Jupiter's eyes widened in disbelief as the remaining Anolyn were borne to safety above the tree tops.
The Mizar was left all alone in the center of the valley.
Then to a man the frightened mob on the hillsides fell down on their faces, arms extended before them toward the ship below, and a great babbling cry arose:
"The Wanderer! The Wanderer-from-Beyond!"
Tabak whirled away from the plastic rind.
"Jupiter! There comes Reiloc now! He must be warned, Jupiter! He doesn't know that the Anolyn have fled. He'll attack!"
At the head of the valley a mass of half-naked cavemen were streaming from the trees. They were a wild, undisciplined lot like an army of soldier ants on the march. Even from this distance, Jupiter recognized the giant figure of Reiloc striding at their head.
He swore in Lingua Galactica. "I can't afford to leave the ship just yet. Not until we know how that crazy Anolyn army's going to behave. The ship's our ace in the hole."
"I'll go," Tabak said, and darted for the well.
Jupiter watched her disappear down the ladder with a vague feeling of uneasiness. Then he turned back to the transparent rind. He caught sight of her again, running across the level ground toward Reiloc, waving her arms—a slim, blonde figure in the sarong, barefooted and barelegged. He swallowed disconsolately.