emi-noiseless and with no
betraying streak of light. The first bullet spun the goon on his heels
and sent him lurching across sand and rock. Dalgetty worked the
trigger, spraying around his victim, a storm of lead that _must_ ruin
the sender.

Chaos on the beach! If that spotlight went on with his eyes at their
present sensitivity, he'd be blind for hours. He fired carefully,
smashing lens and bulb. The machine-gun opened up, stuttering, wildly
into the dark. If someone elsewhere on the island heard that
noise--Dalgetty shot again, dropping the gunner over his weapon.

Bullets spanged around him, probing the darkness. One down, two down,
three down. A fourth was running along the upward path. Dalgetty fired
and missed, fired and missed, fired and missed. He was getting out of
range, carrying the alarm--_there!_ He fell slowly, like a jointed
doll, rolling down the trail. The two others were dashing for the
shelter of a cave, offering no chance to nail them.

Dalgetty scrambled over the rock, splashed into the bay and struck out
for the shore. Shots raked the water. He wondered if they could hear
his approach through the sea-noise. Soon he'd be close enough for
normal night vision. He gave himself wholly to swimming.

His feet touched sand and he waded ashore, the water dragging at him.
Crouching, he answered the shots coming from the cave. The shriek and
yowl were everywhere around him now. It seemed impossible that they
should not hear up above. He tensed his jaws and crawled toward the
machine-gun. A cold part of him noticed that the fire was in a random
pattern. They couldn't see him then.

The man lying by the gun was still alive but unconscious. That was
enough. Dalgetty crouched over the trigger. He had never handled a
weapon like this but it must be ready for action--only minutes ago it
had tried to kill him. He sighted on the cave mouth and cut loose.

Recoil made the gun dance till he caught onto the trick of using it.
He couldn't see anyone in the cave but he could bounce lead off its
walls. He shot for a full minute before stopping. Then he crawled away
at an angle till he reached the cliff. Sliding along this he
approached the entrance and waited. No sound came from inside.

He risked a quick glance. Yes, it had done the job. He felt a little
sick.

Elena was climbing out of the water when he returned. There was a
strangeness in the look she gave him. "All taken care of?" she asked
tonelessly.

H