They sent away, and then they waited. A week later, Anthony killed a badgerine—a vicious, burrowing animal that had the habit of slaughtering for the pure joy of killing. The same day, a report came from T. I. Tapling to the effect that the Central Terrestrial Dog Breeding Station had reported an order for one of their animals, and that, by virtue of the fact that all orders for Government personnel on Government projects must be routed through Government channels, the order had been turned over to Mr. Tapling. However, as Mr. Tapling was strongly opposed to red tape—so said Mr. Tapling, black on white—he would not return a new blank order form to Mr. Anthony Kidd, but would save time, according to the procedure permitted by Regulation MN37VX25, Code 2, and fill out the necessary form himself.
"Why, the guy's human," said Anthony in surprise.
"Maybe he had a dog himself once," suggested Alice.
"Whatever it is, it shouldn't be long now."
But Mr. Tapling, as an expediter, was not quite as efficient as when he played the role of obstructor. Another week passed, during which Anthony killed another octerocap and two snaffles, incurring a slight wound from one of the latter. The wound showed signs, at first, of festering badly, and special biostatic treatment was needed to keep it from getting worse. The week after that, Anthony shot a new animal which he had never even heard described before. It seemed a baggy formless mass, with a tiny, almost invisible head. He tossed it aside, and the other animals, enticed by the meal, came to eat it and then prowl, audibly drooling, around the house. He shot several more, and still no dog.
He spent part of his hard-earned salary for a special cable to Mr. Tapling, and that gentleman, in his hatred of red tape, referred the message to a subordinate, who passed it on for action to a subordinate of his own. Anthony never heard of the cable again.
During the next week he killed no less than five different animals. Alice herself killed a snaffle which tried to get into the house through an imperfectly barred window. The explosive gun was a great success, blowing head and most of the neck to bits with one shot, and knocking Alice to the floor at the same time by means of the recoil. She was bruised for days, and from that moment she lived in almost as great terror of the gun itself as of the animals outside.
In the month that followed, Anthony sent a cable each week, and received no reply to any of them. The number of animals that prowled around the house increased almost daily. There came the day when Alice called up the mine in panic.
"Anthony, there are three of them outside the house, all at once. One at the door, two at different shutters. Rush home! And bring help!"