No one answered him and after a few seconds he turned and trotted ahead of them, like a happy dog, leading the way.
The lodge, Sutton saw as they approached it, was larger than it had seemed from the valley where they had brought the ship in. It loomed huge and black against the starlit backdrop, and if one had not known that it was there it might have been mistaken for another rock formation.
The door opened as their feet sounded on the massive stone steps which led up to it and another man stood there, stiff and erect and tall, thin, but with whipcord strength about him as the light from inside the room threw his figure into black relief.
"The new owner, Case," said Pringle, and it seemed to Sutton that he pitched his voice just a key too low, that he emphasized the words just a bit too much. As if he meant the words to be a warning.
"Benton died, you know," said Pringle and Case answered, "Oh, did he? How peculiar."
Which, Sutton thought, was a funny thing to say.
Case stood to one side to let them enter, then pulled shut the door.
The room was huge, with only one lamp burning, and shadows pressed in upon them out of the dark corners and the cavernous arch of the raftered ceiling.
"I am afraid," said Pringle, "that you'll have to look out for yourselves. Case and I are roughing it and we brought along no robots. Although I can fix up something if you happen to be hungry. A hot drink, perhaps, and some sandwiches?"
"We ate just before we landed," Eva said, "and Herkimer will take care of what few things we have."