As they neared the jungle, the council was greeted by a sight which made them pull their horses up short. From the forest came the mob of men, the red-headed man still leading them, marching with the same vigor with which they had gone in. But the grimness had fled from their faces, to be replaced by a relaxed friendliness. They halted as they recognized the horsemen. The red-headed man looked up at Clyde Ellery with an easy grin.
"Out riding, Councilor Ellery?" he asked pleasantly.
"What happened in there?" Ellery asked, nodding toward the jungle.
"Why, nothing," the red-headed man said with surprise. "Why should anything happen?"
"What were you men doing in there?"
For a moment the red-headed man looked perplexed, his gaze shifting from Ellery to the jungle and then back to Ellery; then his expression cleared. "Why, me and the boys were just looking around," he said. "Since we're going to be living here for the rest of our lives, we thought we might as well take a look at this jungle. We figured there might be some dangerous animals in it and if there was we ought to know about it. But it looks like everything's okay."
The council members exchanged glances. "But what about your idea of going back to Earth?" Clyde Ellery asked.
This time the red-headed man was really surprised. "You must be off your rocker, councilor," he said. "We like it here."