, as we set off on their trail. We intended to make the most
of any opening the revived Shinros made for us.

Two more columns of toiling Shinros we liberated with injections, then
our supply of fluid was exhausted. Just what more to do to hurt the
Jivros we didn't know.

"How many ships do those Jivros have? Why are they always in hiding?
Since I've been around here I haven't seen a dozen of 'em at one time!"
I asked Holaf, my feet tired from sneaking along the deserted streets.

"They never come out in the open except for some express reason, such as
driving the Shinros to work. They still have probably a score of ships."

"Twenty of those big disks?" I asked.

"Yes, I would say that many. But they will not bring them out to battle
unless there is no other way. A Jivro never does anything he can get a
human to do. Now that they have only the Shinros in the city, with the
army out there searching for the Croen--and maybe the most of it
deserting to some rendezvous the prince sent them word about--they will
do nothing unless they must. You know how a spider hides when it senses
danger?"

"There are many insects that hide when they are in fear."

"They have that trait, but they also have courage when desperation
drives them. Now they are holed up in their strongholds, waiting
developments. They will only come out to fight if they see an
opportunity to crush their opposition, or if they are driven forth."

Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky
above, then another and another. For an instant a huge disk showed in
the beam. It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light. The
beam danced after. It was not seen again, and still more beams winked
on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.

"I would say our friends, the Jivros, were in for it. The prince and the
Croen are attacking," I said to Holaf.

He grunted.

"I didn't expect it so soon. They do not have the strength in ships. But
the Croen must have some stunt figured out to equalize their power."

We moved along pretty rapidly, keeping to the shadows, and soon were
again at the side of that flat, paved place from which the disk ships
took off. Overhead loomed the beetling walls of the palace from which
the prince had led his people in revolt--manned now by the Jivros. I
wondered how it felt to them to have to do their own fighting.

The beams moving about from the top of the building lit the streets
abou