s at the very center of the shore
line next the shoal.

"This rock's yellow," said Sergeant Madden, rumbling a little. "It's
mineral. If we had a Geiger, it'd be raising hell, here. There's a mine
in there. Uranium. If a ship came down on rockets, an' landed in that
shoal place yonder ... why ... it wouldn't leave a burned spot comin'
down or takin' off, either. Y'see?"

Patrolman Willis said: "Look here, sergeant--"

"I'm in command here," growled Sergeant Madden. "Huks didn't booby trap.
Proud as hell, and touchy as all get-out, but not killers. Not crazy
killers, anyhow. You go get up yonder. Up where we started down. Then go
on away. Back to the squad ship. If I don't come along, anyhow you'll
know what's what when the _Aldeb_ comes."

Patrolman Willis expostulated. Sergeant Madden was firm. In the end,
Patrolman Willis went away. And Sergeant Madden sat at ease and rested
until he had time enough to get back to the squad ship. It was true that
the Huks didn't booby trap. They hadn't had the practice, anyhow, eighty
years ago. But this was a very important matter. Maybe they considered
it so important that they'd changed their policy concerning this.

Wheezing a little, Sergeant Madden pulled away large stones and small
ones. An opening appeared behind them. He grunted and continued his
labor. Nothing happened. The mouth of a mine shaft appeared, going
horizontally into the cliff.

Puffing from his exertions, Sergeant Madden went in. It was necessary if
he were to make a routine examination.

* * * * *

The _Aldeb_ came in a full day later. It descended, following the space
beacon the squad ship sent up from its resting place. The _Aldeb_ was
not an impressive sight, of course. It was a medium-sized police salvage
ship. It had a crew of fifteen, and it was powerfully engined, and it
contained a respectable amount of engineering experience and ability,
plus some spare parts and, much more important, the tools with which to
make others. It came down in a highly matter-of-fact fashion, and
Sergeant Madden and Patrolman Willis went over to it to explain the
situation.

"The _Cerberus_ came in on rockets," rumbled the sergeant, in the
salvage ship's skipper's cabin. "She landed. We found signs that some of
her people came out an' strolled around lookin' for souvenirs and such.
I make a guess that there was a minin' man among them, but it's only a
guess. Anyhow somebody went over