"The verifiers registered no intelligent native
life here."
"No native life." Rynch chewed that over, came up with the obvious
explanation. "All right--so then maybe our blue-backed friends are
imported. Suppose someone's running a private business of his own here
and wants to get rid of visitors?"
Hume looked thoughtful. "No." He did not enlarge upon his negative.
Sitting down he pulled a cylinder container from a belt loop and shook
out four tablets, handing two to Rynch, mouthing the others.
"Vita-blocks--good for twenty-four hours sustenance."
The iron rations depended upon by all exploring services did not have
the satisfying taste of real food. However Rynch swallowed them
dutifully before he descended with Hume to river level. The Hunter
splashed water from the stream into a depression in the rock and
dropped a pinch of clarifying powder into it.
"With the dark," he announced, "we might be able to get through their
lines."
"You believe that?"
Hume laughed. "No--but one doesn't overlook the factor of sheer luck.
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