could I do? She said
the same thing to each of us, and each of us had to say that he would
fight for her. To each she said that she was troubled by you. Then Don
Loris sent us out to look at your body. And now we are disgraced!"

* * * * *

Hoddan's mouth opened and closed and opened again. He remembered this
item of Darthian etiquette. If a girl asked a man if he would fight for
her, and he agreed, then within a day and a night he had to fight the
man she sent him to fight, or else he was disgraced. And disgrace on
Darth meant that the shamed man could be plundered or killed by anybody
who chose to do so, but he would be hanged by indignant authority if he
resisted. It was a great deal worse than outlawry. It included scorn and
contempt and opprobrium. It meant dishonor and humiliation and admitted
degradation. A disgraced man was despicable in his own eyes. And Hoddan
had kidnaped these men who'd been forced to engage themselves to fight
him, and if they killed him they would obviously die in space, and if
they didn't they'd be ashamed to stay alive. The moral tone on Darth was
probably not elevated, but etiquette was a force.

Hoddan thought it over. He looked up suddenly.

"Some of them," he said wryly, "probably figure there's nothing to do
but go through with it, eh?"

"Yes," said Thal dismally. "Then we will all die."

"Hm-m-m," said Hoddan. "The obligation is to fight. If you fail to kill
me, that's not your fault, is it? If you're conquered, you're in the
clear?"

Thal said miserably:

"True. Too true! When a man is conquered he is conquered. His conqueror
may plunder him, when the matter is finished, or he can spare him, when
he may never fight his conqueror again."

"Draw your knife," said Hoddan. "Come at me."

Thal bewilderedly made the gesture. Hoddan leveled a stun-pistol and
said:

"_Bzzz._ You're conquered. You came at me with your knife, and I shot
you with my stun-pistol. It's all over. Right?"

Thal gaped at him. Then he beamed. He expanded. He gloated. He frisked.
He practically wagged a nonexistent tail in his exuberance. He'd been
shown an out when he could see none.

"Send in the others one by one," said Hoddan. "I'll take care of them.
But Thal--why did the Lady Fani want me killed?"

Thal had no idea, but he did not care. Hoddan did care. He was
bewildered and inclined to be indignant. A noble friendship like
theirs-- A spearman, came in and sal