“Get the buckets and keep the tent wet,” the mother repeated. “We’ll be able to hear you if you need us, and will watch, so don’t be afraid.” Kahvi plunged from the bow carrying a hoe-like implement of wood and glass. Her husband followed with a long pole carrying a sponge at the end.

Bones was already halfway to the beach. The others had no chance of catching up with the creature either swimming or running, but in a meter or so of water-too shallow for Bones to swim, too deep for the tentacular legs to work freely-they gained, and were close behind by the time they too had to wade.

The beach was slimy with nitro-life, which was (they hoped) too wet to be a fire hazard, but made running difficult. The larger growths were mostly of the smoldering type as far as they could see, but there was an occasional blaster among them.

As the party reached the base of the little peninsula to the south of their anchorage, with the jail some forty meters ahead and inland, there came a thud which was felt rather than heard. A fountain of red-hot coals rose into view from the other side of the ridge, spread slowly with eye-arresting slowness, and descended again. Some of the glowing fragments landed quite close to the watchers and even closer to the building, and any doubts about the nature of the bushes were quelled as half a dozen of them, struck by the coals, began to smoke and glow. There was no flame, since there was practically no free oxygen to react with the gases being distilled from the plant tissues; the latter burned at all only because of their nitrate content.

The human couple paused and glanced at each other, but Bones kept running toward the jail. After a moment they followed, but both kept glancing quickly to the fire, back to the raft, and forward to the stone structure, while staying as far as possible from any bushes close to their path.