“You will descend,” commented Supreme evenly, “and warn the big man not to repeat such outbreaks.”

Immediately Supreme’s lieutenant darted down, and was lost to view.  The commandant glanced interestedly here and there about the landscape, returning her gaze to Corrus just as the man stopped in mid-speech.  Billie was no less astonished than the doctor to see the herdsman’s expression change as it did; one second it was that of righteous indignation, the next, of the most abject subservience.

Nevertheless, Billie could see no cause whatever for it; neither did she hear anything.  The other flier remained out of sight.  All that the architect could guess was that the operator had “got the drop” on Corrus in some manner which was clear only to those involved.  Badly puzzled, Billie watched the four humans hurry away, their manner all but slinking.

A moment later still another aircraft came up, and its operator reported.  As before, Billie could make out not a single detail of the occupant herself.  She, too, wanted the commandant’s personal attention; and shortly Billie was looking down upon a scene which she had good reason to remember all the rest of her life.

In the middle of a large field, where some light green plant was just beginning to sprout, a group of about a dozen humans was at work cultivating.  Billie had time to note that they were doing the work in the most primitive fashion, employing the rudest of tools, all quite in keeping with their bare heads and limbs and their skin-clad bodies.  About half were women.

Slightly at one side, however, stood a man who was not so busy.  To put it plainly, he was loafing, with the handle of his improvised mattock supporting his weight.  Clearly the two up in the air were concerned only with him.

“He has been warned three times, Supreme,” said the one who had reported the case.

“Three?  Then make an example of him!”

“It shall be done, Supreme!”

The lieutenant disappeared.  Again the commandant glanced at this, that, and the other thing before concentrating upon what happened below.  Then Billie saw the man straighten up suddenly in his tracks, and with remarkable speed, considering his former laziness, he whirled about, dodged, and clapped a hand upon his thigh.

Next second he raised an exultant cry.  Billie could not understand what he said; but she noted that the others in the group echoed the man’s exultation, and started to crowd toward him, shouting and gesticulating in savage delight.  Then something else happened so sudden and so dreadful that the woman who was watching from the earth was turned almost sick.

Like a flash Supreme dropped, headlong, toward the group of humans.  In two seconds the distance was covered, and in the last fifth of a second Billie saw the key to the whole mystery.

In that last instant the man who before had seemed of ordinary size, was magnified to the dimensions of a colossus.  Instead of being under six feet, he appeared to be near a hundred yards in height; but Billie scarcely realized this till later, it all happened so quickly.  There was an outcry from the group, and then the commandant’s aircraft crashed into the man’s hand; a hand so huge that the very wrinkles in its skin were like so many gulleys; even in that final flash Billie saw all this.