She nodded unhappily, stood up. "I think I want to be by myself."
Averting her head, she walked quickly to the door and slipped out of
sight down the ladder before Jupiter could recover from the shock.
"Hey!" he cried, springing to his feet; "where are you going?"
There was no answer. Then he heard the door of Briggs' cabin open and
close. Suddenly his eyes widened. He dropped down the ladder, tried
the door, but it was locked. "Tabak! Tabak!" he called, rapped on the
panel. "Open up!"
"Go away," he heard her call in an unsteady voice; "please go away and
leave me alone."
"Tabak, listen," he said. "You didn't mean me? You weren't talking
about me when you said--" His voice trailed off. Confound it, that
didn't sound at all the way he wanted it to.
There was something suspiciously like a sob from beyond the door.
"No!" Tabak said in a muffled voice. "Of course not!"
Jupiter felt suddenly very foolish. Without another word, he turned on
his heel, strode from the passage.
* * * * *
Two days later the web-birds came--tiny black specks wheeling around
and around in the sky like vultures drawn by carrion. Jupiter stood in
the control blister and scowled up at them.
He was worried about Reiloc and the cave girl who should have returned
yesterday. Maybe he'd better not wait any longer. He was turning away
to call Tabak, when a wild clamor broke loose from stem to stern of the
Mizar as the alarm bell began to ring. Jupiter's head jerked up! The
black specks were plummeting Yogol-wards, diving like kingfishers.
Then he saw Lete break from the encircling jungle, sprint for the ship.
The cave girl was alone. There was no sign of Reiloc anywhere.