e matter until something live and bloody comes
along. Anyway, they seem to get along."

Bergdorf walked the few steps to the water's edge. "I won't even have to
go swimming," he said as he walked into the water a few steps, bent and
came up with what looked like a handful of rocks.

"Oysters?" I asked, turning one over in my hand.

"Yep. Nice little _O. lurida_. About three years old, I'd guess, and
just ripe for breeding. You know, I've never seen them growing so close
to the shore. They must be stacked on top of each other out there a
ways. There's probably millions of them in this lagoon alone!"

"Well, we've found where they're coming from. Now all that's left is to
figure out what to do about it."

"We'd still better check Beta. They might possibly have reached there."

"Not unless someone's planted them," I said. "You're forgetting the
ocean currents."

"No. I was thinking of planted areas."

"Well, think again. You may know your biology, but I know Niobians.
They're too suspicious to bring untried things too close to where they
live. They've been that way as long as I can remember them, and I don't
think that anything--even something as delightful as an oyster--would
make them change overnight."

"I hope you're right."

"Oh, we'll check Beta, all right," I said. "But you can send a couple of
your boys to do it. There's no sense in our wasting time with it."

I heard the noise behind us before Bergdorf did. We turned in time to
see four Niobians emerge from the jungle and glide purposefully toward
us. The tribal tattoos on their chests identified them as members of
Tovan Harl's commune. I nudged Heinz and murmured, "We've got company."

The natives approached to within a few paces. They stood politely to
leeward while one of their number approached. "I'm sorry," he said
without the normal introduction, "but this is leased land. You will have
to leave at once. And you will please return the oysters to the lagoon.
It is not permitted to remove them."

"Oh, all right," I said. "We're through here anyway. We'll visit the
other islands and then be off."

"The other islands are also leased property. When you leave I will radio
the other guards, and you will not be permitted to land."

"This is not according to your customs," I protested.

"I realize that, Mr. Lanceford," the native said. "But I have given oath
to keep all trespassers out."

I nodded. It wasn't usual. I wondered what Harl had in mind-