ck muscles and loose skin. Mayne was struck
by the fancy that the Kappan's color, a blend of brown and olive, was
that of a small dragon who had achieved a good suntan. A yellow kilt was
his main article of attire, although he wore a few decorations of
polished bone.

* * * * *

One of the Terrans stepped forward. He wore a semimilitary uniform.

"I suppose you're Louis Mayne?" he asked.

"Right," answered Mayne. "You would be Captain Voorhis, of the
_Gemsbok_?"

[Illustration]

"Check. This here is Eemakh. He's more or less chief of the village, or
tribe, or whatever you wanna call it."

Mayne found his gaze sinking into catlike slits of jet in a pair of huge
orange eyes shaded by massive brow ridges. The native made some
statement in a clicking language that had a harsh, choppy rhythm.

"He welcomes you to Kappa," Haruhiku interpreted. "He hopes the gods
will not be displeased."

"What a warm welcome!" commented Mayne. "Have you been getting along
that well, Captain Voorhis?"

"Just about," said the spacer. "One of my boys knows a few words. Rest
of the time, we make signs. I gotta admit they ain't been too
unfriendly."

"But they _have_ seized your ship?"

"You're damn' right! That insurance guy they sent out don't see it that
way though."

"Where is this representative of the Belt Insurance Company?" asked
Mayne.

"Melin? His ship landed over on the other side of the village, about
half a mile. He oughta be along soon. Must've seen you land."

Mayne wondered whether it were necessary to await the arrival of the
insurance adjustor before asking any questions. To cover his hesitation,
he turned to take his first good look at the hull of the _Gemsbok_.

"What do they think they're doing?" he demanded, staring.

The _Gemsbok_ was--or had been--an ungraceful, thick starship on the
verge of aging into scrap. Towering here between the village and the
huge, bluish-green leaves of the Kappan forest, she was in the process
of being transformed into a planet-bound object of a certain weird
grace.

A framework was being constructed about the hull by a swarm of natives.
They had reached halfway up the ship, which served as a central column.
Much of the exterior appeared to be a network of strangely curved
sections of wood that had been given a high polish. Mayne suspected the
greenish highlights were reflections of the forest color.

"Bone," said Voorhis succinctly. "They