self to his feet. Dal could feel his hatred almost like a physical
blow and his voice was almost a shriek.

"All right," he said, "if you insist, then the charges are lies, made up
specifically to break you, and I'm going to push them through if I have
to jeopardize my reputation to do it. You could have bowed out
gracefully at any time along the way and saved yourself dishonor and
disgrace, but you wouldn't do it. Now, I'm going to force you to. I've
worked my lifetime long to build the reputation of Hospital Earth and of
the Earthmen that go out to all the planets as representatives. I've
worked to make the Confederation respect Hospital Earth and the Earthmen
who are her doctors. You don't belong here with us. You forced yourself
in, you aren't an Earthman and you don't have the means or resources to
be a doctor from Hospital Earth. If you succeed, a thousand others will
follow in your footsteps, chipping away at the reputation that we have
worked to build, and I'm not going to allow one incompetent alien
bungler pretending to be a surgeon to walk in and destroy the thing I've
fought to build--"

The Black Doctor's voice had grown shrill, almost out of control. But
now suddenly he broke off, his mouth still working, and his face went
deathly white. The finger he was pointing at Dal wavered and fell. He
clutched at his chest, his breath coming in great gasps and staggered
back into the chair. "Something's happened," his voice croaked. "I can't
breathe."

Dal stared at him in horror for a moment, then leaped across the room
and jammed his thumb against the alarm bell.

CHAPTER 13

THE TRIAL

Red Doctor Dal Timgar knew at once that there would be no problem in
diagnosis here. The Black Doctor slumped back in his seat, gasping for
air, his face twisted in pain as he labored just to keep on breathing.
Tiger and Jack burst into the room, and Dal could tell that they knew
instantly what had happened.

"Coronary," Jack said grimly.

Dal nodded. "The question is, just how bad."

"Get the cardiograph in here. We'll soon see."

But the electrocardiograph was not needed to diagnose the nature of the
trouble. All three doctors had seen the picture often enough--the
sudden, massive blockage of circulation to the heart that was so common
to creatures with central circulatory pumps, the sort of catastrophic
accident which could cause irreparable crippling or sudden death within
a matter of minutes.

Tiger inje