rd gave two woofs and leaped playfully in pursuit. They passed
within about ten feet of Blekeke.

When the German shepherd barked, I heard a thin, drawn-out squeak, like
a mouse with his tail caught in a trap, come from Blekeke. He turned
around with incredible speed and took a half-step in our direction. His
face was distorted as though in pain, and for an instant I thought he
had stepped on a jagged piece of glass or something.

But then I recognized the expression on his face. It was not pain.

It was terror.

I noticed now that he was trembling violently. He twirled again and
started in the opposite direction, stopped and turned swiftly around
once more. He acted as though he were surrounded on all sides by
invisible Martian-eaters.

The dogs paused at the edge of the enclosure for a moment to stand on
their hind legs and exchange playful blows; then they raced off together
toward the more densely populated beach area.

Blekeke's face suddenly relaxed, and with a final shudder he controlled
the trembling.

He was muttering: "Doggie, doggie, doggie" when he lowered his eyes to
us, and he gave a little start as if he hadn't known we were standing
there.

"Hall. Hour halfish," he said after a moment's pause. Then he turned and
walked rapidly back into the midst of the prostrate SRI members and lay
down.

Maxwell and I exchanged glances and walked away. I felt, all of a
sudden, rather sad and depressed. When we had gone a respectable
distance, I said, "Poor devil! Fear of dogs. It must be awful."

"Fear of dogs? Cynophobia? You think that's what it was?"

"Well, sure," I replied. "Only thing it could be."

Maxwell said, "First case I've ever seen of it."

"Me, too."

* * * * *

It was still not quite ten o'clock. We killed the next hour and a half
basking in the Sun and taking occasional dips in the water. We had to go
one at a time, because one of us had to stay and guard the defense
mech.

At 11:30 we kept our appointment with Blekeke. He was alone in the SRI
hall, a long, low, metal building located a half-mile down the beach
from the general bathing area.

* * * * *

The hall had once been a storage warehouse of some kind--I have no idea
what kind. But that had been a long time ago; and it was now used
exclusively for SRI meetings.

There was another building near it, the ramshackle, rambling mansion of
a long-dead millionaire, w