to his side, and came away empty.
Deft fingers had extracted his ray-tube. But he was a man of courage.
Never could it be said to his shame that an Earthman cringed in the
sight of lesser races.

"So it's you, my sooty friend!" he snarled in English. The Plutonian,
accomplished linguist, replied:

"As you see. You don't look very happy, Mr. Morones."

Morones regarded him impassively, his eyes frosty.

"That explains everything," he said at last with cold deliberation.
"First Sammis, then Boyd. Going to finish me next, I suppose?"

The Plutonian twisted the end of an eyebrow and smiled.

"Interested in them?"

"What'd you do with the bodies?"

The Plutonian jerked his thumb carelessly. "The river you call the
Blue is swift and deep. But before you follow them there is certain
information I wish to get from you. Where is the soldier who came to
visit you?"

A crafty light came into Morones' face.

"He is not far from here, waiting for me."

* * * * *

Olear, in his cramped hiding place, could not help feeling a warm glow
of admiration for Morones' nerve, because Morones thought him well on
his way to Earth.

"Nargyll, what did your master do with the visitor?"

"Drove him back to the Green Star," Nargyll said promptly.

"And the oxygen tanks. Did you empty them?"

"I let them hiss." Nargyll's grin was sharkish.

"News to you, eh, Morones? Your officer's corpse has probably dropped
into the sun by this time. Tell me, why did you drive him off?"

Morones sagged perceptibly. To gain a little time he said truthfully:

"I knew I should be blamed and ruined for life. I didn't know you were
here, damn you! I hoped to get this mess with the natives straightened
up before he'd come back with reinforcements."

"Yes. Well, you owe some months of life already. Your presence here
has been more or less embarrassing, but I had to let you live or I'd
have had the whole I. F. P. here to investigate. Now that you've
failed in keeping them from getting interested you may do me one more
service." The black giant grinned.

"I've often wondered at the Earthman's prestige all over the solar
system. Even to-night, soft and helpless as you are, these natives
fear you. You will, therefore, be an object lesson in the helplessness
of Earthmen."

* * * * *

Morones was pale but courageous. With contempt in every line of him he
watched some of the less fright