ture it."

"So that you may identify it," Chafi Three finished helpfully, "the Zid
has this appearance."

His psi projection of the Zid appeared on the dock before them with
demoniac abruptness--crouched to leap, twin tails lashing and its
ten-foot length bristling with glassy magenta bristles. It had a lethal
pair of extra limbs that sprang from the shoulders to end in taloned
seizing-hands, and its slanted red eyes burned malevolently from a
snouted, razor-fanged face.

It was too real to bear. Jeff stepped back on suddenly unreliable legs.
Jennifer fainted against him and the unexpected weight of her sent them
both sprawling to the dock.

"We lean on weak reeds," Chafi Three said. "Creatures who collapse with
terror at the mere projection of a Zid can be of little assistance in
recapturing one."

Chafi Four agreed reluctantly. "Then we must seek aid elsewhere."

* * * * *

When Jeff Aubray pulled himself up from the planking, the apparitions
were gone. His knees shook and perspiration crawled cold on his face,
but he managed to haul Jennifer up with him.

"Come out of it, will you?" he yelled ungallantly in her ear. "If a
thing like that is loose on the island, we've got to get help!"

* * * * *

Jennifer did not respond and he slapped her, until her eyes fluttered
angrily.

"There's an EI communicator in my cabin," Jeff said. "Let's go."

Memory lent Jennifer a sudden vitality that nearly left Jeff behind in
their dash for the cottage up the beach.

"The door," Jeff panted, inside. "Fasten the hurricane bolt. Hurry."

While she secured the flimsy door, he ripped through his belongings,
aligning his EI communicator again on his breakfast table. Finding out
where the islanders got their calm-crystals had become suddenly
unimportant; just then, he wanted nothing so much as to see a well-armed
patrol ship nosing down out of the Calaxian sunrise.

He was activating the screen when Jennifer, in a magnificent rage in
spite of soaked blouse and dungarees, advanced on him.

"You're an Earth Interests spy after all," she accused. "They said in
the Township you are no artist, but Uncle Charlie and I--"

Jeff made a pushing motion. "Keep away from me. Do you want that devil
tearing the cabin down around us?"

She fell quiet, remembering the Zid, and he made his call. "Aubray,
Chain 147. Come in, Consulate!"

There was a sound of stealthy movem