Pritchard nodded shortly. "If you'll be so good as to keep your be—people—out of our way, we'll sterilize this island. Just burn off all the cover and see to it there's none of them left. Why don't you herd your—uh—friends over onto what we've already—"
"That won't be necessary," she cut in. "They'll all be gone in another minute."
"What makes you so sure of that?"
"The One is probably calling them off."
"The—what?"
She put her face in her hands. Pritchard frowned his puzzlement. How had so helpless a child managed to survive in a world like this?
"I'd like very much to know what this is all about, Miss Boyce," he said gently. "In fact, the reason we happened along is that we are looking for you. We thought you might be able to explain what happened last night."
As he told her, she lifted her face from her hands and her brimming eyes grew round. Before he had finished describing what they had found in the blower, she was shaking her head in despair.
"This is all your doing. This world was at peace until you came. Now The One is aroused. You see, it was The One that went into your ship—"
"The One?" A crispness came into his voice. "Miss Boyce, I think you'd better start at the beginning and give us a complete explanation. Just exactly what is this 'One' you keep talking about?"