h--they're safe. The firing mechanism's safetied.
But we keep them in operating condition. You never can tell when they'll
come in handy."

"I knew Kardon was primitive, but I didn't think it was that bad. What's
the trouble?"

"None--right now," Alexander said obliquely, "and since we've shown we
can handle ourselves there probably won't be any more."

"You must raise some pretty valuable stock if the competition tried to
rustle them in the face of that armament."

"We do." Alexander said. "Now if you'll follow me"--the entrepreneur
opened the cabin door letting in a blast of heat and a flood of yellow
sunlight.

"Great Arthur Fleming!" Kennon exploded. "This place is a furnace!"

"It's hot out here on the strip," Alexander admitted, "but its cool
enough inside. Besides, you'll get used to this quickly enough--and
the nights are wonderful. The evening rains cool things off. Well--come
along." He began walking toward the arched entrance to the great
building some hundred meters away. Kennon followed looking around
curiously. So this was to be his home for the next five years? It didn't
look particularly inviting. There was a forbidding air about the place
that was in stark contrast to its pleasant surroundings.

They were only a few meters from the archway when a stir of movement
came from its shadow--the first life Kennon had seen since they
descended from the ship. In this furnace heat even the air was quiet.
Two women came out of the darkness, moving with quiet graceful steps
across the blistering hot concrete. They were naked except for a
loincloth, halter, and sandals and so nearly identical in form and
feature that Kennon took them to be twins. Their skins were burned a
deep brown that glistened in the yellow sun light.

Kennon shrugged. It was none of his business how his employer ran his
household or what his servants wore or didn't wear. Santos was a planet
of nudists, and certainly this hot sun was fully as brilliant as the one
which warmed that tropical planet In fact, he could see some virtue in
wearing as little as possible. Already he was perspiring.

The two women walked past them toward the airboat. Kennon turned to
look at them and noticed with surprise that they weren't human. The long
tails curled below their spinal bases were adequate denials of human
ancestry.

"Humanoids!" he gasped. "For a moment I thought-"

"Gave you a start-eh?" Alexander chuckled. "It always does when a
stranger