ed curiously, unbelieving.

"I'm going to try," Cal said with more confidence than he felt. "It's
what I'm here for. Maybe I can't solve it, but I can try."

"I don't know how you're going to start," Dirk spoke up. "We're just
like animals here. We can't use tools."

"But animals do use tools," Cal answered after a moment. "Materials,
anyway. Birds build nests using sticks, grass, clay. Monkeys and apes
throw sticks and stones. Even insects use materials. Basic difference
between man and the rest is that man gives special shapes to tools,
where mainly the rest use whatever falls to hand. But all higher,
organized protoplasmic life uses tools in one form or another."

"We ain't allowed to," Jed said emphatically. "Not even what's at hand.
Somebody, or somethin', is bound and determined we ain't goin' to."

At that moment Cal felt close to a solution, or at least an
understanding of the nature of the problem, which is the first step
toward solution. But like the specter seen in twilight from the corner
of the eye, as soon as he tried to focus on the problem, the concept
disappeared. Something about protoplasmic life using materials.
Non-protoplasmic life? Could there be, and still meet the definitions of
what constitute life? As compared with our evolution, from its earliest
beginning finding some other approach to the manipulation of the
physical universe? A totally alien kind of science? Come to think of it,
the use of material to affect other material was a cumbersome, indirect,
awkward way of going about it, as compared with ...

Compared with what?

The concept would not yet allow him full focus upon it. He filed it away
for future contemplation.

He saw Dawkins and the other colonists looking at him defiantly, as if
interpreting his silence to be doubt of their veracity about the taboo
on tools. Their eyes challenged him to disbelieve them, to find out for
himself.

"Other than the feeling of being watched," he said carefully, "have you
had any sign, any other evidence or indication of somebody, or
something? I know about the feeling, because I feel it too. And very
strongly, right now. But any specific evidence?"

Jed Dawkins looked relieved at the confession.

"Everything's the evidence. Everything that's happened. What more
evidence would you want?" he said.

"One of the strongest arguments in favor of something, or some kind of
intelligence," Cal said slowly, "is that nobody's been hurt. All natura