* * *

We raised our brows at one another over that, not guessing at the time
just what the Balakians really had on the ball.

"For thousands of generations, we have devoted our energies to knowing
ourselves and our environment," Gaffa said, "because we know that no
species can be truly balanced unless it understands itself. The
symbiosis between all life-forms on our planet is the result of that
knowledge. We should like to assure ourselves that you are capable of
understanding your own kind as well before we offer our services to your
Terran Realm--and therein lies the test we have arranged for you."

Captain Corelli drew himself up stiffly. "I think," he said, "that the
three of us should be able to unravel your little riddle, if you'll
condescend to tell us what it is."

Gaffa sent a puzzled look at the Quack, and I could see that he was
wondering why Corelli hadn't included him in the boast. But Gaffa
didn't know how simple the Quack could be, nor how preoccupied with his
own physiology he was.

"One of these two," said Gaffa, pointing to the two Haslops, "is the
original Ira Haslop, who was stranded here twenty-two Terran years ago.
The other is a synthetic creation of ours--an android, if you like, who
is identical, cell by cell, with the original so far as exterior
likeness is concerned. We could not duplicate the interior without
dissection, which of course was out of the question, so we were forced
to make compromises that--"

Gibbons interrupted him incredulously. "You mean you've created a living
creature, brain and all?"

"Only the body," Gaffa said. "Creation of intelligence is still beyond
us. The brain of the duplicate Haslop is one of our own, transplanted
and conditioned to Haslop's knowledge, memories and ideology."

He paused for a moment, and the waiting circle of Balakians grinned with
him in anticipation.

"Your problem is this," Gaffa said. "If you know yourselves well enough
to merit our help, then you should be able to distinguish readily
between the real and false Haslops. If you fail, we shall have no
alternative but to keep you here on Balak for the rest of your lives,
since to release you would bring other Terrans down on us in force."

And that was it. All we had to do was to take these two identical
twins--who looked alike, thought alike and cursed alike--and determine
which was real and which was bogus.

"For a very pertinent reason which you may or may not disco