arily, trying for the attack
they favored--the spring to the shoulders, the usually fatal assault on
the spine behind the neck. But the armored head of the fork-tail, slung
low, warned them off. Again the tail lashed, and this time Taggi was
caught and hurled across the beach.

Togi uttered a challenge, made a reckless dash, and raked down the
length of the fork-tail's body, fastening on that tail, weighing it to
earth with her own poundage while the sea creature fought to dislodge
her. Shann, his eyes watering from the sand, but able to see, watched
that battle for a long second, judging that fork-tail was completely
engaged in trying to free its best weapon from the grip of the
wolverine. The latter clawed and bit with a fury which suggested Togi
intended to immobilize that weapon by tearing it to shreds.

Fork-tail wrenched its body, striving to reach its tormentor with fangs
or clawed feet. And in that struggle to achieve an impossible position,
its head slued far about, uncovering the unprotected area behind the
skull base which usually lay under the spiny collar about its shoulders.

Shann went in. With one hand he gripped the edge of that collar--its
serrations tearing his flesh--and at the same time he drove his knife
blade deep into the soft underfolds, ripping on toward the spinal
column. The blade nicked against bone as the fork-tail's head slammed
back, catching Shann's hand and knife together in a trap. The Terran was
jerked from his feet, and flung to one side with the force of the
beast's reaction.

Blood spurted up, his own blood mingled with that of the monster. Only
Togi's riding of the tail prevented Shann's being beaten to death. The
armored snout pointed skyward as the creature ground the sharp edge of
its collar down on the Terran's arm. Shann, frantic with pain, drove his
free fist into one of those eyes.

Fork-tail jerked convulsively; its head snapped down again and Shann was
free. The Terran threw himself back, keeping his feet with an effort.
Fork-tail was writhing, churning up the sand in a cloud. But it could
not rid itself of the knife Shann had planted with all his strength, and
which the blows of its own armored collar were now driving deeper and
deeper into its back.

It howled thinly, with an abnormal shrilling. Shann, nursing his
bleeding forearm against his chest, rolled free from the waves of sand
it threw about, bringing up against one of the rock pillars. With that
to steady