ired! My little captives, _di mi_! You look like babes lost in a
wood."

I disengaged myself from Jetta, resting her against a cushion, and she
did not awaken. I stood up, fronting De Boer.

"What are you going to do with me?" I demanded.

He held his ironic smile. "Take you to my camp. You'll be well hidden,
no one can follow me. My X-flyer's a very handy thing to have, isn't
it?"

"So you're the smuggler I was sent after?"

That really amused him. "Er--yes. Those tricksters, Perona and
Spawn--we were what you would call partners. He had--the perfumed
Perona--what he thought was a clever scheme for us. I was to take all
the risk, and he and Spawn get most of the money. Chah! They thought I
was imbecile--pretending to attack a treasure and being such a fool
that I would not seize it for myself! Not De Boer!" He chuckled.
"Well, so very little did they know me. No treasure yet touched De
Boer's fingers without lingering!"

* * * * *

He was in a talkative mood, and drew up his chair and slouched in it.
I saw that he had been drinking some alcholite beverage, not enough to
befuddle him, but enough to take the keen edge off his wits, and make
him want to talk.

"Sit down, Grant."

"I'll stand."

"As you like."

"What are you going to do with me?" I demanded again. "Try to ransom
me for a fat price from the United States?"

He smiled sourly. "You need not be sarcastic, young lad. The better
for you if I get a ransom."

"Then I hope you get it."

"Perona's idea," he added. "I will admit it looked possible: I did not
know then you had Government protection." He went grim. "That was
Perona and Spawn's trickery. Well, they paid for it. No one plays De
Boer false and lives to tell it. Perona and Spawn wanted to get rid of
you--because you annoyed them."

"Did I?"

"With the little Jetta, I fancy." His gaze went to the sleeping Jetta
and back to me. "Perona was very sensitive where this little woman was
concerned. Why not? An oldish fool like him--"

* * * * *

I could agree with that, but I did not say so.

I said, "You'd better cast me loose, Jetta and me. I suppose you
realize, De Boer, that you'll have the patrols like a pack of hounds
after you. Jetta is a Nareda citizen: the United States will take that
up. There's the theft of the treasure. And as you say, I'm a
Government agent."

He nodded. "Your Government is over-zealous in prote