ve on Hume's part. And the Out-Hunter
respected him as being man enough to be wary of giving any suspicion
of going counter to the agreed plan.

Dawn was touching up the main points of the western continent, and he
must set this spacer down within a day's journey of the abandoned L-B.
Exploration in that direction would be the first logical move for his
party. They could not be openly steered to the find, but there were
ways of directing a hunt which would do as well.

Two days ago, according to schedule, their castaway had been deposited
here with a sub-conscious command to remain in the general area. There
had been a slight element of risk in leaving him alone, armed only
with the crude weapons he could manipulate, but that was part of the
gamble.

They were down--right on the mark. Hume saw to the unpacking and
activating of those machines and appliances which would protect and
serve his civ clients. He slapped the last inflate valve on a bubble
tent, watched it critically as it billowed from a small roll of fabric
into a weather resistant, one-room, air-conditioned and heated
shelter.

"Ready and waiting for you to move in, Gentlehomo," he reported to the
small man who stood gazing about him with a child's wondering interest
in the new and strange.

"Very ingenious, Hunter. Ah--now just what might that be?" His voice
was also eager as he pointed a finger to the east.

4

Hume glanced up alertly. There was a bare chance that "Brodie" might
have witnessed their arrival and might be coming in now to save them
all a great amount of time and trouble by acting the overjoyed,
rescued castaway.

But he could sight nothing at all in that direction to excite any
attention. The distant mountains provided a stark, dark blue
background. Up their foothills and lower slopes was a thick furring
of trees with foliage of so deep a green as to register black from
this distance. And on the level country was the lighter blue-green of
the other variety of wood edging the open country about the river. In
there rested the L-B.

"I don't see anything!" he snapped, so sharply the little man stared
at him in open surprise. Hume forced a quick smile.

"Just what did you sight, Gentlehomo Starns? There is no large game in
the woodlands."

"This was not an animal, Hunter. Rather a flash of light, just about
there." Again he pointed.

Sun, Hume thought, could have been reflected from some portion of the
L-B. He had belie