MacFarland glanced at the sky. "We'd better be getting back," he suggested. "The other crews will be in, and we have a lot of data to correlate tonight." Gallifa agreed and secured the rifle and scope. Before he could turn the truck around, they heard the sound of a helijet approaching at maximum speed. Gallifa shaded his eyes and looked at the now hovering craft. "I think it is Hawkins," he reported. "And I'd say offhand that he wants to talk to us." The 'copter landed expertly a few feet away, and the blades slowed to idling speed. It was Hawkins. He waved excitedly as he ran toward the truck. "Mac! Gallifa!" he called. "There's a space ship down a few miles from here!" Gallifa gasped. A wrecked ship? It seemed inconceivable. A space craft wasn't dainty. Damage from a wreck should have been plainly visible even from the spotting cruiser--ignoring completely their own air maps. He faced Hawkins. "Are you sure?" he asked incredulously. "How did we ever miss the wreckage?" "The ship isn't wrecked," Hawkins said levelly. "It's in the same condition that it was in when it landed." "It's not wrecked?" MacFarland repeated blankly. "Now who in hell--" He turned to Gallifa. "I thought we were the first crew on the planet," he said, almost accusingly. "It's very strange no one told us of any other expedition." Gallifa frowned in annoyance. "We _are_ the first. I'm sure of that. The other ship must be a free-lance." He turned to Hawkins. "How about the crew? Are they still with the ship?" "They're still with the ship," Hawkins said quietly. "But they're all dead. It's quite a mess," he added simply. "A mess?" Gallifa echoed. "Could you tell how they died? Was it a disease? Were they killed by some animals? Speak up, man!" "You aren't going to believe this," Hawkins said grimly. "But it sure looks like they killed each other." "Why would they want to do that?" MacFarland protested. "Are you sure, Hawkins? How could you tell, anyway?" "I could tell," Hawkins insisted. "You better come and have a look for yourselves. I'll take you in the 'copter, then bring you back for the truck." Gallifa shrugged, and the men joined Hawkins in the helijet. The mapping man handled the controls, and the ship soared into the air. "There is something else kind of funny, too," Hawkins volunteered. "The ship landed almost on top of a colony of the screwiest bunch of things you ever saw. They look something like little gnomes, only with a pinkish fur. They are all around the ship, but they haven't bothered anything." "More gnomes," Gallifa told MacFarland. "I wonder if they're ecologically basic?" He addressed Hawkins. "Gnomes are exactly what I called them, but I'm quite sure there were never such gnomes on Earth. What do you mean by colony? Like a village?"