h your arm
around her. They watch with high-power grasses."

"But there was nothing wrong in that--"

"That are what Princess Ryra say. She say you onry put your arm around
her because she are stirr scared of the tigers. And then he say, what
about the other? And he cawr her awrful bad names."

"What other?"

"Oh, when you are bending down to kiss Princess Ryra and are wawrking
into tree."

He gulped. "_They saw that?_"

"Oh, sure. Rord Narf are so mad he want to kirr you right then but Sonig
say, 'Wait, I have a pran.' Then Sonig say, 'It are too bad we don't
have a camera--we could have made that rootenant the raffing stock of
forty worlds.'"

The thought made Hunter gulp again.

"What was Sonig's plan that Narf told Lyla about?" He asked.

"Oh, he not terr _her_. I hear Sonig terr Rord Narf when I spy. Sonig
say, 'Tomorrow we be friendry and we ret those two go for another wawrk
in the woods. And we have cameras with terescope rens and when they kiss
and hug we take moving pictures.'"

"Why, the gutter-bred rat--"

"And Rord Narf say, 'That is what we wirr do. And then I wirr kirr him
as soon as we have the pictures and she wirr have to toe the mark from
then on because if I pubricry show the pictures of what she did, she
wirr be ashamed to show her face anywhere on Vesta.'"

"Why, the--" He could not think of a suitable expression.

"And then Sonig say, 'To make sure she go out tomorrow, you bawr her out
good so she wirr want to cry on the rootenant's shourder again.' And
Rord Narf say, 'I wirr be very grad to terr the two-timing hussy what I
think of her, don't worry.'"

"Why, she was only a scared girl and that rat thinks she--"

* * * * *

"_... Your promise to your dying father_," Narf's voice came in
accusation. "_He's gone, now, and you can betray him, too! Why don't you
go all the way in your deceptions ... your father will never know...._"

Alonzo said, "I think I go back and stay croser to her cabin,
Rootenant."

It was an hour later, and Narf's voice had settled to a low, steady
growling, when Hunter heard a helicopter settle down near the camp. A
minute later, Val Boran was outlined momentarily in the doorway of the
cabin he shared with Sonig. There followed the exchange of a few
words--interrogation in Val's tone--and then the sound of Sonig's voice
alone, which continued for minute after minute.

_Sonig is telling him all about it_, Hunter thought,