"That'll be only four of you," said Nasal-voice. "No; three--you're keeping one at the launch-guns, aren't you?" "Yes, of course. Hey, little girl--how many are with Flauval?" "Of us, you mean?" Peer asked. "Of what else?" snarled Nasal-voice. "Now don't get her so scared she can't talk!" the deep voice reproved. "That's right, little girl--how many of you?" "Well, there's me," sniffled Peer, "and my old man, and my big brother Dobby. And then there's Wilf--that's all. But I don't like Wilf!" "I don't like Wilf either!" agreed Nasal-voice. "Four against three, chief! It might be safer to bring over the two from the _Ra-Twelve_ first--no point in searching her anyway, now that we know where the records are!" "No," said the deep voice. "Flauval could just happen to decide to come out in the few minutes we're gone. It's sewed up too neatly right now. We'll have the heavy guns from the launch and we'll give them a chance to surrender. Flauval's too intelligent to pass that up--she never stops hoping! The chances are there won't be any shooting, till afterwards." "Any friends of hers are likely to be tough," Nasal-voice warned. "Very tough," said his chief. "Like the kid there! You worry at the wrong times, my boy. A parcel of space-rats that happened along." He swore again. "That woman's unbelievable luck! Well, take care of yourself, Ezeff. I'm off. Keep your eyes open both ways! Just in case--" VII There was silence for a moment. Then footsteps came crunching over the rocks towards the ghoul-burrow, and Channok got set. But the footsteps halted a few yards away. "That's the one I was sitting on," Peer volunteered. "Nice, easy one to climb!" "Yeah, I never saw a nicer looking rock," Nasal-voice said sourly. "We've got to climb it, too! I'm not trying any point-landings with jets. Get on up there then, before I boot you up!" There were sounds of scrambling. "Don't you move now!" Peer said suddenly. "What are you talking about?" demanded Nasal-voice. "Durn rock come loose!" muttered Peer. "Near flung me off!" But Channok, meanwhile, had got the idea and settled back. It was not yet the Right Moment.... There were more scrambling sounds and some breathless swearing from Ezeff, who obviously had not spent his formative years in asteroid-hopping either. But at last all become quiet. "And here we are!" Peer's voice floated down clearly. A small chunk of rock dropped right in front of the burrow's entrance, like a punctuation mark. "Sit still, blast you!" said Nasal-voice, badly out of breath. A large, dim shadow swept silently over the ground before the ghoul's burrow just then. That would be the launch, going towards the Mound. A prolonged silence overhead confirmed the impression. "They want to give Flauval a surprise?" Peer inquired meekly at last. Rather startlingly, Nasal-voice laughed. "They sure do!" he agreed. "That's a good one! Yes, sir, they sure do!"