ust blasting out a better berth for their vessel. And now
you've spoiled my plans._

"What did you think at that poor little creature!" Mrs. Bernardi blazed.
"He's crying!" And, sure enough, amethyst tears were oozing out of the
young saurian's large, liquid eyes.

_I du-didn't mean any harm._

"Monster!" Mrs. Bernardi accused Jrann-Pttt. "All men are monsters,
whether they're aliens or not."

"You're so right, Louisa!" Miss Anspacher exclaimed, regarding the
younger creature in an almost kindly manner.

_I'm sorry, r-Lll_, Jrann-Pttt apologized. _I was upset by that noise,
too. How could you possibly know what it was? Come, let me introduce you
to the creatures._

Dfar-Lll stepped forward diffidently. Jrann-Pttt put a hand on the
moss-green shoulder. "Allow me to introduce my companion, Dfar-Lll," he
said aloud.

The youngster looked at him.

Mrs. Bernardi thrust out her hand. "I'm very glad to meet you, Lil."

_Agitate it with one of yours. It's a courtesy. Don't let her see how
repulsive she is to you. Remember, you're just as repulsive to her._

Dfar-Lll offered a shy, seven-fingered hand. "Pleased ... to meet
you ... ma'am," the young lizard squeaked.

"Why, he's just a baby, isn't he?" Mrs. Bernardi asked.

_I am not a baby!_ Dfar-Lll thought indignantly. _At the end of this
year, I shall celebrate my pre-maturity feast, or I would have. And
furthermore--_

There was another thunderous blast of sound. After the ground had
stopped trembling, the six found themselves ankle-deep in muddy water.
Algol, who was in considerably deeper than his ankles, mewed fretfully.
Mrs. Bernardi picked him up and comforted him.

"Perhaps blasting wasn't such a good idea," the professor muttered.
"Maybe I should tell Greenfield to call a halt and we'll take our
chances with the storm. As a matter of fa--"

"The ship!" Mortland cried. "It _is_ sinking!"

And the big metal ball slowly but visibly was indeed subsiding into the
mud.

"Stop it, somebody!" Miss Anspacher snapped in her customary schoolroom
manner.

The professor was pale, but he held on to his calm. "What can we do?
Even if we could get the captain back in time, there's no way we can
stop it. It's too heavy to pull out manually, and the engines, of
course, are inside."

As they watched in horror, the ship sank deeper and deeper, picking up
momentum as more of it went under. With a loud, sucking sound, it
vanished into the ooze. Muddy water gurgled