n a passage through the living
labyrinth.

"How did Kreiss ever find his way?" Chet asked himself. And then he
questioned: "Did he come this way? Is Towahg on the trail?"

Again he repeated his instructions to the ape-man, and he showed his own
wonder as to which way they should go.

The sun must have done its work effectively, for now Towahg's wide grin
was in evidence. He nodded vigorously, then dropped to one knee and
motioned for Chet to see for himself, as he pointed to his proof.

Chet stared at the unbroken ground. Was a tiny leaf crushed? It might
have been, but so were a thousand others that had fallen from above. He
shook his head, and Towahg could only show his elation by hopping
ludicrously from one foot to the other in a dance of joy.

Then he went on at a pace Chet found difficulty in following, until they
came to a place where Towahg tore a vine aside to show easier going, but
climbed instead over a fallen tree, grown thickly with vines, and here
even Chet could see that other feet had tripped and stumbled. The Master
Pilot glanced at the triple star still pinned to his blouse; he thought
of the study and training that had preceded the conferring of that
rating, the charting of the stars, navigational problems in a
three-dimensional sea. And he smiled at his failure to read this trail
that to Towahg was entirely plain.

* * * * *

"Every man to his job," he told the black, and patted him on the
shoulder, "and you know yours, Towahg, you're good! Now, where do we
sleep?"

He ventured to suggest a bed of leaves that had gathered amongst a maze
of great rocks, but Towahg registered violent disapproval. He pointed to
a pendant vine; his hands that were clumsy at so many things gave an
unmistakable imitation of a bud that developed on that vine and opened.
Then Towahg sniffed once at that imaginary flower, and his body went
suddenly limp and apparently lifeless as it fell to the ground.

"You're right, old top!" Chet assured him, as Towahg came again to his
feet. "This is no place to take a nap." A crashing of some enormous body
that tore the tough jungle in its rush came from beyond the rocks.

"And there are other reasons," he added as he followed Towahg's example
and leaped for a hanging tangle of laced vines. Here was a ladder ready
to take them to the high roof above, but they did not need it; the
crashing died away in the distance.

It was Chet's first intimati