Jupiter nodded grimly. As he prepared the hypodermic of exsrocain, the Caligan girl pitched in and helped Reiloc pin Lete face-down on the ledge.
Jupiter's fingers were shaking as he located a spot on Lete's naked back, plunged the needle between two of her vertebrae.
"One—two—three—four," he counted. Without bothering to test for consciousness he wrenched the little plum-colored shell from the cave girl's neck, smashed it against the wall of the aquaduct.
"Carry her!" he ordered Reiloc, and threw his instruments back into the pack, slipped a fresh drum of cartridges into the carbine. He could hear the thud of running feet on the ramp leading to the surface.
"Back!" he said tersely. "We'll have to try another way!"
For an hour they followed Tabak through the network of aquaducts, twisting, cutting down bisecting canals until Jupiter was exhausted. He and the big Nehogan had been carrying the unconscious wild girl by turns. Twice they saw Anolyn floating down to the sea like big purple squids, Jupiter shot them before they could telepath an alarm.
Tabak was in the lead when she stopped abruptly, put her hand to her mouth.
"What is it?" Jupiter hissed.
"The canal! Look!"
He raised his eyes. The tunnel came to a blind end just ahead. Then he saw that actually the roof dipped down beneath the surface.