
"Elephants usually takecare of their own," Dilam said soothingly. "And Danor is there."
Jane's worried gaze searchedthe milling elephants. She couldn't see either Danor or the baby. "Thereare so many of them and… " Then a large bull blocking her vision wanderedoff toward the trees and she caught a glimpse of a small familiar figure in thecenter of the herd.
The baby was nursing!
Caleb was standing, sucklinghungrily at the teat of a small gray-brown female. His legs were obviouslywobbly, but he was supported by the trunks of Danor and another femaleelephant.
"It's going to be allright." Her face was alight with joy as she turned to Ruel. "He'sgoing to live."
He smiled, his gaze lingeringon her face. "And I don't have to turn goat tender after all. What arelief. I'm sure it would have been disastrous to my consequence."
"If we're through actingnursemaid to this elephant, maybe we can get back to work," Li Sung said."We have track to lay while there's still light."
Dilam nodded. "We cancomplete another quarter of a mile before dusk." She turned to Ruel."Tamar is at the encampment. He came with a message from JamesMedford."
Ruel frowned. "Why didn'tyou tell me?"
"You were busy. And thisappeared of more importance."
"Elephants are alwaysmore important to her than humans," Li Sung said caustically.
"I'll go with you,"Jane told Ruel. She turned to Li Sung. "I'll be with you as soon as we seewhat Medford has to say."
