ose from the depths to ring
in Dalgard's ears, startling him so that he almost lost his footing.
Once again Sssuri made answer vocally--but no mind touch.

Then they rounded a curve, and the scout was able to see into the
heart of the amphibian territory. This was a natural cave, as were all
the merman's dwellings, but its walls had been smoothed and hung with
the garlands of shells which they wove in their leisure into strange
pictures. Silver-gray sand, smooth and dust-fine, covered the floor to
the depth of a foot or more. And opening off the main chamber were
small nooks, each marking the private storage place and holding of
some family clan. It was a large place, and with a quick estimate
Dalgard thought that it had been fashioned to harbor close to a
hundred inhabitants, at least the nooks suggested that many. But
gathered at the foot of the ledge they were descending, spears poised,
were perhaps ten males, some hardly past cubhood, others showing the
snowy shine of fur which was the badge of age. And behind them, drawn
knives in their ready hands, were half again as many merwomen, forming
a protecting wall before a crouching group of cubs.

Sssuri spoke to Dalgard. "Spread out your hands--empty--so that they
may see them clearly!"

The scout obeyed. In the limited light his ten fingers were fans, and
it was then that he understood the reason for such a move. If these
mermen had not seen a colonist before, he might resemble Those Others
in their eyes. But only his species on all Astra had five fingers,
five toes, and that physical evidence might insure his safety now.

"Why do you bring a destroyer among us? Or do you offer him for our
punishment, so that we can lay upon him the doom that his kind have
earned?"

The question came with arrow force, and Dalgard held out his hands,
hoping they would see the difference before one of those spears from
below tore through his flesh.

"Look upon the hands of this--my knife brother--look upon his face. He
is not of the race of those you hate, but rather one from the south.
Have you of the northern reaches not heard of Those-Who-Help,
Those-Who-Came-From-the-Stars?"

"We have heard." But there was no relaxing of tension, not a spear
point wavered.

"Look upon his hands," Sssuri insisted. "Come into his mind, for he
speaks with us so. And do _they_ do that?"

Dalgard tried to throw open his mind, awaiting the trial. It came
quickly, traces of inimical, alien thou