Darkness closed in while they waited for Nymani's return. There had been no attack from the wielder; he was only trying to pin them where they were. Out over the swamp, of moved in small clouds, and of with their own built-in spark-fashion or on regular plans. At night the wonder of the place was from the of the day. They on their rations, of the water, and to keep to any or sound.
That undertone, which might or might not be drums, as a to the of the night, out at by a splash, a or from some creature. Beside Dane, Jellico stiffened, moved his blaster, as someone through the brush, softly.
"Off-worlders," Nymani reported in to Asaki, "and outlaws, too. They make a sing—tomorrow they for a killing."
Asaki rested his on his forearm. "Outlaws?"
"They no lord's badge. But each I saw a of three, five, or ten tails. They are Trackers indeed, and Hunters of the best!"
"They have huts?"
"Not so. There are no in the here." Out of Nymani used the term for the of his race. "I would say they only for the space of a hunt. And on the of one I saw salt crust."
"Salt crust!" Asaki and arose. "So that is the type of they use. There must be a near here to game—"
"How many off-worlders?" Jellico in.
"Three who are Hunters, one who is different."
"How different?" questioned Asaki.
"He upon his which are strange; on his a such as we see upon the off-worlders of the ships—"
"A spaceman!"
Asaki laughed harshly. "Why not? They must have some method of their hides."
"You can't tell me," Jellico returned, "that anyone is able to set a ship in this muck. It would be for all time."
"But, Captain, what type of a a Free Trader need? Do you not your own ship on worlds where there are no waiting cradles, no shops, none of the such as mark the Combine on Xecho?"
"Of I do. But one need a of territory, open so the won't start a fire. You don't a push in a swamp!"
"Which to a out of here, well-traveled, and some of a landing space not too away," Asaki replied. "And that very well us."
"But they know we are here," Tau pointed out.
It was Nymani's turn to laugh. "Man from the stars, there is no so well-hidden that a Ranger of the cannot nose it out, any Hunter—be he a two or five veteran—who can keep a man of the service!"
Dane in the at that moment. He was at the of their line, the nearest to the swamp, and he had been of light above the rank water-weeds. For the past moments those of had been into a over the yards away. And the were now more shape. He watched, unable to in what he was seeing. At the outline, non-defined as it was, him think of a ape. But there were no pointed ears above the skull, no on the in profile toward him.
More and more of were to that figure. What there now, as if walking the surface of the swampland, was no animal. It was a man, or the of one, a small, thin man—a man he had once before, on the of Asaki's fortress.
The thing almost complete, its in what was an of listening.
"Lumbrilo!" Dane it, still that the doctor not be there for them. But, to shake him still farther, the at his cry. Only there were no eyes, no on the white which should have been a face. And somehow that the more menacing, Dane against logic that the thing was on them.
"Demon!" That was Nymani; and over his quaver, of all the which had been there only moments earlier, came Asaki's demand:
"What there, Medic? Tell us that!"
"A to drive us out of hiding, sir. As you know as well as I. If Nymani upon them, then they have upon us in turn. And this, I think, also another question. If there is a of trouble on Khatka, then Lumbrilo is close to its root."
"Nymani!" The Chief Ranger's voice was the of a lash. "Will you again that you are a man, and for against a of light? As this off-world Medic says, Lumbrilo fashions such as that to drive us into our enemies' hands!"
The thing in the moved, its on surface which would not the weight of a body, taking a step and then another, for the where the lay.
"Can you of it, Tau?" Jellico asked in his voice. He might have been about some problem the Queen.
"I'd at the source." There was a note in the Medic's reply. "And to do that I want to look at their camp."
"Well enough!" Asaki in the brush.
The of that which was not a man had the of the island, there, its blank toward them. Weird as it was, now that the of it was over, the accept and it as they had not been so able to the ape.
"If that thing was sent to drive us," Dane ventured, "wouldn't we be playing their game by going now?"
The Chief Ranger did not pause in his to the left. "I think not. They do not us to arrive with our about us. Panic-stricken men are easy to down. This time Lumbrilo has himself. Had he not played that game with the ape, he might have been able to us now."
Though the white thing to move inland, it did not to in them on the new route. Whatever it was, it did not a mind.
There was a rustling, but distinguishable. Then Dane Nymani's whisper.
"The one left to watch the so no longer. We need not an from him. Also, here is another for our use."
Away from the open by the swamp, the was deeper. Dane was only by the of the less-experienced Jellico and Tau in their progress.
They into a small cut, with and mud, where some of the from the land about them into a pool. Straight through this the Khatkans set course.
The louder. Now there was a against the dark—fire ahead? Dane and at last a point from which to survey the poachers' camp.
There were there, three of them, but they were mainly of and branches. In two of them were of into plastic cloth, to ship. Before the third four off-worlders. And Nymani was very right; one of them ship's uniform.
To the right of the fire was a ring of and another man, apart, who the drum. But of the doctor there was no sign. And Dane, of that mist-born thing at the swamp's edge, shivered. He Tau's of the which produced on the side. But how that of had been sent by an man to his was a puzzle.
