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creature blanketed him. He worked an arm free and drummed
blows on the leathery back. Hoshick nestled closer.
    Retief's air was running out. He
heaved up against the smothering weight; nothing budged. He was wasting
his" strength.
    He remembered the ranger-form he
had captured. The sensitive orifice had been placed ventrally, in what would be
the thoracic area. . . .
    He groped, feeling tough hide set
with horny granules. He would be missing skin tomorrow—if there was a tomorrow.
His thumb found the orifice, and he probed.
    The Flap-jack recoiled. Retief held
fast, probed deeper, groping with the other hand. If the creature were
bilaterally symmetrical there would be a set of ready-made handholds. . . .
    There were. Retief dug in and the
Flap-jack writhed and pulled away. Retief held on, scrambled to his feet, threw
his weight against Hoshick, and fell on top of him, still gouging. Hoshick
rippled his fringe wildly, flopped in distress, then went limp. Retief
relaxed, released his hold, and got to his feet, breathing hard. Hoshick humped
himself over onto his ventral side, lifted, and moved gingerly over to the
sidelines. His retainers came forward, assisted him into his trappings, and
strapped on the translator. He sighed heavily, adjusting the volume.
    "There is much to be said for
the old system," he said. "What a burden one's sportsmanship places
on one at times."
    "Great fun, wasn't it?"
said Retief. "Now, I know you'll be eager to continue. If you'll just wait
while I run back and fetch some of our gouger-forms—"
    "May hide-ticks devour the
gouger-forms!" Hoshick bellowed. "You've given me such a sprong-ache
as I'll remember each spawning-time for a year."
    "Speaking of hide-ticks,"
said Retief, "we've developed a biter-form—"
    "Enough!" Hoshick roared
so loudly that the translator bounced on his hide. "Suddenly I yearn for
the crowded yellow sands of Jaq. I had hoped . . ." He broke off, drawing
a rasping breath. "I had hoped, Retief," he said, speaking sadly now,
"to find a new land here where I might plan my own Mosaic, till these
alien sands and bring forth such a crop of paradise-lichen as should glut the markets
of a hundred worlds. But my spirit is not equal to the prospect of biter-forms
and gouger-forms without end. I am shamed before you."
    "To tell you the truth, I'm
old-fashioned myself," said Retief. "I'd rather watch the action from
a distance too."
    "But surely your spawn-fellows
would never condone such an attitude."
    "My spawn-fellows aren't here.
And besides, didn't I mention it? No one who's really in the know would think
of engaging in competition by mere combat if there were any other way. Now, you
mentioned tilling the sand, raising lichens—"
    "That on which we dined,"
said Hoshick, "and from which the wine is made."
    "The big trend in fashionable
diplomacy today is farming competition. Now, if you'd like to take these
deserts and raise lichen, well promise to stick to the oases and raise
vegetables."
    Hoshick curled his back in
attention. "Retief, you're quite serious? You would leave all the fair
sand hills to us?"
    "The whole works. Hoshick.
I'll take the oases."
    Hoshick rippled his fringes
ecstatically. "Once again you
    have outdone me, Retief," he
cried, "this time, in generosity."
    "We'll talk over the details
later. I'm sure we can establish a set of rules that will satisfy all parties.
Now I've got to get back. I think some of the gouger-forms are waiting to see
me."
    It was nearly dawn when Retief gave
the whistled signal he had agreed on with Potter, then rose and walked into the
camp circle. Swazey stood up.
    "There you are," he said.
"We been wonderin' whether to go out after you."
    Lemuel came forward, one eye black
to the cheekbone. He held out a raw-boned hand. "Sorry I jumped you,
stranger. Tell you the truth, I thought you was some kind of stool-pigeon from
the CDT."
    Bert came up behind Lemuel.
"How do you know he ain't, Lemuel?" he said. "Maybe he—"
    Lemuel floored Bert