about the
interdependency of life. He grasped the essence of the idea and
ignored all the verbal complications and confusions. He had
killed the magter, who were his own people, because they were
_umedvirk_--against life. And he had saved his enemies because
they were _medvirk_.

With this realization came the painful knowledge that the planet
and the people that had produced this understanding were dead.

In the cavern the magter saw the destruction of their plans, and
the cave mouth from which the bullets had come. Silently they rushed
to kill their enemy--a concerted wave of emotionless fury.

Brion and Ulv fought back. Even the knowledge that he was doomed no
matter what happened could not resign Brion to death at the hands
of the magter. To Ulv, the decision was much easier. He was simply
killing _umedvirk_. A believer in life, he destroyed the anti-life.

They retreated into the darkness, still firing. The magter had
lights and ion rifles, and were right behind them. Knowing the
caverns better than the men they chased, the pursuers circled.
Brion saw lights ahead and dragged Ulv to a stop.

"They know their way through these caves, and we don't," he said.
"If we try to run they'll just shoot us down. Let's find a spot
we can defend and settle into it."

"Back here"--Ulv gave a tug in the right direction--"there is a cave
with only one entrance, and that is very narrow."

"Let's go!"

Running as silently as they could in the darkness, they reached
the deadend cavern without being seen. What noise they made was lost
in other footsteps that sounded and echoed through the connecting
caves. Once inside, they found cover behind a ridge and waited.
The end was certain.

* * * * *

The magter ran swiftly into their cave, flashing his light into all
the places of concealment. The beam passed over the two hidden men,
and at the same instant Brion fired. The shot boomed loudly as the
magter fell--a shot that would surely have been heard by the others.

Before anyone else came into the cave, Brion ran over and grabbed
the still functioning light. Propping it on the rocks so it shone on
the entrance, he hurried back to shelter beside Ulv. They waited for
the attack.

It was not long in coming. Two magter rushed in, and died. More were
outside, Brion knew, and he wondered how long it would be before
they remembered the grenades and rolled one into their shelter.

An indistinct m