ched forward.
Verkan Vall thumbed on his safety and stood motionless, while the
servants advanced, took Sirzob's body by the heels, and dragged it
over beside Marnark's.

"All right; Honorable Yirzol, you're next," Verkan Vall called out.

"The Lord Virzal has fired one shot," one of the opposing seconds
objected, "and Honorable Yirzol has a full magazine. The Lord Virzal
should put in another magazine."

"I grant him the advantage; let's get on with it," Verkan Vall said.

Yirzol of Narva advanced to the firing point. He was not afraid of
death--none of the Akor-Neb people were; their language contained no
word to express the concept of total and final extinction--and
discarnation by gunshot was almost entirely painless. But he was
beginning to suspect that he had made a fool of himself by getting
into this affair, he had work in his present reincarnation which he
wanted to finish, and his political party would suffer loss, both of
his services and of prestige.

"Are you ready, gentlemen?" Klarnood intoned ritualistically. "You
will not raise your pistols until the command to fire; you may fire at
will after it. Ready, _Fire!_"

Verkan Vall shot Yirzol of Narva through the head before the latter
had his pistol half raised. Yirzol fell forward on the splash of blood
Sirzob had made, and the servants came forward and dragged his body
over with the others. It reminded Verkan Vail of some sort of
industrial assembly-line operation. He replaced the two expended
rounds in his magazine with fresh ones and slid the pistol back into
its holster. The two Assassins whose principals had been so
expeditiously massacred were beginning to count up their losses and
pay off the winners.

Klarnood, the President-General of the Society of Assassins, came
over, hooking fingers and clapping shoulders with Verkan Vall.

"Lord Virzal, I've seen quite a few duels, but nothing quite like
that," he said. "You should have been an Assassin!"

That was a considerable compliment. Verkan Vall thanked him modestly.

"I'd like to talk to you privately," the Assassin-President continued.
"I think it'll be worth your while if we have a few words together."

Verkan Vall nodded. "My suite is on the fifteenth floor above; will
that be all right?" He waited until the losers had finished settling
their bets, then motioned to his own pair of Assassins.

* * * * *

As they emerged into the Martian Room again, the