alked from the hut.

Sheckly stared bitterly after him. He felt no anger at the denunciation,
only a plaguing irritableness, an annoyance with both Harding and
himself. He should have gone out there with Harding, if only to show the
man that he was not afraid, that he was no coward. And yet, as he sat
there listening to the strange sounds creeping across the warm dampness,
he made no move to rise, and he knew he would not.

Grunting disgustedly, Sheckly stretched out on the floor matting and
tried to think of other things. He stared at the orange-flaring torch
and contemplated putting it out, but the sounds from the outside drifted
in upon him and changed his mind. After a while, he closed his eyes and
dozed.

* * * * *

He woke suddenly and sat upright, a cold sweat making him tremble.
What had wakened him? he wondered. He had the vague notion that someone
had screamed, yet he wasn't sure. In the faltering torchlight, he could
see Harding had not returned. He listened intently to the noises
outside, the scraping, the hissing, the slithering. No screams came.

[Illustration]

I'm not going to stay here, he told himself. I'll leave tomorrow, I
don't care what Harding says. I'll go crazy if I have to spend another
night like this. Exhausted, he fell asleep.

Morning came, and the alien sun slanted orange rays through the cabin
doorway. Sheckly opened his eyes and stared at the thatched roof. The
torch had burned out, but it was no longer needed for light. Thank
goodness for morning, he thought. Morning brought a temporary sanity to
this world, and after the madness of the night it was a reprieve he
welcomed gladly. He had not opposed Harding till now, but desperation
was a strong incentive to rebellion. When Harding returned-- Startled,
he considered the thought. _When_ Harding returned?

He sat up and stared around him. Harding was not in sight. Panic came,
and he leaped up, blood racing, as though to defend himself against
invisible enemies. Perhaps he'd gotten up early, Sheckly thought. But
suppose he hadn't returned? Suppose--

He jumped, as the interpreter entered the hut behind him. "The Leader
wishes you to join him for eating," the serpentman said.

"No," Sheckly said hastily. They weren't going to make a meal out of
him. "No, thanks. Look, I've got to leave your planet. Leave,
understand? Right away."

"The leader wishes you to join him," the creature repeated. This tim