is body.

A raw fish, cornered in the shallows and scooped out, furnished one of
the best meals he had ever tasted. He had reached for the suit draped
over a willow limb when the first and only warning that his fortunes had
once again changed came, swiftly, silently, and with deadly promise.

One moment the willows had moved gently in the breeze, and then a spear
suddenly set them all quivering. Ross, clutching the suit to him with a
frantic grab, skated about in the sand, going to one knee in his haste.

He found himself completely at the mercy of the two men standing on the
bank well above him. Unlike Ulffa's people or the Beaker traders, they
were very tall, with heavy braids of light or sun-bleached hair swinging
forward on their wide chests. Their leather tunics hung to mid-thigh
above leggings which were bound to their limbs with painted straps. Cuff
bracelets of copper ringed their forearms, and necklaces of animal teeth
and beads displayed their personal wealth. Ross could not remember
having seen their like on any of the briefing tapes at the base.

One spear had been a warning, but a second was held ready, so Ross made
the age-old signal of surrender, reluctantly dropping his suit and
raising his hands palm out and shoulder high.

"Friend?" Ross asked in the Beaker tongue. The traders ranged far, and
perhaps there was a chance they had had contact with this tribe.

The spear twirled, and the younger stranger effortlessly leaped down the
bank, paddling over to Ross to pick up the suit he had dropped, holding
it up while he made some comment to his companion. He seemed fascinated
by the fabric, pulling and smoothing it between his hands, and Ross
wondered if there was a chance of trading it for his own freedom.

Both men were armed, not only with the long-bladed daggers favored by
the Beaker folk, but also with axes. When Ross made a slight effort to
lower his hands the man before him reached to his belt ax, growling what
was plainly a warning. Ross blinked, realizing that they might well
knock him out and leave him behind, taking the suit with them.

Finally, they decided in favor of including him in their loot. Throwing
the suit over one arm, the stranger caught Ross by the shoulder and
pushed him forward roughly. The pebbled beach was painful to Ross's
feet, and the breeze which whipped about him as he reached the top of
the bank reminded him only too forcibly of his ordeal in the glacial
world.

Mur