"Climb into your brassies, kid," he muttered. "Here's our chance!" I caught his shoulder. He followed the line of my pointing, and I felt him tremble. Gertrude was coming at us like a rocket express. Behind her wet and glistening from the hot rain, came three more just like her. III We scattered, all of us, hunting for a way out. There was only one door leading to the back, and it was stoppered tight with men cursing and fighting to get through. Gow was crouched in a corner by the splintered wall. I pulled Bucky along, thinking we might get in back of the _cansins_ and sneak out. I wondered what they wanted. And I wondered where in heck you could hide a thing as big as Gertrude and keep anybody from finding out. Somebody screamed briefly. I saw one of the strange _cansins_ toss the bartender aside like a dry twig. Gow rose up in front of me with a queer staring look in his eyes. "Somethin's wrong," he said. "All wrong. I...." His mouth twitched. He turned sharply and started to scramble through the wrecked hall. Bucky and I were right on his heels. I think Melak and some of his lobbygows were crowding us, but nobody was thinking about things like that any more. I knew what was eating Gow. The fear that had looked out of Kapper's eyes. The fear that was riding me. Fear that had nothing to do with anything physical. Bucky cursed and stumbled beside me. And suddenly the four _cansins_ let go a tremendous thundering scream. The hair rose on my neck, and I turned to look. I just had to. Gertrude had turned away from the booth. They stood, the four of them, their huge black shoulders touching, their crests like rows of petrified flame, staring at what Gertrude held in her arms. It was Kapper's body. Slowly, with infinite gentleness, she began to strip him. He hung loose in the cradle of one great arm, his flesh showing blue-white against her blueness. Her free hand ripped his clothes away like things made of paper. I don't know why nobody tried to shoot the beasts after the first second. Sheer panic, I guess. We could have killed them all, then. But we just stood looking, fascinated by the slow, intent baring of Kapper's body. And the strange fear. It was on us all. Kapper lay naked in her black arms. She raised him slowly over her head, her eyes blind green fires deep under bony brows. The others drew closer, shivering, and I could hear them whimper. Strangers from the deep swamps with no stink of man on them. I thought of the Nahali woman laughing in the hot rain. Death from the deep swamps, because something had been taken, and they were angry. There was a little black box strapped to Kapper's thin white belly. Gertrude shifted her hands a little. The blood hammered in my ears. I was sick. I didn't want to look any more. I couldn't help it. Bucky Shannon caught a hard, sobbing breath. Gertrude broke Sam Kapper's body in two. * * * * *