Not with any faint trace of life, but under the attack of the
scavengers. More scuttled towards the second cub.

"Thanks!" The stranger was on his feet. "My name is Ras Hume. I don't
think I told you that when we last met."

"This doesn't make any difference. I'm not your man, not Brodie!"

Hume shrugged. "You think about it, Brodie, think about it with care.
Come back to camp with me and--"

"No!" Rynch interrupted. "You go your way, I go mine from here on."

Again the other laughed. "Not so simple as all that, boy. We've
started something which can't just be turned off as easily as you snap
down a switch." He took a step or two in Rynch's direction.

The younger man brought up the needler. "Stay right where you are!
Your game, Hume? All right, you play it--but not with me."

"And what are you going to do, take to the woods?"

"What I do is my business, Hume."

"No, my business, too, very much so. I'm giving you a warning, boy, in
return for your help here." He nodded at the pit. "There's something
in that woods--something which didn't show up when the Guild had their
survey exploration here."

"The watchers." Rynch retreated step by step, keeping the needler
ready. "I saw them."

"You've seen them!" Hume was eager. "What do they look like?"

In spite of his desire to be rid of Hume, Rynch found himself
answering that in detail, discovering that on demand he could recall
minutely the description of the animal hiding in the tree, the one who
had waited in the shelter, and those he had glimpsed drawing in about
the L-B clearing.

"No intelligence." Hume turned his head to survey the distant wood.
"The verifier reported no intelligence."

"These watchers--you don't know them?"

"No. Nor do I like what you've seen of them, Brodie. So I'm willing to
call a truce. The Guild believed Jumala an open planet, our records
accredited it so. If that is not true we may be in for bad trouble. As
an Out-Hunter I am responsible for the safety of three civs back there
in the safari camp."

Hume made sense, much as Rynch disliked admitting it. And the Hunter
must have read something of his agreement in his face for now he
nodded and added briskly:

"Best place now is the safari camp. We'll head back at once."

Only time had run out. A noise sounded with a metallic ring. Rynch
whirled, needler cocked. A glittering ball about the size of his fist
rolled away from contact with a boulder, came to rest in the deep
depr