He
also insisted that all his own men and all Dave Questell's Navy
construction engineers keep their weapons ready to hand. The natives
in the village were equally distrustful. They didn't herd the cattle
up from the meadows where they had been pastured, but they lighted
watch-fires along the edge of the mound as soon as it became dark.
* * * * *
It was three hours after nightfall when something on the
indicator-board for the robot sentries went off like a startled
rattlesnake. Everybody, talking idly or concentrating on writing up
the day's observations, stiffened. Luis Gofredo, dozing in a chair,
was on his feet instantly and crossing the hut to the instruments.
His second-in-command, who had been playing chess with Willi
Schallenmacher, rose and snatched his belt from the back of his
chair, putting it on.
"Take it easy," Gofredo said. "Probably just a cow or a horse--local
equivalent--that's strayed over from the other side."
He sat down in front of one of the snooper screens and twisted knobs
on the remote controls.
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