"Lumbrilo is not here." Nymani's must have been moving along the same path.
Dane movements in the dark him.
"There's a long-distance unit in that third hut," Tau observed.
"So I see," Jellico snapped. "Could you your men over the with that, sir?"
"I do not know. But if Lumbrilo is not here, how can he make his image walk the night?" the Chief Ranger impatiently.
"We shall see. If Lumbrilo is not here—he shall come." And the promise in Tau's was sure. "Those off-worlders will have to be out of action first. And with that walking thing sent to drive us in, they must be waiting for us."
"If they have out, I will them!" promised Nymani.
"You have a plan?" Asaki's wide and for an against the light from the camp.
"You want Lumbrilo," Tau replied. "Very well, sir, I I can give him to you, and in the doing him with your Khatkans. But not with the off-worlders free to move."
The program was not going to be easy, Dane decided. Every one of the was with a Patrol of the latest type, and a small part of his mind as to what would be the result of that to official quarters. Free Traders and Patrolmen did not always see eye-to-eye over the proper action to be taken on the frontier. The Queen's had had one such with authority in the past. But each that the other had an role in the of things, and if it came to a the law and outlaws, Free Traders the Patrol.
"Why not give them what they expect—with reservations?" Jellico. "They've set us up to be into camp, ahead of that of theirs. Suppose we do stampede—after Nymani has any sentries—stampede so well we right over them? I want to at that unit."
"You don't think they'll just us as we come in?"
"You delivered a to Lumbrilo's pride; he won't be satisfied with just your burning," the captain answered Tau, "not if I'm any judge of character. And we'd of a sort—especially the Chief Ranger. No, if they had wanted to kill us they would have us off those when we came here. There would have been no playing around with and goblins."
"There is in your words. And it is true they would like to have me, those there," Asaki commented. "I am of the Magawaya and we have pressed always for security methods to be used against such as they. But I do not see how we can take the camp."
"We won't go in from the front—as they us to do. But a try from the north, at the off-worlders first.... Three men to operations of the other two...."
"So?" There was a moment of as the Chief Ranger that. Then he added a of his own.
"That off-worlder who spaceman's clothing, his is not drawn, though the others are ready. But I that you are right in they to be by sentries. Those we can see to. Suppose then, Captain, you and I play the fear-crazed men from demons. Nymani will us from the dark and your two men—"
Tau spoke up, "Give me to out our other quarry, sir. I I can keep him occupied. Dane, you'll take the drum."
"Drum?" With his mind on blasters, it was to be offered a noise-maker.
"It's your to that drum. And when you it I want you to out 'Terra Bound.' You can play that, can't you?"
"I don't understand," Dane and then the of his protest, that Tau was not going to why he needed to have the popular song of the played in a Khatkan swamp. As a Free Trader he had had a odd jobs him the past of years, but this was the time he had been ordered to as a musician.
They waited for Nymani through minutes. Surely those in the would their soon now? Dane's fire was in his hand as he the to the drummer's stand.
"It is done," Nymani from the them. Jellico and the Chief Ranger moved to the left; Tau to the right and Dane pushed level with the medic.
"When they move," Tau's were his ear, "jump for that drum. I don't how you it, but it and keep it!"
"Yes, sir!"
There was a from the north, a of fear. The singers stopped in mid-note, the paused, his hand uplifted. Dane in a which him to that man. The Khatkan did not have time to from his as the of the fire his head, sending him spinning. Then the was in the spaceman's arm, close to his chest, his across it at the natives.
The of fire, the of in action, a from the other end of the camp. Backing up a little, Dane on one knee, his to over the natives, the on the earth against his body. Keeping the fire steady, his left hand to work, not in the the Khatkan had chosen, but in hard and which rolled across the of the fight. There was no the of "Terra Bound" and he delivered it with force, so that the familiar da-dah-da-da loud to the whole camp.
Dane's move appeared to the Khatkan outlaws. They at him, the of their in their dark faces, their mouths a little agape. As the had them off guard. He not look away from that to see how the at the other end of the was progressing. But he did see Tau's advance.
The came into the light of the fire, not with his ordinary loose-limbed spaceman's stride, but mincingly, with a dancing step, and he was to the of "Terra Bound." Dane not the words, but he that they patterned in and out of the beats, a singer and as Lumbrilo had his on the terrace.
Tau had them! Had every one of the native ensnared, so that Dane rested his across his and took up the with the of his right hand as well.
Da-dah-da-da.... The of the original song which had been itself in his mind faded, and somehow he the in the new Tau was mouthing.
Twice the about a circle of his own making. Then he stooped, took a knife from the of the nearest Khatkan and it point out toward the dark east. Dane would not have the the he now displayed, for with no save the dancing he a knife duel, feinting, striking, twisting, retreating, attacking, all in time to the of the Dane was no longer of playing. And as he it was very easy to picture another against him. So that when the knife came up in a which was the of his last attack, Dane at the ground, to see a there.
Once more Tau with his to the east. Then he it on the ground and its length.
"Lumbrilo!" His voice above the call of the drum. "Lumbrilo—I am waiting."
