had our ancient mulikka, save that these were terrific things, as long
and as big as the trunk of a large tree. I know not their names.
[Footnote: Probably the dinosaur.]

"And then, at the other extreme, was a tiny creature of the air, which
moved with a musical hum. It could have hid under thy finger-nail,
Strokor, yet it had a tiny sharp-pointed bill, with which it stung most
aggravatingly. And between these two there were any number of creatures
of varying size and shape.

"But nowhere was there a sign of a man. True, there was one hairy,
grotesque creature which hung by its hands and feet from the tree-tops,
very like thee in some way, Strokor; but its face and head were those of
a brainless beast, not of a man. Nowhere was a creature like me or thee.

"And the most curious thing was this: Although there were ten times as
many of these creatures, big and little, to the same space as on our
world, yet there was no great amount of strife. In truth, there is far
more combat and destruction among we men than among the beasts.

"And," he spoke most earnestly, as though he would not care to be
disbelieved, "I saw fathers fight to protect their young!"

I near fell from my stool in my amaze. Never in all my life had I heard
a thing so far from the fact. "What!" I shouted. "Ye sit there like a
sane man, and tell me ye saw fathers fight for their young?"

He nodded his head, still very gravely. I fell silent for want of words,
but Maka put in a thought. "It would appear, Strokor, that it be not so
much of an effort for beings to live, there on Jeos, as here. Perchance