Lair of Mano-Nui
Just under the surface of the water the sea was warm, life colors Ross name, he not. The corals, the animals as plants, the plants as animals which the of Terra, had their here. And the had them the familiar names, though the crabs, the fish, the anemones, and of the and were not with Terran creatures. The trouble was that there was too much, such a of life to the eyes, attention, that it was difficult to keep to the job at hand—the search for what was not natural, for what had no normal place here.
As the land the and the off-worlder, so did the sea have its to one from duty. Ross by a of weaving, which from a green which was almost black to a he not identify. Among those fans ghost-fish, so that one sight, through their sides, the of meals.
The Terrans had their sweep-search a hour ago, from a canoe, in toward the of the isle, an of expert divers, men and girls so at home in the that they should be able to make the Ashe needed—if such did exist.
Mystery upon on Hawaika, Ross as he used his spear-gun to push a banner of in order to its curtain. The native life of this world must always have been aquatic. The had only a small animals on the islands. The largest of which was the burrower, a not a monkey in that it had on which it walked and forepaws, well for purposes, which it used with as much skill and as a man used hands. Its was and it was able to assume, chameleon-like, the color of the and where it denned. The was set directly on its without of neck; and it had of near the top of its skull, a nose which was a single slit, and a wide mouth for the on which it fed. All in all, to Terran eyes, it was a creature, but as as the had been able to it was the of land life. The smaller things, the two of birds, and an odd of and the were all the burrowers' prey.
A world of sea and islands, what type of native life had it once supported? Or had this been only a colony, with no native population the of the explorers? Ross above a dark pocket where the had into a saucer-shaped depression. The sea about the in the water raggedly, but there was something about its outline....
Ross a of that hollow. Allowing for the of the which had or toward the surface—yes, for those—this was something out of the ordinary! The was too regular, too even, Ross was of that. With a of he a into the cup, to which would prove his correct.
How many years, centuries, had the slow of the sea life there, flourished, died, with other to on the remains? Now there was only a hint that the had other than a natural beginning.
Anchoring with a one-handed on a of Hawaikan coral—smoother than the Terran species—Ross the of his spear-gun at the nearest of the saucer, to into a two of and so into what might behind. The rebounded; there was no that with such a tool. But he would have luck down.
The was than he had judged. Now the light which in the vanished. Red and yellow as colors went, but Ross was aware of and in and which were not visible above. He on his torch, and color returned its beam. A of weed, pink in the light, as if it the ability of the burrowers.
He was by that phenomenon, and so he the diver's of so in as to caution. Just when did Ross aware of that below? Was it when a of ghost-fish growths, and he to them with the torch? Then the of his the movement of a shape, a in the water of the depths.
Ross around, his to the of the saucer, as he the at what was there. The light and for a long moment of something which might have come out of the of his own world. Afterward Ross that the was not as large as it in that minute of fear, no than the dolphins.
He had had in shark-infested on Terra, been against the from such of the and jungles. But this of thing had only in the of his as the of old lore. A with wide in the light with cold and hate, a mouth fang-filled, a horn-set muzzle, that long, and, it, the half-seen of a body.
His spear-gun, the knife at his belt, neither were protection against this! Yet to turn his on that was more than Ross do. He himself against the of the saucer. The thing him did not to attack. Plainly it had him and now it moved with the of a having no the outcome of the hunt. But the light appeared to puzzle it and Ross the into those eyes.
The of the was off; now Ross his into a to him while his hand to the sonic-com at his waist. He out a call which the to the swimmers. The paused, on a stiff, in the center of the saucer. That either or the hunter, it wary.
Ross again. The that if he to escape, he was lost, that only while he it so had he any chance, stronger. The was only the level of his as he to the weeds.
Again that movement, the of head, a along the neck, an in the depths. The was on the move again. Ross the light directly at the head. The scales, as as he determine, were not plates but lapped, such as a fish possessed. And the of the might be to his spear. But the way a Terran the of that and survive, Ross to attack as a last resort.
Above and to his left there was a small where in the past some of the had been away. If he fit himself into that crevice, he keep the at until help arrived. Ross moved with all the skill he had. His hand closed upon the of the and he himself up, just making it into that as the at him wickedly. His that the would attack anything on the was well founded, and he he had no of to the surface above.
Now he in the crevice, outward, the in the water. He had off the torch, and the of light appeared to the for some seconds. Ross as into the as he could, until the point of one touched a surface which was sleek, smooth, and cold. The of that almost sent him out again.
Gripping the him in his right hand, Ross him with the left. His over a surface where the had been or away. Though he not, or not, turn his to see, he was that this was his proof that the of the had been and there by some creature.
The had risen, now in the water directly the entrance to Ross's hole, its against its bulk. It had wide moving like to it poised. The body, from a of to a rear, was familiar. If one provided a Terran seal with a and in place of fur, the would be similar. But Ross was not a seal at this moment.
Slight movement of the it as as if it on a supporting surface. With the against the body, the until the on its pointed the at Ross's middle. The Terran his spear-gun. The dragon's were its most targets; if the the attack, Ross would for them.
Both man and were so upon their that neither was of the overhead. A dark shape down, across the humped-back of the dragon. Some of the had with the to a high degree, but Ross's own powers of were feeble.
