The besieged drew breath, but at that moment the shouting and the crackling arose on the opposite side of the village and the crowd hastened to defend that point, and so the fight swayed to and fro across the village, for the besieged had not the sense to divide their forces as their enemies had done.
Cyril noticed that every now and then certain of the fighting-men would enter the maze, and come out with brighter faces, a braver aspect, and a more upright carriage.
'I believe they go and touch the Amulet,' he said.

'You know the Psammead said it could make people brave.' They crept through the maze, and watching they saw that Cyril was right.
A headman was standing in front of the skin curtain, and as the warriors came before him he murmured a word they could not hear, and touched their foreheads with something that they could not see.

And this something he held in his hands.

And through his fingers they saw the gleam of a red stone that they knew.
The fight raged across the thorn-hedge outside.

Suddenly there was a loud and bitter cry.
'They're in! They're in! The hedge is down!' The headman disappeared behind the deer-skin curtain.
'He's gone to hide it,' said Anthea.