daily newspapers and the magazines. Be right in the
center of things. But now I don't think so. I think he'd be right here
in Tangier."

"Why Tangier?"

"It's the one town in the world where anything goes. Nobody gives a damn
about you or your affairs. For instance, I've known you a year or more
now, and I haven't the slightest idea of how you make your living."

"That's right," Paul admitted. "In this town you seldom even ask a man
where's he's from. He can be British, a White Russian, a Basque or a
Sikh and nobody could care less. Where are _you_ from, Rupert?"

"California," I told him.

"No, you're not," he grinned.

I was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I felt your mind probe back a few minutes ago when I was talking about
Scotland Yard or the F.B.I. possibly flushing an alien. Telepathy is a
sense not trained by the humanoids. If they had it, your job--and
mine--would be considerably more difficult. Let's face it, in spite of
these human bodies we're disguised in, neither of us is humanoid. Where
are you really from, Rupert?"

"Aldebaran," I said. "How about you?"

"Deneb," he told me, shaking.

We had a laugh and ordered another beer.

"What're you doing here on Earth?" I asked him.

"Researching for one of our meat trusts. We're protein eaters. Humanoid
flesh is considered quite a delicacy. How about you?"

"Scouting the place for thrill tourists. My job is to go around to these
backward cultures and help stir up inter-tribal, or international,
conflicts--all according to how advanced they are. Then our tourists
come in--well shielded, of course--and get their kicks watching it."

Paul frowned. "That sort of practice could spoil an awful lot of good
meat."

THE END

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ December 1960.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
typographical errors have been corrected without note.

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Dallas McCord Reynolds

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