Only now he was an of aid, and a to attack. The writhed, as the to see above and its own length. But the was only a fast disappearing. And that the the had maintained, pushing it toward Ross.
The Terran too soon and without proper aim, so the past the head. But the line about the and to the creature. Ross as as he into his and his knife. Against those the was an almost toy, but it was all he had.
Again the in attack on the reptile, this time in its mouth the of the and it a which the more off balance, it away from Ross's and out into the center of the saucer.
There were two in action now, Ross saw, playing the as might play a bull, the by their maneuvers. Whatever came naturally to the Hawaikan was not of this type, and the was not prepared to with their teasing, tactics. Neither had touched the beast, but they it to at them.
Though it in circles attempting to its teasers, the did not the level Ross's refuge, and now and then it its at him, to give up its prey. Only one of the and above now as the on Ross's against his with its message to be prepared for action. Somewhere above, his own gathered. Hurriedly he out in his in return.
Two again, their last over the pushing the past Ross's toward the saucer's depths. Then they up and away. The was in turn, but to meet the Hawaikan was a off light, and color with it.
Ross's arm up to his eyes. There was a flash; such through the that his nerves, less than those of the life about him, reacted. He his mask. A fish by, up, its exposed. And about him drooped, through the water; while there was a now to the of the floor. A perfected on Terra to use against and had here to kill what have been more prey.
The Terran out of the niche, rose to meet another swimmer. As Ashe descended, Ross his news the sonic. The were already into the in of their late enemy.
"Look here—" Ross Ashe to the which had saved him, the into it. He had been right! There was a long in the up by the growths; a some six long, of a gray, showed. Ashe touched the and then gave the the code.
"Metal or an alloy, we've it!"
But what did they have? Even after an hour's by the full company, Ashe's expert search with his knowledge of and remains, they were still baffled. It would labor and they did not have, to clear the whole of the saucer. They be sure only of its size and shape, and the that its were of an unknown which the sea but not erode. For the length of surface not the or time wear.
Down at its point they the dragon's den, an with growth, which the of the creature. That was with the dolphins' aid, to be taken for study. But the itself ... was that part of some old installation?
Torches to the fore, they entered its shadow, only to baffled. Here and there were of the same in its interior. Ashe the of his spear-gun into the on the to another depression. But what it all or what had been its purpose, they not guess.
"Set up the peep-probe here?" Ross asked.
Ashe's moved in a slow negative. "Look ... spread out," the clicked.
Within a of minutes the reported new remains—two more saucers, each larger than the first, set in a line on the floor, pointing directly to Karara's Finger Island. Cautiously explored, these were to be free of any but life; they up no more dragons.
When the Terrans came on Finger Island to and eat their one of the men along the dragon. Ashore it none of its aspect. And it, and dead, Ross at his luck in the without a scratch.
"I think that this one would be alone," PaKeeKee commented. "Where there is an of this size, there is only one."
"Mano-Nui!" The girl Taema as she gave to this the name of the of her people. "Such a one is king in these waters! But why have we not its like before? Tino-rau, Taua ... they have not reported such—"
"Probably because, as PaKeeKee says, these are rare," Ashe returned. "A of size would have to have a wide range, yet there's that this thing has in that for some time. Which means that it must have a no from others of its species."
Karara nodded. "Also it may only at intervals, eat heavily, and until that is digested. There are large on Terra that that pattern. Ross was in its when it came after him—"
"From now on"—Ashe a of fruit—"we know what to watch for, and the which will it off. Don't that!"
The of their had already registered the which would of a dragon's presence, and the would then do the rest.
"Big skull, for the body." PaKeeKee on his by the on the at the end of the now neck.
Ross had been more aware of the of that head, the set in the powerful jaws, the on the snout. But PaKeeKee's his attention to the that the scale-covered did up above the in a way to brain room. Had the thing been intelligent? Karara put that into words:
"Rule One?" She over to survey the carcass.
Ross her question, it was to him or on her part.
Rule One: Conserve native life to the extent. Humanoid may not be the only of intelligence.
There were the to prove that point right on Terra. But did Rule One that you had to let a at you it might just be a high type of intelligence? Let Karara Rule One while into a under water with that at her mid-section!
"Rule One not to self-defense," Ashe mildly. "This thing is a hunter, and you can't stop to apply when you are being as prey. If you are the stronger, or an equal, yes—stop and think aggressive. But in a like this—take no chances."
"Anyway, from now on," Karara pointed out, "it be possible to of kill."
"Gordon"—PaKeeKee around—"what have we here—besides this thing?"
"I can't guess. Except that those were for a purpose and have been there for a long time. Whether they were originally in the water, or the land sank, that we don't know either. But now we have a site to set up the peep-probe."
"We do that right away?" Ross wanted to know. Impatience at him. But Ashe still had a of frown. He his head.
"Have to make sure of our site, very sure. I don't want to start any on the other of the time wall."
And he was right, Ross was to admit, what had when the had the Red time gates and them to their twentieth-century source, each station. The original of Hawaika had been as to Terran when it came to knowledge. To use a peep-probe near one of their might and terrible retribution.
