sea kelp, while Sssuri related,
between mouthfuls, their recent adventures.

"Three times have _they_ flown across these islands on their way to
that city," the Elder of the pitifully decimated merman tribe told the
explorers.

"But this time," broke in one of his companions, "they had with them a
new ship--"

"A new ship?" Sssuri pounced upon that scrap of information.

"Yes. The ships of the air in which _they_ travel are fashioned
so"--with his knife point he drew a circle in the sand--"but this one
was smaller and more in the likeness of a spear with a heavy
point--thus"--he made a second sketch beside the first, and Dalgard
and Sssuri leaned over to study it.

"That is unlike any of their ships that I have heard of," Sssuri
agreed. "Even in the old tales of the Days Before the Burning there is
nothing spoken of like that."

"It is true. Therefore we wait now for the coming of our scouts, who
were set in hiding upon _their_ sea rock of resting, that they may
tell us more concerning this new ship. They should be here within this
time of sleeping. Now, go you to rest, which you plainly have need of,
and we shall call you when they come."

Dalgard was willing enough to stretch out in the sand in the shadows
of the far end of the cave. Beyond him three cubs slumbered together,
their arms about each other, and a feeling of peace was there such as
he had not known since he left the stronghold of Homeport.

The weird glow of the imprisoned sea monsters gave light to the main
part of the cave, and it might still have been night when the scout
was shaken awake once more. A group of the merpeople were sitting
together, and their thoughts interrupted each other as their
excitement arose. Their spies must have returned.

Dalgard crossed to join that group, but it seemed to him that his
welcome was not unqualified, and that some of the openness of the
early hours of the night was lacking. He might have been once more
under suspicion.

"Knife brother"--to Dalgard's sensitive mind that form of address from
Sssuri was used for a special purpose: to underline the close bond
between them--"listen to the words of Sssim who is a Hider-to-Watch on
the island where _they_ rest their ships during the voyage from one
land to another." He drew Dalgard down beside him to face a young
merman who was staring round-eyed at the colony scout.

"He is like--yet unlike"--his first wisp of thought meant nothing to
the scout. "The stra