Left behind

Just as Quint's answer came the shaking started, little chips of rock fell into opened eyes and he pulled them closed, gritting his teeth. He wasn't sure what was happening and neither were many of the men there on the cave floor with him. He did know enough to think their shelter was collapsing. "Out, get out." he began telling the others around him. He was. In spite of his terrible state. Giving an order and so most moved to obey without thinking. Had he not already been sick, and injured it would have occurred to him to give orders to help the lame. He did not though and so he and two others were left behind. His orders had saved most of the group though, and roused the sleeping men in time.

He lay for a long time believing he'd be dug out and telling the badly crushed man next to him it would be so. Nightfall came though and a pale shaft of moon light shone through the collapsed cave roof onto Quint's face he realized no rescue was coming. He closed his eyes and wished to die. Morning found him cold and awake with his leg crushed and his vision very blurry from his damaged eyes. He had no way on the previous day to get the stone chips from his eyes besides crying, so the chips had damaged his vision for the time they remained in his eyes.

The cold was good for it compelled him to move. He could not sit up, he could curl towards his legs with his trunk though. He did so. Slowly he began to push and shove the rocks from his crushed leg until he could slowly pull it free and crawl around on it, on the ruined cave floor. His two companions were dead. It took him till the following night fall to dig himself a small enough opening to crawl through and make his way to a nearby stream bed. He passed out in the shallow stream on his back.