“They run for a living. We can’t keep up with them, especially not if we’re slicing time, which makes them faster, us slower. None of us is fit enough to stay with them on a hunt.”

“Pick a short chase,” said Deborah. “We’ll saunter to the kill site, and then you’ll bump us back in time to when the prey arrives with our friends in hot pursuit.”

“So all you want is to be there for the kill,” said Noxon.

“They always leave the females behind. I’ll be the first woman to witness their triumph. See if the stories they tell about it are true.”

“They don’t tell stories,” said Wheaton.

“They move their mouths,” said Deborah. “They’re anthropes. They must be lying.”

There was no sound in sliced time, so as long as they remained invisible, they couldn’t tell whether the sounds the Erectids made were anything like language.

“There’s one kill site we could drive to,” said Noxon. “It’s near a public parking lot.”

“Even better,” said Ram. “We astronauts are so out of shape, after sitting around in a starship for a few years.”

“You should see the shape your twin is in, after going in and out of stasis for eleven thousand years.”

“He’s still alive,” said Ram. “Good for him.”

The next morning they drove to the parking lot early. It was at a ranger station, and it was also a jumping-off point for photo­graphic safaris. So there were plenty of other people. But they were all gathered around the hovercars that would carry them out into the savannah. Only one ranger noticed that the Wheaton group was heading out on foot.

“Not safe,” said the ranger. “The lions stay away from the station but not very far away. And they aren’t the only dangerous animals.”

“We aren’t going far. Just wanted a brief glimpse without a car around us.”

“There’s a reason we send people out in cars,” said the ranger.

“An excellent reason, and more than just one,” said Deborah. “I assure you I’m a coward, and I’ll have us back in ten minutes.”

“I won’t be keeping track of time,” said the ranger. “No matter how long before you come back, we will not send anyone out to search for you. With luck, we’ll find your bodies while your passports are still legible.”

Noxon smiled. “Now she’ll hold my hand very tightly, sir. Thank you.”

The ranger shook his head and moved away.

“He was really making sure we weren’t armed,” said Wheaton. “There are still people who think ‘safari’ requires that you bring home trophies from animals you killed yourself.”

“Whereas we only want to watch our ancestors bring down a . . . something,” said Ram. Then, to Noxon: “Do you know what the prey is?”