emed to wander around as if lost, and then set out in another
direction, but still one that would not take it to the city which was
quite plainly in view.

The Martian disappeared from view behind a series of small hummocks,
still bound for nowhere.

The men were lost in amazement. Russell Clyde uttered a low whistle.
"Burl's right. It must be a sort of insect."

"This whole civilization seems to be insectlike, if you ask me," said
Burl. "It's like a huge anthill, or a big bee-hive. It seems
complicated, and the creatures go through complex activities, and all
the time it's something they were born with."

Ferrati nodded. "Now that you mention it, that's exactly what the city
was like. Nobody gave orders--everybody just did what they were supposed
to do. Nobody was curious about us because it wasn't their business."

"And, individually, they haven't intelligence," Clyde added. "That
one--the one you took away from his work--plainly is lost. He doesn't
know how to go about getting back. He has no curiosity about us ... he
may not even have much of a brain. Individual ants have no brain--only a
sort of central nerve center. Collectively, they perform wonders;
individually, they are quite helpless."

Lockhart interrupted the discussion. "Well, then, let's get on with it.
Obviously, the Sun-tap builders placed their station in this city
because it was a safe spot, protected by the Martians themselves, and
because the Martians would never think to interfere with them. So you
men can go back, take your stuff, dig out the station and put it out of
commission. Get going."

Haines and Burl climbed into the jeep with Boulton and Ferrati. Russell
Clyde insisted on joining them, and Lockhart gave his consent. Off they
went, rumbling over the sand toward the city of instinct.

Burl was excited and curious about the Martians. They presented a
strange mixture of contradictions. "How," he asked Russ, "could they
have built a world-wide network of canals, set up pumping stations, laid
out plantations, mastered hydraulic and power engineering, if they are
mere creatures of instinct? Surely there must be brainy ones somewhere?
A thinker species?"

"Not necessarily," said Russ. "Remember, these creatures are operating
without opposition--they are really the highest type of life here. The
need to conserve water and continue their hive life forced them to learn
a practical kind of engineering. Nobody knows how the ants and bees
fo