Pink activated the intercom screen, told the crew briefly what had
happened. Then he raised the mutiny gates, giving a sigh of relief. "Get
going," he told his officers.

"What about the girl?" asked Jerry suspiciously. "She could still be one
of them."

"Leave her with me. I have six bullets in this thing and forty-eight
more after that." He looked at Circe, who was pale and weary. "Sit down,
O. O. Smith," he said gently. "I think you're all right. But you realize
we can't chance anything till we have proof."

"I understand," she said listlessly, and dropped into a foamseat,
staring at the fallen giant. The others trooped out.

With the door shut, Pink walked to the head of the creature; it was a
swollen and hideous head, but by rights it should have been even more
hideous, should have had half a dozen wounds. The yellow hide was
unmarked. Pink said, "You're alive. Can you speak?"

"Certainly." The lips barely moved. "I am but immobilized for the
moment."

"What caused it?"

The being sneered at him without answering. Pink said, "I can keep you
in this state for a long time, chum. And when we've shown our heels to
your brothers, I'm going to dump you out an air-lock and let you drift
around between the stars."

He knelt beside it. "What did you do to the space drive?"

There was a long pause. Then it evidently made up its mind. "The drive
should be in working order now. Your men will discover so when they try
it. As with the other contrivances, I merely placed a temporary stasis
on the protons of certain atoms, which rendered them futile. There
should be no damage by this time."

Echoing his words, Pink heard the first throbbing murmur of the
activated piles. He looked without conscious volition at Circe, and they
exchanged smiles of vast relief.

"You'll be popping out that air-lock sooner than I'd hoped," said Pink
to the giant. Then he was startled by a great peal of harsh laughter.

"Oh, you pigmy!" shouted the alien. "You flea-brained besotted fool!
Your ship is out of control even now, and your hours are numbered on one
hand. You've lost, and haven't the brains to see why!"

And, thought Pink, listening to the mirthless laugh while a chill sought
out his belly, the monster's words did not sound remotely like a bluff.

He knew something hidden from the captain, and even in his captivity he
felt himself master of the _Elephant's Child_.

Why? Why? Why?

Then Pink turned and looked at Circe.