nds. Then Ronald Black said evenly, "And
what do you conclude, Boles?"

Phil looked at him. "I'd conclude that Norm Vaughn was right about there
having been some fairly intelligent creatures here once. The Geests ran
into them and exterminated them as they usually do. That might have been
a couple of centuries back. Then, thirty-six years ago, one of their
scouts slipped in here without being spotted, found human beings on the
planet, looked around a little and left again."

He took the Geest gun from his pocket, hefted it in his hand. "We have
the evidence here," he said. "We had it all the time and didn't know
it."

Ronald Black said dryly, "We may have the evidence. But we have no
slightest proof at all now that that's what it is."

"I know it," Phil said. "Now Beulah's gone ... well, we couldn't even
prove that William Boles never left the planet, for that matter. There
weren't any records to speak of being kept in the early days." He was
silent a moment. "Supposing," he said, "we went ahead anyway. We hand
the gun in, with the story I just told you--"

Jackson made a harsh, laughing sound. "That would hang us fast, Phil!"

"And nothing else?"

"Nothing else," Black said with finality. "Why should anyone believe the
story now? There are a hundred more likely ways in which a Geest gun
could have got to Roye. The gun is tangible evidence of the hoax, but
that's all."

Phil asked, "Does anybody ... including the cautious gentlemen in the
car over there ... disagree with that?"

There was silence again. Phil shrugged, turned towards the cliff edge,
drew his arm back and hurled the Geest gun far up and out above the sea.
Still without speaking, the others turned their heads to watch it fall
towards the water, then looked back at him.

"I didn't think very much of that possibility myself," Phil said
unsteadily. "But one of you might have. All right--_we_ know the Geests
know we're here. But we won't be able to convince anyone else of it.
And, these last few years, the war seems to have been slowing down
again. In the past, that's always meant the Geests were preparing a big
new surprise operation.

"So the other thing now--the business of getting off Roye. It can't be
done unless some of you have made prior arrangements for it Earthside.
If it had been possible in any other way, I'd have been out of this
place ten years ago."

Ronald Black said carefully, "Very unfortunately, Boles, no such
arrangements ha