"What about your things? Don't you want to keep an eye on them?"
"They'll be all right," Herl said flatly, knowing that he should never let them out of his sight outside his own ship ... that they would be impossible to replace without returning to Earth.
The older man slid out of his seat and jogged off down the middle of the street till the younger caught up with him. Together they ran toward the city.
Between the lined-up cars they could see fires in many of the houses they passed, and groups of people standing helplessly on sidewalks and lawns. None of the houses appeared to be actually on fire, but window draperies or something near the windows were blazing merrily. Through some casements, people could be seen aiming fire extinguishers at the flames or throwing water on them.
Crawford lumbered along rather slowly. Herl matched his pace. A young man running rapidly passed them from behind.
"Going to the Civil Building to see the fun?" he panted out as he passed.
"Sure," returned Herl, speeding up a little. "What's it all about?"
The young man looked back at Herl, seeming to notice the red tunic and drum cap for the first time. "If you don't know ..." he gasped out, "you'd better stay back. It's the Eyefer Plan." He sprinted on and Herl turned back to wait for the Commissioner.
"It's something about the Eyefers," he told the trotting man as he fell into step beside him. "He said he was going to the Civil Building to see the fun, and he called it 'the Eyefer Plan.'"