I watched, as the edge of the nebula sank below the
horizon. Then its light began to dim. Turning, I saw that the sky
opposite was already gray. The dawn!

Why, the sun had just set. Then I realized. It was over an hour since we
had landed, and a full night would be scarcely two hours and a half. If
we were in a summer latitude, the shorter period of darkness was natural
enough. And yet it was still hard to believe as, within ten minutes, it
was as bright as Earth-light on the moon. Still clearer and clearer grew
the light. The stars were almost gone, the center of the nebula only a
faint wisp. There were no clouds to give the colors of sunrise, but a
bluish-white radiance seemed to be trembling on the eastern horizon.

And then, like a shot, Rigel came up into the sky. The light and heat
struck me like something solid, and I turned away. Even with my suit
reflecting most of the light away, I felt noticeably warm. The _Comet_
shone like a blinding mirror, so that it was almost impossible to see
Garth on the plain below it. Stumbling, and shielding my eyes with my
hand, I made my way toward him.

He was standing erect, in his hands two old Lunarian dueling swords.
There was hate in his voice as the radio brought it in my ears.

"Dunal, only one of us is going back to the moon."

* * * * *

I stared. Was the heat getting him? "Hadn't we better go inside," I said
quietly and somewhat soothingly.

He made no reply, but only held out one of the hilts. I took it dumbly.
In that instant he could have struck my head from my body, if he wished.

"But, Garth, old friend--"

"No friend to you. You shall win Kelvar now, or I. I'm giving you a
sporting chance. One of your light cuts letting the fluorine inside will
be as deadly as anything I can do. The one who goes back will tell of an
accident, making repairs out in space. Damn you, if you don't want me to
kill you where you stand, come on and fight."

"Garth, you've gone mad."

"I've been waiting ever since I got you to leave the moon. On guard!"

With a rush of anger I was upon him. He tried to step back, stumbled,
had one knee on the ground, then hurled himself forward with a thrust at
my waist that I dodged only by an inch. I had to cover, and in spite of
myself, with the cool work of parrying, my animosity began to disappear.

And so began one of the strangest battles that the Universe has seen.
Lumbering with our suits and the ext