The Earthman raced away in a monstrous circle--driving in the beasts, crowding them together in a milling herd that numbered hundreds. The column was in the pass now, hurrying forward faster, as if its commanders realized the danger of such close quarters. Craig rounded up the last straggling djevoda ... hovered just above and beyond them, waiting. * * * * * Down the pass, lights gleamed. Drifting dust set Craig to coughing. The rumble and clanking echoed like distant thunder. Craig dropped to one knee on his disc; brought out his fire-gun. The approaching lights shone brighter. A beam sprayed across the first of the djevoda. The creatures' great, tusked snout-heads lowered. Huge feet churned up choking clouds of dust. Craig held his breath. The lead carrier rocked over a bump. Metal clanged on metal. The lights flashed into the djevodas' eyes. It was a signal. With a deafening roar, a djevoda lunged forward. The carrier's brakes screamed. But already the mountainous beast was thundering down upon it. Like an avalanche of flesh and bone, it crashed into the vehicle. Screams clashed with the shriek of rending metal. Craig blazed with the fire-gun at the packed, elephantine mass of animated death below him. Bellowing with rage and pain, the whole herd swept forward--on into the pass, following the already-charging leaders. More carriers braked and crashed into each other. Then the herd was upon them, smashing at them. Green fire seared through the night, mingling with the crashing thunder of some other, heavier weapon. Craig glimpsed a djevoda torn asunder in mid-stride, its six massive legs gone suddenly limp and sprawling. But no human power could stop that hurtling, murderous tidal wave of flesh. Through the whole column the djevodas raged--crushing carriers, overturning them, stomping them to masses of shapeless metal. At the far end of the pass, the last of the vehicles wheeled about in blind, desperate haste. Engines roaring, they raced for the safety of the open grasslands. Only then, flashing shapes lanced down out of the skies to the north. Men dropped from discs onto carrier-tops, clamping their capes across the vision-slits. Vehicles ground to a halt. Crews stumbled out, hands high in panic and surrender. Craig surged to his feet; sent his own disc climbing. Too late. For now saucers hung above him, too, hemming him in ... saucers ridden by Bukal's lean, bronzed raiders. And there was Bukal. "Craig, friend--!" he shouted. "Hold, Craig Nesom!" Craig stood rigid atop his disc. But then the other was beside him, waving and laughing. "Can you forgive me, Craig? Without this blow you've struck, without the firing-sounds to guide us, we'd never have caught up with this column." "And ... Narla--?" Bukal swept the whole sky with his gesture. "Go to her, Earthman! After this night's work I'd even give you Zenaor!" He signaled as he spoke. The discs above Craig moved aside.