le bread and the sensation
was admirable. They went out to the highway again.

"West is still our best bet," said Lockley. "They've blocked the
highway to eastward with that terror beam."

The sun had set now, but a fading glory remained in the sky. They saw
the slenderest, barest crescent of a new moon practically hidden in
the sunset glow. They walked upon a civilized road, with a fence on
one side of it and above it a single sagging telephone wire that could
be made out against the stars.

"I feel," said Jill, "as if we were almost safe, now. All this looks
so ordinary and reassuring."

"But we'd better keep our noses alert," Lockley told her. "We know
that one beam comes nearly this far and probably--no, certainly
crosses this road. There may be more."

"Oh, yes," agreed Jill. Then she said irrelevantly, "I'll bet they do
make him a sort of--ambassador to our government to arrange for
making friends. He'll be able to convince them!"

Again she referred to Vale. Lockley said nothing.

Night was now fully fallen. There were myriad stars overhead. They saw
the telephone wire dipping between poles against the sky's brightness.
They passed an open gate where another telephone wire led away,
doubtless to another farmhouse. But if there was no one at the other
end of a telephone line, there was no point in using a phone.

There came a rumbling noise behind them. They stared at one another in
the starlight. The rumbling approached.

"It--can't be!" said Jill, marvelling.

"It's a motor," said Lockley. He could not feel complete relief.
"Sounds like a truck. I wonder--"

He felt uneasiness. But it was absurd. Only human beings would use
motor trucks.

There was a glow in the distance behind them. It came nearer as the
sound of the motor approached. The motor's mutter became a grumble. It
was definitely a truck. They could hear those other sounds that trucks
always make in addition to their motor noises.

It came up to the curve they'd rounded last. Its headlight beams
glared on the cornstalks growing next to the highway. One headlight
appeared around the turn. Then the other. An enormous trailer-truck
combination came bumbling toward them. Jill held up her hand for it to
stop. Its headlights shone brightly upon her.

Airbrakes came on. The giant combination--cab in front, gigantic box
body behind--came to a halt. A man leaned out. He said amazedly, "Hey,
what are you folks doin' here? Everybody's supposed t