the glade and advanced on the two.

"Cro-Magnons," Allerdyce said aloud.

They were tall, broad-shouldered, deep of chest and long of limb. The
skins of wild animals covered their nakedness. Their faces showed
intelligence, though it was all too apparent that it was limited. But
whatever speculations about their origin was in Allerdyce's mind, were
wiped from it by their attitudes. They were definitely hostile. Most
of them were armed with spears, as if those they had hurled were just
one of a number they carried. Those who bore no spears, held clubs
from the heads of which wooden spikes stuck out in vicious fingers of
anger.

* * * * *

Allerdyce acted from instinct. His right hand shot up to the height of
his head and stuck out in front of his face. At that the advancing
cavemen stopped and looked at each other. There were gutteral sounds
of consultation, then the largest most-fearsome stepped forward and
moved toward the two until he was at arm's length.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you here in the land of Ugg the
Mighty? From whence come you?"

Allerdyce's mind worked at lightning speed. The solution to their
problem lay in but a single direction, whatever their position. He
looked up to the cloudless, sun-scorched sky and said:

"From the Great Spirit we come. For see ... are we not different than
you? So we were sent to look into the affairs of the Great Spirit's
children...."

The caveman knitted his brows, shook his head in wonder, then, as a
child does at an elder's invitation to inspect a doll, he stepped
forward and fingered the suiting of the two men. Little clucking
sounds came from the lips as he did so. Then whirling, he shouted:

"The Great Spirit has sent them! Let us do them honor...."

At the same time Allerdyce whispered, "Don't act scared," to Finster.

Their leader's words were as a signal for the rest. They came forward
in dancing steps, raising their spears and clubs on high and shouting
gleefully words of exultation and praise of their leader Ugg. They
surrounded the two strangers and after their leader stepped in the
lead they started on a march through the brush. The way seemed endless
and after a while Allerdyce shed his upper garments, leaving only his
trousers to cover him. Finster followed suit. Oddly, there was a
complete absence of insect life.

The way led straight toward the hills they had glimpsed. The wall of
jungle ended with star