r a pack. But when the pilot staggered over to
pull out a set of stass belts and Jellico began to uncoil them, the
Chief Ranger shook his head.

"With the feeder beam shut off by the mountains, I fear those will no
longer work."

Jellico tossed one on the crumpled nose of the flitter and punched its
button with the tip of the needler barrel. Then he threw a rock at the
dangling belt. The stone landed, taking the wide protective band with it
to the ground. That force field which should have warded off the missile
was not working.

"Oh, fine!" Tau opened his trail bag to pack concentrates. Then he
smiled crookedly. "We aren't signed in for killing licenses, sir. Do you
pay our fines if we are forced to shoot a hole through something that
disputes the right of way?"

To Dane's surprise, the Chief Ranger laughed. "You are off preserve now,
Medic Tau. The rules do not cover wild land. But I would suggest we now
hunt a cave before nightfall."

"Lions?" asked Jellico.

Dane, remembering the black and white beast Lumbrilo had presented, did
not enjoy that thought. They had--his gaze went from man to man checking
weapons--the needler Asaki carried, and another the pilot had slung by
its carrying strap over his shoulder. Tau and the captain both were
armed with blasters and he had a fire ray and a force blade, both
considered small arms but deadly enough perhaps even to dampen a lion's
enthusiasm for the chase.

"Lions, graz, rock apes," Asaki fastened the mouth of his trail bag.
"All are hunters or killers. The graz send out scouts, and they are big
and formidable enough to have no enemies. Lions hunt with intelligence
and skill. Rock apes are dangerous, but luckily they cannot keep silent
when they scent their prey and so give one warning."

As they climbed up-slope from the flitter, Dane, looking back, saw that
perhaps Asaki was right in his belief that they had better try to help
themselves rather than wait for rescue. Putting aside the excuse of
fearing another crack-up, the wrecked flitter made no outstanding mark
on the ground. The higher they climbed, the less it could be
distinguished from the tumble of rocks about it.

He had lagged a little behind and, when he hurried to catch up, found
Jellico standing with his distance vision lenses to his eyes, directing
them toward that shadow marking the swamp. As the younger spaceman
reached him, the captain lowered the glasses and spoke:

"Take your knife, Thorson,