The Project Gutenberg EBook of Deathworld, by Harry Harrison

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Title: Deathworld

Author: Harry Harrison

Illustrator: H. R. van Dongen

Release Date: March 17, 2009 [EBook #28346]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

DEATHWORLD

BY HARRY HARRISON

Illustrated by van Dongen

_Some planet in the galaxy must--by definition--be the toughest,
meanest, nastiest of all. If Pyrrus wasn't it ... it was an awfully
good approximation!_

Jason dinAlt sprawled in soft luxury on the couch, a large frosty stein
held limply in one hand. His other hand rested casually on a pillow. The
gun behind the pillow was within easy reach of his fingers. In his line
of work he never took chances.

It was all highly suspicious. Jason didn't know a soul on this planet.
Yet the card sent by service tube from the hotel desk had read: _Kerk
Pyrrus would like to see Jason dinAlt_. Blunt and to the point. He
signaled the desk to send the man up, then lowered his fingers a bit
until they brushed the gun butt. The door slid open and his visitor
stepped through.

_A retired wrestler._ That was Jason's first thought. Kerk Pyrrus was a
gray-haired rock of a man. His body seemingly chiseled out of flat slabs
of muscle. Then Jason saw the gun strapped to the inside of the other
man's forearm, and he let his fingers drop casually behind the pillow.

"I'd appreciate it," Jason said, "if you'd take off your gun while
you're in here." The other man stopped and scowled down at the gun as if
he was seeing it for the first time.

"No, I never take it off." He seemed mildly annoyed by the suggestion.

Jason had his fingers on his own gun when he said, "I'm afraid I'll have
to insist. I always feel a little uncomfortable around people who wear
guns." He kept talking to distract attention while he pulled out his
gun. Fast and smooth.

He could have been moving in slow motion for all the difference it made.
Kerk Pyrrus stood rock still while the g