on an expedition to the
trailmen themselves."

(In the darkened office, watching Jay's startled face, I thought; God,
what an adventure! I wonder--I wonder if they want me to go with him?)

Forth was explaining: "It would be a difficult trek. You know what the
Hellers are like. Still, you used to climb mountains, as a hobby, before
you went into Medical--"

"I outgrew the childishness of hobbies many years ago, sir," Jay said
stiffly.

"We'd get you the best guides we could, Terran and Darkovan. But they
couldn't do the one thing you can do. You _know_ the trailmen, Jay. You
might be able to persuade them to do the one thing they've never done
before."

"What's that?" Jay Allison sounded suspicious.

"Come out of the mountains. Send us volunteers--blood donors--we might,
if we had enough blood to work on, be able to isolate the right
fraction, and synthesize it, in time to prevent the epidemic from really
taking hold. Jay, it's a tough mission and it's dangerous as all hell,
but somebody's got to do it, and I'm afraid you're the only qualified
man."

"I like my first suggestion better. Bomb the trailmen--and the
Hellers--right off the planet." Jay's face was set in lines of loathing,
which he controlled after a minute, and said, "I--I didn't mean that.
Theoretically I can see the necessity, only--" he stopped and swallowed.

"Please say what you were going to say."

"I wonder if I am as well qualified as you think? No--don't interrupt--I
find the natives of Darkover distasteful, even the humans. As for the
trailmen--"

(I was getting mad and impatient. I whispered to Forth in the darkness,
"Shut the damn film off! You couldn't send _that_ guy on an errand like
_that_! I'd rather--"

(Forth snapped, "Shut up and listen!"

(I shut up and the film continued to repeat.)

* * * * *

Jay Allison was not acting. He was pained and disgusted. Forth wouldn't
let him finish his explanation of why he had refused even to teach in
the Medical college established for Darkovans by the Terran empire. He
interrupted, and he sounded irritated.

"We know all that. It evidently never occurred to you, Jay, that it's an
inconvenience to us--that all this vital knowledge should lie, purely by
accident, in the hands of the one man who's too damned stubborn to use
it?"

Jay didn't move an eyelash, where I would have squirmed, "I have always
been aware of that, Doctor."

Forth drew a long bre