He remembered the stains, trying to recall his biology courses. More by
luck than skill, his fourth try gave him results.

Under two thousand powers, he could just see details. There were dozens
of cells in his impure culture, but only one seemed unfamiliar. It was a
long, worm-like thing, sharpened at both ends, with the three separate
nuclei that were typical of Martian life forms. Nearby were a host of
little rodlike squiggles just too small to see clearly.

Martian life! No Martian bug had ever proved harmful to men. Yet this
was no mutated cell or virus from Earth; it was a new disease,
completely different from all others. It was one where all Earth's
centuries of experience with bacteria would be valueless--the first
Martian disease. Unless this was simply some accidental contamination of
his culture, not common to the other samples. He worked on until the
light was too faint before putting the microscope aside.

By the time the trial commenced, however, he was sure of the cause of
the disease. It _was_ Martian. Crude as his cultures were, they had
proved that.

The little courtroom was filled, mostly from the villages. Lou was
there, along with others he had come to know. Then the sight of Jake
caught Doc's eyes. The darned fool had no business there; he could get
too closely mixed into the whole mess.

"Court's in session," Wilson announced. "Doc, you represented by
counsel?"

Jake's voice answered. "Your Honor, I represent the defendant. I think
you'll find my credentials in order."

Chris started to protest, but Wilson grinned. "Never lost your standing
in spite of that little fracas thirty years ago, so far as I know. But
the police thought you were a witness when you came walking in. Figured
you were giving up."

"I never said so," Jake answered.

Chris was squirming angrily, but the florid man acting as counsel for
Medical Lobby shook his head, bending over to whisper in her ear. He
straightened. "No objection to counsel for the defense. We recognize his
credentials."

"You're a fool, Matthews," the judge told him. "Jake was smarter than
half the rest of Legal Lobby before he went native. Still can tie your
tail to a can. Okay, let's start things. I'm too old to dawdle."

Doc lost track of most of what happened. This was totally unlike
anything on Earth, though it might have been in keeping with the general
casualness of the villages. Maybe the ritualistic routine of the Lobbies
was driving