an, the tribe on the march. There was ingenious deployment, a
battle, a retreat, a small victory here, to be followed by a bigger
defeat there. The game might have gone on for hours. The men about him
muttered, taking sides and arguing heatedly in voices low enough not to
drown out the moves called by the players. Ross was thrilled when the
red traders avoided a very cleverly laid ambush, and indignant when the
tribe was forced to withdraw or the caravan lost points. It was the most
fascinating game he had ever seen, and he realized that the three men
ordering those moves were all masters of strategy. Their respective
skills checkmated each other so equally that an outright win was far
away.

Then Jansen laughed, and the red line of the caravan gathered in a tight
knot. "Camped at a spring," he announced, "but with plenty of sentries
out." Red sparks showed briefly beyond that center core. "And they'll
have to stay there for all of me. We could keep this up till doomsday,
and nobody would crack."

"No"--Hodaki contradicted him--"someday one of you will make a little
mistake and then----"

"And then whatever bully boys you're running will clobber us?" asked
Jansen. "That'll be the day! Anyway, truce for now."

"Granted!"

The lights of the arena went on and the plains vanished into a dark,
tiled floor. "Any time you want a return engagement it'll be fine with
me," said Ashe, getting up.

Jansen grinned. "Put that off for a month or so, Gordon. We push into
time tomorrow. Take care of yourselves, you two. I don't want to have to
break in another set of players when I come back."

Ross, finding it difficult to shake off the illusion which had held him
entranced, felt a slight touch on his shoulder and glanced up. Kurt
stood behind him, apparently intent upon Jansen and Hodaki as they
argued over some point of the game.

"See you tonight." The boy's lips hardly moved, a trick Ross knew from
his own past. Yes, he _would_ see Kurt tonight, or whenever he could. He
was going to learn what it was this odd company seemed determined to
keep as their own private secret.

CHAPTER 3

Ross stood cautiously against the wall of his darkened room, his head
turned toward the slightly open door. A slight shuffling sound had
awakened him, and he was now as ready as a cat before her spring. But he
did not hurl himself at the figure now easing the door farther open. He
waited until the visitor was approaching the bunk be