Star Hunter

witnessed their arrival and might be coming in now to save them all a gr

their foothills and lower slopes was a thick furring of trees with foliage of so deep a green as to register black from this distance. And o

harply the little man stared at him in o

ntlehomo Starns? There is no

. Rather a flash of light, just

so covered with vines and ringed in by trees that it could not have been so sighted. But a storm might have

is distance glasses. "

obligingly point

ight direction. For a second or two Hume was uneasy. Things seemed to be w

the sun,"

the flash was very bright. And there could be no m

e to these civs. When they would find the Largo Drift's life boat and locate Brodie, there would be a legal snarl. The castaway's identity would

t, Gentlehomo," he chuckled. "But we are on a hunting pla

race, Hunter?" Chambriss, the most demandin

lanet is listed for a safari. However, a bird or flying thing, perhaps with metallic plumage or scales to

ns said doubtfully. "We mi

nflicting wishes in any company. "I came here for a water-cat, and a

Gentlehomo. And you, Gentlehomo Starns, want to make tri-dees of the pit-dragons. While Gentlehomo Yactisi wishes to try electo fishing in

ince my two colleagues have chosen to try for a wate

his mind was appeased. He saw, beyond the three clients now turning over and sorting space bags, Wass' man glanced at the woods

t the Hunter was there to do all the serious moving and storing of supplies. All three of the clients pitched in to help, and Wass'

stage setting. But it was enjoyed. Hume leaned forward to feed

ife. Unless the planet is minutely explored how can your survey teams be sure

ld have had to keep rather a lengthy watch to be sure of a free world. Now, we plant verifiers at suitable t

not only to the warmth of the burning wood, but to its promise of security against the forces of the dar

gh such a screening. But we have yet to discover a planet with

ps the result of the mingling of several human races. His eyes were slightly sunken, so that it was difficult in this light to read their expression. He w

t domination of men trained to use them properly. He understood the process of the verifier, had seen it at wor

u be sure your machine would discover it

d shallow. Such, not to be picked up by the verifier, would have to exist at great depths an

eplied. "The hour grows late. I wish you rewardin

ire and then scrambled up in turn. "We

t as well let him pot his trophy as soon as possible. The ex-pilot deduced there would be

y the fire until the three ci

e tomorrow?

an't rush

Only don't delay too long. Remember, our boy's roaming around out there. He might j

ion. Yactisi, for one, is no fool, neither is Starns. Chambriss just wants t

run us into trouble. Wa

were set, his mouth grim. "Neither do I, Rovald, neither do I

s down, fly-boy. You need Wass-and I'm here to hold his sta

down either side. He pressed a control button. That red line flared into a streak of brilliance. Now encircling the bubble tents and

of the wood. It was a dark night, there were scudding clouds to hide the stars, which m

veral years' occupancy, was all assembled and constructed to the last small detail. Far less might have deceived the civs in this safari. But as soon as the story of their find leaked, there wou

e smiled. Did Wass think he was stupid enough not to guess that the Veep's man would be in com touch with his employer? Rovald was about to report along some channel of the shado

s a water-cat. Hume shoved Brodie into the back of his mind to center his thoughts on

r of the force field men slept. And by midnight the rain began to fall,

multi-footed creatures, with wings or no visible limbs at all, proved to be a better protection than its creators had hoped. Ther

at artificial barrier. The force field was examined, its nature digested. First approach had failed. The second was now ready-

d never understand, only obey. With the coming of dawn there would be a marshaling of hosts, a new assault-not on the camp, but on any leaving it

clear. The roily, rushing water of the river would aid Chambriss' quest. Water-cats holed up in the banks, but rising water o

iss carried a needler, Starns was unarmed except for a small protection stunner, his tri-dee box slung on his chest by well-worn carrying straps. Yactisi

d paws, pressed in so heavy and distinct a pattern that Hume knew the animal could not be far ahead

med in satisfaction. "Going

rows, but they did not willingly head so sharply away from the water. He squatted on his

e prints. There were two clumps of brush. It could have holed up in either, waiting to attack any trailer-but why? I

. Rovald caught up. He had drawn his ray tube in answer to Hume's hand wave

s hand he stopped Chambriss. The civ was trained in spite of his eagerness and obeyed. Hume left the tracks, made a detour which brought him to a point from wh

couple of yards from the tree fringe his hand shot up

d in color from the vegetation, was no water-cat. There was a

nine Gods was that?

ler dart from a tree trunk. "But don't shoot again