"No, suh--only that the three platform guards keep lookin' down towards the center of the ranch." "Good. That means Ku Sui's being received," said Carse; and then he considered swiftly for a minute. Decided, he continued: "Ban and Friday, you both wait where you are, keeping a steady lookout. None of us can see the asteroid, but it must be somewhere comparatively near, for Dr. Ku has no reason to bother with a long journey in a space-suit. I think the asteroid's close down, hidden by that distant ridge in the direction from which they came. I'm going to find it. When I do, I'll tell you where to come meet me. Inform me at once if Ku Sui leaves or if anything unusual happens. Understood?" The assenting voices rang back to him simultaneously. "Right!" he said; and slowly his great bulging figure lifted. * * * * * Cautiously, the adventurer made through the watrari tree to the side facing away from the ranch. There, poising for a second, he manipulated the lateral direction-rod on the suit's chest, and, still very slowly, floated free from the shrouding leaves. Then, mindful of the lookouts on the towers behind, he employed the tactics he had used before, and kept constantly below the uneven crown of the jungle, gliding at an easy rate through the leafy lanes created by the banked tree-tops. In that fashion, in the upthrust arms of the jungle, twisting, turning, sometimes doubling, but following always a path the objective of which was straight ahead, Hawk Carse soared soundlessly for miles. He maneuvered his way with practised ease, and his speed increased as the need for hiding his flight decreased. He was familiar with the landmarks of the region, and it was towards the most pronounced of them that he flew. Soon it was looming far above him: a long, high ridge, rearing more than three miles above the level of the Great Briney, and crowded with trees even taller and sturdier than those of the lower jungle plains. Beyond it was the most likely spot.... The Hawk paused at the base of the ridge. There had been no warning from Ban or Friday, but, to make sure, he established radio connection. "Friday?" he asked into the microphone. "Any activity on the ranch? Any sign they're aware of our presence?" Clear and deep from miles behind, the Negro's voice answered: "No, suh. Dead still. I guess they're inside the buildings--except the guards, and they're taking things easy. Where are you, suh?" "About ten miles from you, 'north' and a little 'east,' at the foot of the ridge. I think I'll know something soon now. Stand by." Then Carse moved forward again, slowly winding up between the trees to the summit of the ridge.