and peered down one trail after
another without finding a clue, he knew that it was the Duca's
intelligence which had made the ape-people depart without leaving even
tracks behind them. He did not like the situation.

"Well," he rumbled to his companions, "we may as well take our choice.
One chance in seven of coming out right!"

But the words were hardly out of his mouth before he pulled himself up
with a jerk, and cursed himself for having given in.

"Ivana! Nini!" Sharpness, a sudden ring of hope edged his voice. "Am I
seeing things, or is that--"

* * * * *

As he pointed to a huge aloe bush down one of the trails to their left,
they started to run. Then Kirby knew that he was not seeing things. What
his first inspection of the trails had failed to show, he saw plainly
now.

Tied loosely to one branch of the aloe bush, almost concealed amidst the
deep green of foliage, was a bit of white cloth! In a second Kirby was
holding out to his companions a tiny strip of Naida's wedding gown.

"She knew we would come!" He stared down the trail with narrowed, keen
eyes.

How Naida had contrived to leave her signal was more than they knew. The
fact that she _had_ done so, sent all three of them down the trail at
driving speed.

An hour passed, then another, and the morning which had been barely born
when they first took the trail, wore on to the sultriness and vast,
colored light of a tropical noon. Twice the main trail forked, and twice
they found an unobtrusive bit of cloth to guide them beyond the works.
When the hands of Kirby's still useful watch pointed to twelve, they
paused to eat and rest. Then they pushed on.

Meanwhile, the country through which they passed left Kirby with a clear
understanding of why Naida and her people had shunned the Rorroh forest
down the centuries of time.

Just one thing which stuck in his head was the sight of a small creature
like a marmoset, sticking an inquisitive nose into the heart of a
sickly-sweet plant which resembled a terrestrial nepenthe. No sooner had
the little pink snout touched the green and maroon splotched petals,
than the plant writhed, closed its leaves, and swallowed the monkey
whole. Little squeaks of agony and terror sounded for a moment, and
ceased.

* * * * *

At midafternoon they paused in a spot where a forest of trees with
whorled tops were slowly being strangled to death by immense orch