had knocked over at the waterside.

"Acted tame." Wonstead was proud of his kill. "Stupid thing just stood
and watched me while I let fly with a stone."

Raf picked up the little body. Its fur was red-brown, plush-thick, and
very soft to the touch. The breast was creamy white and the forepaws
curiously short with an uncanny resemblance to his own hands. Suddenly
he wished that Wonstead had not killed it, though he supposed that
Chou, their biologist, would be grateful. But the animal looked
particularly defenseless. It would have been better not to mark their
first day on this new world with a killing--even if it were the
knocking over of a stupid rabbit thing. The pilot was glad when Chou
bore it off and he no longer had to look at it.

It was after the evening meal that Raf was called into consultation by
the officers to receive his orders. When he reported that the flitter,
barring unexpected accidents, would be air-borne by the following
afternoon, he was shown an enlarged picture from the records made
during the descent of the _RS 10_.

There was a city, right enough--showing up well from the air. Hobart
stabbed a finger down into the heart of it.

"This lies south from here. We'll cruise in that direction."

Raf would have liked to ask some questions of his own. The city
photographed was a sizable one. Why then this deserted land here? Why
hadn't the inhabitants been out to investigate the puzzle of the space
ship's landing? He said slowly, "I've mounted one gun, sir. Do you