ed to say that the supplies of oxygen in their marsuit tanks
were inadequate to take them anywhere other than Ultra Vires, but she
did not know how to say this properly in the Martian language.

But, to her astonishment, the Martian answered as though she had said
it.

"If the breathing chemicals which you carry are at such a depleted
stage, you cannot chance going astray," said the creature. "Rather than
tell you the direction of this place, we shall accompany you there."

Throughout this conversation, Nuwell had been standing at Maya's side,
his face bearing an expression of mingled curiosity, irritation and awe.
Maya turned to him.

"The Martians say they will go with us to Ultra Vires, so we won't get
lost," she told him.

"No!" he exclaimed vehemently. "Tell them we don't want them along. Tell
them just to show us the way, and we'll go alone."

"Don't be ridiculous," replied Maya coldly, and indicated to the Martian
that they were ready to accompany the group.

They moved off together toward the west, the four Martians and the two
humans. Maya, feeling somewhat relieved that now they had expert help in
reaching their goal, attempted to talk to Nuwell, but he refused to
answer except in monosyllables. He was angry that she had agreed for the
Martians to accompany them, and obviously was still very nervous at
their presence.

So she talked instead with the Martian who had acted as spokesman for
the group. Its name, she learned, was Qril.

"The place to which you go lies under an evil atmosphere," said Qril.
"The human who abode there many years attempted to do things wrongly."

"We were there in the season before this one," answered Maya. "This was
just before that human left."

"I already had read this in you," said Qril. "I also read in you that,
as a child, you lived among us who are children of the past. Therefore,
perhaps you knew before I spoke that an evil atmosphere remains at this
place and has not yet been washed away by time."

"No, I was not taught such matters as a child," answered Maya. "But tell
me, it is true that this man tried to do evil things, by human
standards, but were Goat Hennessey's genetic experiments also evil by
Martian standards?"

"You do not read what I have said quite correctly," replied Qril. "The
evil atmosphere is left by the man, because what he did was evil by his
own standards. I said only that he attempted to do things wrongly."

"What do you mean?" asked Maya.