"No, but I could do with a couple of stiff shots."
This drew Papa's attention back to the matter at hand. "Trespassers!
The road hit! Scat! Some dust kick up!"
"Quiet!" Cassidy shouted. "Will you listen a minute? I--"
Two loyal Fuzzy Tails came charging up to the fence and added their
raucous chatter to Papa's screeching diatribe, which had continued
unchecked despite Cassidy's loud, desperate plea.
In the next instant, though, it seemed that a dam had burst overhead.
Materializing from nowhere, at least a ton of water poured down on the
agile-tongued native, the two Fuzzy Tails, Riva and Cassidy himself,
bringing an abrupt end to all the commotion.
The animals streaked for the safety of the bushes while Papa and the
girl dived back through the hedge. Bedraggled, Cassidy headed for the
ship, wondering what sort of meteorological quirk he had encountered.
* * * * *
"No, sir," he said some time later as he attacked the directional
selector with pliers and a screwdriver, "I don't like the setup. I
don't like it worth a damn."
Mason traced the power lead to the junction box beside the hatch.
"Maybe they aren't _all_ like that."
"In this sort of place, chances are that the first people you run into
are typical. I'm afraid--"
"Say!" Mason interrupted, staring outside. "Look at this!"
Cassidy went over to the hatch and watched a dozen or so men sprinting
across the field, their voices rising in excited waves. A lithe young
woman was in full flight before them. But she was screaming in delight
as she turned now and then to beckon them on. One overtook her and
brought her down with a waist tackle. She rebounded to her feet,
however, and took off again.
Two of the pursuers collided and sprawled on the ground. They sprang
up and tore into each other. Unconcerned with the personal dispute,
the chase struck off in a new direction, heading toward the ship as it
paralleled one of the nearby fenced-in estates.
Behind the wire mesh, a burly young man came charging down the main
steps of the manor and raced along with the others.
"That be the way!" he yelled encouragement. "Her go get! It's gaining
you are! Hurry!"
He drew up in time to avoid crashing into the side fence, then stood
there watching the chase recede in the distance.
Within a hundred feet of the ship, one of the men fell out of the
group, panting. He squinted at the vessel, then crept forward, circling
to the right. Within arm's reach, he walked back and forth alongside
the hull, giving it a close inspection. Finally he paused and fumbled
with his clothes.