In the far future (perhaps five to ten million years from now), humans and much of the world's fauna have gone extinct, and new creatures have evolved from the remaining species to take their places.
Jmu, intelligent primates evolved from
capuchin monkeys, now fill the niche left by humans, giant
agoutis that of horses, giant
tapirs that of
elephants. There are also giant rabbits. Other animals, like bears, lions, deer, geese, ducks, snakes, dragonflies, grasshoppers, fleas and mayflies, continue to survive in their previous ecological roles. It is a world of depleted resources, much of these having been used up by humans, but the
Jmu have developed to a fairly high level their own technology, including
aeronautical balloons, rifles, binoculars and cameras. Two
Jmu from South America, zoologist Nawputta and his guide Chujee, an amateur
naturalist, are exploring what was once the
Pittsburgh area of North America's Eastern Forest. Their goal is to catalogue new species and investigate the scant, ruinous remains of human civilization. They encounter Nguchoy tsu Chaw, a timber scout for the local
Jmu colony. He is alone; his own partner, Jawga tsu Shrra, was recently killed by a
rattlesnake. Nguchoy treats the newcomers with suspicion, but he helpfully steers them towards a huge stand of valuable pine. In the pine forest the scientists happen upon fresh bones that Nawputta excitedly identifies as human, previously only known from fossils. They appear to have been shot by
Jmu. Later, Nawputta manages to shoot a live specimen, a primitive armed with a wooden club, which he proceeds to skin and dissect in the interest of science. Discovered by other humans, he and Chujee hastily retreat as they rouse the countryside with signal drums and the whole tribe hunts them with spears. The
Jmu drive the tribe off with gunfire and escape a subsequent ambush. They outdistance pursuit, but the humans are still on their trail. Nawputta and Chujee rendezvous back at Nguchoy's camp, finding him absent. Ruminating on previous suspicions, they reason the timber scout encountered the humans first and stirred them up by murdering the man whose remains they had initially found. He then directed his fellow
Jmu into the same area, intending they meet their own deaths at the hands of the angered humans, leaving him sole, undisputed claim to the valuable timber. In this light, it also occurs to them that the death of Nguchoy's partner came at a most convenient time for him. They locate the grave of Jawga and find he died by gunshot, not snakebite. On Nguchoy's return, they surprise the scout, who confesses. They thereupon confiscate his canoe and depart down river, leaving him alone to face the vengeance of the approaching humans. Nawputta plans to return to South America before the local colonists rediscover and despoil the forest, hoping to have the human habitat set aside as a preserve for these
living fossils. ==Reception==