ed. His eyes
met the two cold gray ones across the room--and then his coarse face
contorted, and he croaked:

"Damn you, Carse! Damn you--"

His body spun around and flattened out on the floor with arms and legs
flung wide. A tiny black hole was visible through his shirt. He had
been last, and the Hawk had struck him less accurately than his
fellows.

The trader was unwounded. He stood there for several minutes,
surveying what lay before him. He looked at each body in turn, and his
eyes were calm and clear and mild, his face devoid of expression.
Silence hung over the attic, for the bellowings and snortings of the
beasts outside had died into faint murmurings as they straggled off
for their jungle home. The single living man of the six who had lived
and breathed there minutes before holstered his still warm ray-gun;
and then the sound of a step on the stairs leading from the rooms
below made him look up.

A man stood in the doorway of the attic.

* * * * *

He was big and brawny; but, though his arms and bare torso were
streaked with blood, and his trousers torn into shreds, and his legs
crisscrossed with cuts, there was broad grin on his face--a grin that
widened as his rolling white eyes took in what lay on the attic floor.

Neither said anything for a moment. Then the Hawk smiled, and there
was all friendliness and affection in his face.

"You made the pit, Eclipse?" he asked, softly.

Friday nodded, and chuckled. "Yes, suh! But only just. If Ah'd bin a
leap an' a skip slower Ah'd bin a _tee-total_ eclipse!"

Dancing lights of laughter came to the Hawk's eyes.

"Still feeling chipper," he said, "--in spite of your burns. Well,
good for you. But I guess you've had enough of Ku Sui for a little
while!"

The negro grunted indignantly. "You surely don't imply Ah'm _sca'ed_
of that yellow Chink? Hell, no! Why--"

Carse chuckled and cut him off.

"I see. Well, then, drag these carrion out to your pit. And then--"

There was something in the air, something big. Friday listened
eagerly. "Yes, suh?" he reminded his master after a pause.

"Judd," said Hawk Carse softly, "was to have had a rendezvous with Dr.
Ku Sui in seven days. The place of the rendezvous is entered in the
log of his ship. I've got the last of Judd's crew a captive on the
_Star Devil_...."

The adventurer paused a moment in thought, and when he resumed his
words came clipped and decisive.

"I myself am