ial, and let them go out to the other population centers all at
once."

Back aboard the ship they started preparing a larger quantity of the
antibody suspension. Fuzzy had regenerated back to normal weight again,
and much to Dal's delight had been splitting off small segments of pink
protoplasm in a circle all around him, as though anticipating further
demands on his resources. A quick test-run showed that the antibody was
also being regenerated. Fuzzy was voraciously hungry, but the material
in the second batch was still as powerful as in the first.

The doctors were almost ready to go back down, loaded with enough
inoculum and syringes to equip themselves and a dozen field workers when
Jack suddenly stopped what he was doing and cocked an ear toward the
entrance lock.

"What's wrong?" Dal said.

"Listen a minute."

They stopped to listen. "I don't hear anything," Tiger said.

Jack nodded. "I know. That's what I mean. They were hollering their
heads off when we came back aboard. Why so quiet now?"

He crossed over to the viewscreen scanning the field below, and flipped
on the switch. For a moment he just stared. Then he said: "Come here a
minute. I don't like the looks of this at all."

Dal and Tiger crowded up to the screen. "What's the matter?" Tiger said.
"I don't see ... _wait a minute!_"

"Yes, you'd better look again," Jack said. "What do you think, Dal?"

"We'd better get down there fast," Dal said, "and see what's going on.
It looks to me like we've got a tiger by the tail...."

* * * * *

They climbed down the ladder once again, with the antibody flasks and
sterile syringes strapped to their backs. But this time the greeting was
different from before.

The Bruckian spokesman and the others who had not yet been inoculated
drew back from them in terror as they stepped to the ground. Before, the
people on the field had crowded in eagerly around the ship; now they
were standing in silent groups staring at the doctors fearfully and
muttering among themselves.

But the doctors could see only the inoculated people in the two
roped-off areas. Off to the right among the infected Bruckians who had
received the antibody there were no new dead--but there was no change
for the better, either. The sick creatures drifted about aimlessly,
milling like animals in a cage, their faces blank, their jaws slack,
hands wandering foolishly. Not one of them had begun reacting normally,