Neju walked to the circle of young hunters. "They killed Whenj just now," he said without preamble. He sat down. "Come here!" he said. "I want you all to come here!" Slowly the natives gathered around him. "Sit down." They sat down, and Neju waited until they quieted. There was fear and uncertainty in the air; mothers darted anxious glances in the direction of their sons. * * * * * Neju began to speak. He spoke slowly. "I have just seen the god-men chase and kill. They are controlled by demons that cannot be appeased. One has only to hear them--the hate in their voices--to know." He swallowed and looked around at the green brilliant foliage and listened to the life movements in the trees. "I said that we should move away into the forest.... But now.... I cannot think like a demon, but I somehow see that ... unlike the Old Gods ... the demons will not leave us to the world in peace. They are creatures of hate, who will hunt us out, little by little, and destroy us all...." He looked around at the frightened faces. "They will build more and bigger villages for their servants, the god-men. They will strip away our forests and burn our grasses. They will kill our food and destroy our homes wherever they find them. They will trample our gardens. They will force us back and ever further back until we have no place left to go.... And only after they have killed us all, only then, will the demons be satisfied and leave our world.... That is what I see." The rest, terrified, waited. "I am your Chieftain while the Father is ill. Yet, I cannot command you in this. What shall we do? Shall we flee to live in fear, or...?" There was a sad little moan from the women. "One demon," Neju said, "we might have killed. But I do not know how many demons there are." The men moved nervously. Finally one said, very softly, "If there are a hundred, we must not flee." Assent muttered among them. "Very well," Neju said. He stood up. "I will go see the Father. He must guide me in my actions now. Perhaps he can recall a weapon to fight demons with. Perhaps the destruction of the village will help him to think." From the distance there was the great beat of demon wings on the air. Neju went to the old one. He frowned at the woman who had been assigned to care for him. She stood, bowed, and withdrew. Neju sat down beside the Father. "Father," he said softly. "Father, can you hear me?" The Chieftain moved his head wearily; his lips opened slowly. "Yes," he whispered. "We must destroy great demons. We must have the help of the Old Gods. What must we do, Father? You could not remember when Zoee asked you. Can you remember now?" The Chieftain lay silent for a long time. A tiny insect crawled unnoticed over one wrinkled arm. He had heard the question but somehow the sense had gone out of the words. The Old Gods--did he believe in Old Gods? Was that the question? * * * * *