to you about it."

There was the sound of Narf's door opening and closing and Alonzo said,
"I go now--Rord Narf might guess that I are terring you things."

A few minutes later Narf and Sonig came down the path toward Hunter.
Both carried packsacks--the cameras, of course--and both carried
long-range rifle blasters.

"Good morning, lieutenant!" Narf was smiling and pseudogenial again.
"About last night--sometimes a man has to be stern with his wife to
impress her. Very foolish thing she did--might have been killed. I'm
afraid I was so badly shaken with worry over her that I didn't even
thank you for bringing her back."

"A beautiful morning, lieutenant!" Sonig was smiling, coming as close to
beaming as the nature of his face would permit. "Lord Narf is going to
take me stag hunting this morning--I'll get some lessons from a master.
Did you ever see his lordship's collection of heads? Amazing!"

"But it seems a sportsman's collection is never quite complete," Narf
said. He was still smiling but the hatred was burning like a fire in his
eyes as he looked at Hunter. "There's one more head I must have--I
intend to get it this morning."

Narf and Sonig were gone when Lyla came out of her cabin, her face pale
and drawn. Val came out of his cabin and the two spoke to each other in
greeting. There was a silence, in which neither seemed to know what to
say.

Finally, awkwardly, Val said, "I heard about yesterday, Lyla. Why did
you go into the tiger forest?"

"Oh ... I was just walking, I guess, and didn't notice where."

"You went there to die, didn't you?"

"I ... when you have nothing left--" Then she lifted her head in a proud
gesture and said, "Should it matter to you?"

For a moment Val had the look of a man struck. Then it was gone and he
said in an emotionless voice:

"No. I was asking about something that is only your husband's business.
I won't do it again."

He turned away, back to his cabin.

"Val--" She took a quick step after him, the proud air gone and her arms
outstretched. "I didn't mean--"

He turned back, his tone politely questioning.

"Yes?"

"I only wanted--" Then her arms dropped and the life went out of her
voice. "What does it matter ... what does anything matter?"

She hurried into her cabin and the door closed behind her.

* * * * *

Rockford spoke from the doorway behind Hunter:

"Well, my boy, are you ready for your day's duties?"

He follow