always to the E. But separation from the other two men of his crew was
like the loss of a part of himself. To these also he had a duty. He
tried to solve his problem by alternating his time, spending part of it
with Cal, the remainder with his crew.

Cal and Jed made a trip the following morning across the ridge, and
found the dissident group huddled together in abject terror. They had
seen the ship coming down through the atmosphere and, all together, they
had climbed the ridge, where one of their scouts had recently gone, to
watch the ship's landing--and its disappearance.

Once they were found, it took little persuasion to convince them they
should return to the other colonists, that differences of opinion meant
nothing now as against the need of human beings to cling together in the
face of catastrophe.

But they too were having trouble thinking in a straight line, and even
though they first appeared eager to join the other colonists, it took
some doing to keep them all together and moving forward to cross the
ridge, to come down the other side, to assemble again at the site of the
village with the others.

And yet, within minutes, neither band seemed to remember that they had
ever been separated.

By the time they had returned, it was apparent that Louie was succeeding
where Jed had failed in finding the colonists. In the few hours that
had elapsed, the nucleus had tripled in size. Louie's wandering through
the brush, calling, pleading with them to follow him, promising there
was no danger if they would allow him to watch over them, intercede for
them with Those who had caused all this, had indeed coaxed them from
their hiding places, calmed their fears.

And still through the day he toiled, finding them, bringing them back
into the fold, one and two and three at a time, until, at last, by Jed's
count, all were there, no more missing.

And yet, in spite of his success, there was a kind of hurt and
disappointment in Louie's eyes. For once back, they not only forgot
their fears, they seemed also to forget him. They coalesced into a
placid herd, without memory of their panic. Without memory of the
shepherd who had found the lost sheep and returned them to the fold.

They wandered among the trees and bushes, picking fruit and nuts, eating
leaves and stems and flowers of plants. They wandered down to the river
to lie prone on the sand, dip their faces into the clear cold water to
drink. During the heat of the