▁stroke ▁of ▁luck . ▁ ▁Bert in , ▁dist ress ed ▁at ▁the ▁thought ▁of ▁the ▁table ts ' ▁loss ▁to ▁science , ▁attempts ▁to ▁talk ▁Mo y ang ▁out ▁of ▁his ▁ra id . ▁Fail ing , ▁he ▁agre es ▁under ▁dur ess ▁to ▁serve ▁as ▁inter medi ary ▁between ▁the ▁tre asure ▁hun ters ▁and ▁the ▁native ▁K ter em ians ▁of ▁the ▁village ▁closest ▁to ▁Z hov ac im . ▁But ▁he ▁has ▁an ▁ace ▁up ▁his ▁sle e ve ▁in ▁his ▁knowledge ▁of ▁K ter em ian ▁culture ▁and ▁psych ology . ▁ ▁The ▁expedition ▁arriv es ▁in ▁the ▁village ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁the ▁annual ▁m ating ▁dance , ▁a ▁period ▁in ▁which ▁eth nic ▁identity ▁and ▁pride ▁are ▁at ▁their ▁peak , ▁and ▁str angers ▁or ▁out s iders ▁are ▁regarded ▁as ▁lower ▁cre atures . ▁According ly , ▁the ▁al iens ▁se ize ▁and ▁sacrifice ▁the ▁Terr ans , ▁sp aring ▁Bert in ▁only ▁because ▁they ▁know ▁him . ▁The ▁ar che ologist ▁conf esses ▁to ▁Mo y ang ▁just ▁before ▁the ▁latter ▁is ▁but cher ed ▁that ▁he ▁couldn ' t ▁be ▁certain ▁he ▁himself ▁would ▁be ▁sp ared , ▁but ▁de emed ▁it ▁worth ▁risk ing ▁his ▁own ▁life ▁to ▁preserve ▁the ▁w onders ▁of ▁Z hov ac im . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁P . ▁Sch uy ler ▁Miller , ▁comment ing ▁on ▁the ▁stories ▁in ▁the ▁collection ▁A ▁Gun ▁for ▁Din osa ur , ▁character ized ▁most ▁of ▁them , ▁including ▁this ▁piece