"That's where you're mistaken," Hume told him crisply. "I've already taped a full story back at the spacer--it's on record now." Vye frowned. The Hunter seemed determined to ask for the worst the Patrol--or the planet police back on Nahuatl--could deal out. A case of illegal conditioning was about as serious as you could get. They shot along the diagonal of the triangle made by three points, the mountain valley, Wass' camp, and the safari headquarters, heading to the slopes up which the men must be herded if the beasts were shepherding them to the mountain valley. Vye, surveying the forest thick below, began to doubt they would ever be able to pick them up before they reached the valley gate. Hume took a weaving course, zigzagging back and forth, while they both watched intently for a glint from one of the globes, any movement which would betray that trail. And it was on one of the upper slopes that the flitter passed over two of the blue beasts lumbering along. Neither of the creatures paid any attention to the flyer, they moved with purpose on some mission of their own. "Maybe the tail end of the hunting pack," Hume commented. He sent the flyer hovering over a stunted line of trees and brush. Beyond that was bare rock. But though they hung for moments, nothing moved into that open. "Wrong scent somehow." Hume brought the flitter around. He had it on manual control now, keeping it answering to the quick changes of his will. A longer sweep supplied the answer--a vegetation roofed slit running back into the uplands, in a way resembling the crevice through which they had originally found their way into this country. Hume brought the flyer along that. But if the men they sought were pushing their way through below they could not be sighted from the air. At last, with evening drawing in, Hume was forced to admit failure. "Wait by the gap?" Vye asked. "Have to now." Hume glanced about. "I'd say maybe tomorrow--mid-morning before they make it that far--_if_ they are here. We'll have plenty of time." Time for what? To make ready for a pitched battle with Wass--or with the beasts herding him? To try in the space of hours to solve the mystery of the lake? "Do you think we could blast that thing in the lake?" Vye asked. "We might be able to, just might. But that must be the last resort. We want that in working order for the X-Tee men to study. No, we'd better plan to hold Wass at the gate, wait for the Patrol to come in." Less than an hour later after a soaring approach, Hume brought the flitter down with neat skill on the top of one of the cliffs which helped to form the portal of the gap. There was no difference in the scene below, save that where the two bodies of the blue beasts had lain there were now only clean and shining bones. Darkness spread out from the lake woods like a growing stain of evil promise as the sun fell behind the peaks. Night came earlier here than in the plains.