problem.

Still keeping its soft underparts covered, it edged about in the sand
until its back, with the impenetrable armor plates, was facing the
grille behind which the hunters stood. Retracting its neck between its
shoulders and hunching its powerful back limbs under it, it rushed
from that point of danger straight for one of the archways.

Dalgard sent an arrow after it. Only to see the shaft scrape along the
heavy scales and bounce to the sand. Then the snake-devil was gone.

"Banded--" The word reached Dalgard. Sssuri had been cool enough to
note that while the human hunter had been only bewildered by the
untypical actions of his quarry.

"It must be intelligent." The scout's statement was more than half
protest.

"Where _they_ are concerned, one may expect many evil wonders."

"We've got to get that devil!" Dalgard was determined on that. Though
to run down, through this maze of deserted city, an enraged
snake-devil--above all, a snake-devil which appeared to have some
reasoning powers--was not a prospect to arouse any emotion except grim
devotion to duty.

"It goes for help."

Dalgard, startled, stared at his companion. Sssuri was still by the
grille, watching that archway through which the devil had disappeared.