he screams of the baby brought the neighbors. Out of their brush houses they poured -Kino's brother Juan Tomás and his fat wife Apolonia and their four children crowded inthe door and blocked the entrance, while behind them others tried to look in, and onesmall boy crawled among legs to have a look. And those in front passed the word back tothose behind - "Scorpion. The baby has been stung."Juana stopped sucking the puncture for a moment. The little hole was slightly enlargedand its edges whitened from the sucking, but the red swelling extended farther around itin a hard lymphatic mound. And all of these people knew about the scorpion. An adultmight be very ill from the sting, but a baby could easily die from the poison. First, theyknew, would come swelling and fever and tightened throat, and then cramps in thestomach, and then Coyotito might die if enough of the poison had gone in. But thestinging pain of the bite was going away. Coyotito's screams turned to moans.Kino had wondered often at the iron in his patient, fragile wife. She, who was obedientand respectful and cheerful and patient, could bear physical pain with hardly a cry. Shecould stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself. In the canoe she was likea strong man. And now she did a most surprising thing."The doctor," she said. "Go to get the doctor."The word was passed out among the neighbors where they stood close-packed in the littleyard behind the brush fence. And they repeated among themselves, "Juana wants thedoctor." A wonderful thing, a memorable thing, to want the doctor. To get him would be aremarkable thing. The doctor never came to the cluster of brush houses. Why should he,when he had more than he could do to take care of the rich people who lived in the stoneand plaster houses of the town?"He would not come," the people in the yard said."He would not come," the people in the door said, and the thought got into Kino."The doctor would not come," Kino said to Juana.She looked up at him, her eyes as cold as the eyes of a lioness. This was Juana's first baby- this was nearly everything there was in Juana's world. And Kino saw her determinationand the music of the family sounded in his head with a steely tone."Then we will go to him," Juana said, and with one hand she arranged her dark blueshawl over her head and made of one end of it a sling to hold the moaning baby and madeof the other end of it a shade over his eyes to protect him from the light. The people in thedoor pushed against those behind to let her through. Kino followed her. They went out of the gate to the rutted path and the neighbours followed them.The thing had become a neighbourhood affair. They made a quick soft-footed processioninto the center of the town, first Juana and Kino, and behind them Juan Tomás an