Rather and Booce were moving things inside: two smoked turkeys, a huge amount of foliage, water pods.

"All of us?"

"Not you. Clave. Lawn's staying too. Citizens Tree needs a Chairman and a Scientist."

"How did you decide-"

There was a bit of an edge in Lawri's voice. "We knew one of us would have to stay. Now I've missed my time of blood. I'm hosting a guest. I wondered why the copsik was being so affectionate."

"You should all be staying. You're taking the CARM?"

"The CARM, the silver suit, and the pipe from Logbearer."

They all looked very serious. The background roar prompted Clave to ask, "Are you planning to set the tree moving first? Or was that a lie too?"

"We'll give you a day's thrust," Jeffer said. "No more. I won't be here to decelerate you, and I want to be able to find you again."

"With what? Would London Tree have let you keep the CARM? The Admiralty won't either!"

Patiently Gavving said, "We've talked that over. We won't take the CARM into the Clump. They'll never know it exists. Jeffer will hide the CARM somewhere. The rest of us will go in as loggers, with Booce and Ryllin to show us how."

Clave's mind was racing. "Now listen to me. Will you listen?"

"Yes, Chairman."

"First, are you all volunteers? Rather, how did they suck you into this?"

"They can't go without the silver suit," the boy said.

"Oh, they'd go. Wouldn't you, Jeffer?"

"Yes."

"I'm going anyway," Rather said.

He didn't look like he'd change his mind. Rather didn't even bother to argue, though the boy was good at that. Clave knew how he would enlist a fourteen-year-old boy. Put him in the silver suit, call him the Silver Man, offer him status and adventure . . . "Carlot?"

"I'm going home," the girl said defiantly.

"Debby?" But aglance told Clave he'd lost that battle. Debby was fiercely happy. He hadn't seen her like this since the War of London Tree. "What about Anthon?"

Debby said, "I never told him. Jeffer, I did get him talking. He likes Citizens Tree just fine and he doesn't want any changes. Have you noticed how fat he's getting?"

"Too bad," Jeffer said.

Clave said, "Stet. I accept that you're going to do this. I've heard your speeches, and you've heard mine, and the treemouth can have them both. But don't you see that this will tear Citizens Tree apart? It's mutiny. Hold it! I mean it's mutiny the way you've planned it. If we don't fix that. Citizens Tree will never recover. It's got to look better than it does."

The mutineers looked at each other.

"Here's how it's got to be," said Clave. "First, I'm going. Gawing isn't. You said it and you're right. The tree needs a Chairman and it's Gawing."

Gawing said, "That's silly. You're-"