thout any other sign of
life.

Surfeited. Like a fat man after a turkey dinner.

Jenkins reviewed progress with the others. No stone had been left
unturned. They had sliced the _hlorg_, and squeezed it. They had boiled
it and frozen it. They had dropped chunks of it in acid vats and covered
other chunks with desiccants and alkalis. Nothing seemed to bother it.

A cold environment slowed down its activity, true, but it also
stimulated the process of fission. Warmed up again, the portions sucked
back together again and resumed eating.

Heat was a little more effective, but not much. It stunned the creature
for a brief period, but it would not burn. It hissed frightfully and
gave off an overpowering stench, and curled up at the edges, but as soon
as the heat was turned off it began to recover.

In Hrunta's lab chunks of the _hlorg_ sat in a dozen vats on tables and
in sinks. Some contained antibiotics, some concentrated acids, some
desiccants. In each vat a blob of pink protoplasm wiggled happily,
showing no sign of discomfiture. On another table were the remains of
Hrunta's (unsuccessful) attempt to prepare an anti-_hlorg_ serum.

But no Hrunta.

"He was down there with the thing all day," Bowman said sadly. "He felt
it was his responsibility, really. Hrunta thought biochemistry was the
answer to all things, of course. Very conscientious man."

"But he was in _bed_."

"He claimed he did his best thinking in bed. Maybe he had a brainstorm
and went down to try it out, and--"

"Yes." Jenkins nodded sourly. "And." He walked down the row of vats.
"You'd think that at least concentrated sulphuric would dessicate it a
little. But it's just formed a crust of coagulated protein around
itself, and sits there--"

Bowman peered over his shoulder, his mustache twitching. "But it does
dessicate."

"If you use enough long enough."

"How about concentrated hydrochloric?"

"Same thing. Maybe a little more effective, but not enough to count."

"Okay. Next we try combinations. There's got to be _something_ the
wretched beast can't tolerate--"

There was, of course.

* * * * *

Green Doctor Stone brought it to Jenkins as he was getting ready to turn
in for a sleep period. Jenkins had checked to make sure double guards
were posted in the _hlorg's_ vicinity, and jolted them with Sleep-Not to
keep them on their toes. All the same, he tied a length of stout cord
around his ankle just to make