ore.
There seemed to be several varieties, all grotesque in shape and exotic
in color. There were even some green ones, with long sharp leaves that
looked like spearheads.

Exotic or not, they made perfectly adequate cover. Stones came whistling
out of the woods, but Kieran could not see anything where Paula was
pointing but an occasional shaking of foliage.

"Sakae?" he asked.

Webber snorted. "You'll know it when the Sakae find us. They don't throw
stones."

"These are the humans," Paula said. There was an indulgent softness in
her voice that irritated Kieran.

"I thought they were our dear little friends," he said.

"You frightened them."

"_I_ frightened them?"

"They've seen the flitter before. But they're extremely alert to modes
of behavior, and they knew you weren't acting right. They thought you
were sick."

"So they tried to kill me. Nice fellows."

"Self-preservation," Webber said. "They can't afford the luxury of too
much kindness."

"They're very kind among themselves," Paula said defensively. To Kieran
she added, "I doubt if they were trying to kill you. They just wanted to
drive you away."

"Oh, well," said Kieran, "in that case I wouldn't dream of disappointing
them. Let's go."

Paula glared at him and turned to Webber. "Talk to them."

"I hope there's time," Webber grunted, glancing at the sky. "We're
sitting ducks here. Keep your patient quiet--any more of that moaning
and flopping and we're sunk."

* * * * *

He picked up a large plastic container and moved closer to the door.

Paula looked at Kieran's cheek. "Let me fix that."

"Don't bother," he said. At this moment he hoped the Sakae, whoever and
whatever they were, would come along and clap these two into some
suitable place for the rest of their lives.

Webber began to "talk".

Kieran stared at him, fascinated. He had expected words--primitive
words, perhaps resembling the click-speech of Earth's stone-age
survivals, but words of some sort. Webber hooted. It was a soft
reassuring sound, repeated over and over, but it was not a word. The
rattle of stones diminished, then stopped. Webber continued to make his
hooting call. Presently it was answered. Webber turned and nodded at
Paula, smiling. He reached into the plastic container and drew forth a
handful of brownish objects that smelled to Kieran like dried fruit.
Webber tossed these out onto the sand. Now he made a different sound, a
grun