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The indicated men nodded and stepped forward. Their "Yes, sirs" came surging through my menore like a single thought. Cautiously, Dival at my side, the two men at our backs, we stepped over the high threshold into the interior of the Dorlos.
"That's Peter Wilson, second officer of the Dorlos!" Dival nodded, his dark face alight. "Let us see if we can answer him," he suggested, and we concentrated all our energy on a single thought: "We understand. We understand." The answer came back instantly: "Good! Thank God! Sweep them down, Hanson: every tree of them. Kill them ... kill them ... kill them!" The emanation fairly shook with hate.
"The Dorlos, as I suppose you know, was ordered to L-472 to determine the fate of the Filanus, which had been sent here to determine the feasibility of establishing a supply base here for a new interplanetary ship line. "It took us nearly three days, Earth time, to locate this clearing and the Filanus, and we grounded the Dorlos immediately.
The ethon tubes overhead made everything as light as day, and since the Dorlos was a sister ship of my own Kalid, I had not the slightest difficulty in finding my way about. There was no sign of a disturbance anywhere. Everything was in perfect order. From the evidence, it would seem that the officers and men of the Dorlos had deserted the ship of their own accord, and failed to return.
"Of course, we tried to get back to the clearing, and the Dorlos; first by tunneling. That was impossible, we found, because the rays used by the Filanus in clearing a landing place had acted somewhat upon the earth beneath, and it was like powder. Our burrows fell in upon us faster than we could dig them out! Two of my men lost their lives that way.
We treasured that as we treasured our lives. To-day, when, deep in our runways beneath the surface, we felt, or heard, the crashing of the trees, we knew the Service had not forgotten us. I put on the menore; I but I think you know the rest, gentlemen. There were eleven of us left. We are here all that is left of the Dorlos crew.
"And the Dorlos?" "Why yes; she was at Base here at our last call," I said, searching his face anxiously. "Peter Wilson was Second Officer on her one of my best friends. Why do you ask about her, sir?" "The Dorlos is missing also," said Commander Jamison solemnly. "Both of these ships were sent upon a particular mission. Neither of them has returned.
I tried to make my response reassuring: "There is probably a breeze higher up, that doesn't dip down into this little clearing," I ventured. "At any rate, it is not important. These ships are what interest me. What will we find there?" "We shall soon know," replied Dival. "Here is the Dorlos; the second of the two, was it not?" "Yes." I came to a halt beside the gaping door.
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