"Let us say that the Great Spirit sent a dream of warning to each of us," another shoonoo said. "There has been too much talk about dreams from the Gone Ones already."
"But the Great Spirit has never sent a dream—"
"Nothing like this has ever happened before, either."
He rose, and they were silent. "Go to your living-place, now," he told them. "Talk of how best you may warn your people." He pointed to the clock. "You have an oomphel like that in your living-place; when the shorter spear has moved three places, I will speak with you again, and then you will be sent in air cars to your people to speak to them."
They went up the escalator and down the hall to Miles' office on the third floor without talking. Foxx Travis was singing softly, almost inaudibly:
"You will eeeeat ... in the sweeeet ... bye-and-bye,
You'll get oooom ... phel in the sky ... when you die!"
Inside, Edith Shaw slumped dispiritedly in a chair. Foxx Travis went to the coffee-maker and started it. Miles snapped on the communication screen and punched the combination of General Maith's headquarters. As soon as the uniformed girl who appeared in it saw him, her hands moved quickly; the screen flickered, and the general appeared in it.
"We have it made, general. They're sold; we're ready to start them out in three hours."
Maith's thin, weary face suddenly lighted. "You mean they are going to co-operate?"
He shook his head. "They think they're saving the world; they think we're co-operating with them."