and. "Plenty of
time for that," he said patiently. "Some of the men on the ranch may
still be alive: we must care for them. I'm going to land. Tell the
engineer to keep watch through the electelscope on that ship. I'll
start overtaking it shortly."

"Funny our rays didn't ha'm 'em," Friday ruminated aloud. "Ain't no
ordinary craft, that. No, suh, they's more in this heah business than
hits yo' eyes!"

"Now you're getting cynical, Eclipse," the Hawk said dryly.

* * * * *

A quarter-mile-square block of land had been fenced off as a corral
for the ninety-head herd of bull phantis Carse kept on Iapetus. These
creatures resembled mostly the old ostrich of Earth, but grew no
feathers. The neck, however was shorter than the ostrich's; the
leathery skin of a drab gray color; the powerful hind feet, on which
they stood erect, prehensile and armed with short stabbing spurs; the
forearms short and used for plucking the delicate shoots and young
leaves on which they lived. There was a dim flicker of rudimentary
intelligence inside the bullet heads; they recognized men as their
enemies, and hated them. And therefore they necessitated careful
handling, for, even without the valuable head-horns, their
sharp-spurred feet could rip a human being into shreds in seconds.

They were clustered now behind the wire corral-fence, electrified to
prevent them from breaking through. They bellowed angrily and shoved
each other about as their wicked little blood-shot eyes caught sight
of the _Star Devil_ as she came dropping gently down.

At the electelscope of the descending craft was the ship's engineer.
He had just centered the instrument on the fleeing pirate craft that
by now was leaving the satellite's atmosphere, and the image was large
on the screen above the bow windows, where he kept a steady eye on it.
The inner door of the port-lock swung open, the outer door down, and
Carse walked through, followed by Friday and Harkness.

An ugly scene lay spread out before them in the glaring daylight. The
trader had only gone a few paces when he paused and looked down at an
outsprawled thing that had once been a man. Stooping, he very gently
turned the mess of charred flesh over and peered at what was left of
the face. There were small, burnt holes in it, and the flesh
surrounding them looked as though it had been suspended for some time
over a slow fire....

Carse rose and stared into space.

"Ruthers, a