eyes upon him, of being tracked. Rock apes? Cunning as those
beasts were, it was against their nature to trail in utter silence, to
be able to carry through a long-term project. Lion, perhaps?

He noted that Nymani and Asaki took turns at rear guard today, and that
each was alert. Yet, oddly enough, none of them mentioned the uneasiness
they must all share.

They had a dry climb, finding no mountain stream to renew their water
supply. All being experienced in wilderness travel, they made a mouthful
of liquid go a long way. When the party halted slightly before midday,
canteens were still half full.

"_Haugh!_"

They jerked up, hands on weapons. A rock ape, its hideous body clearly
seen here, capered, coughed, spat. Asaki fired from the hip and the
thing screeched, clawed at its chest where the dark blood spewed out,
and raced for them. Nymani cut the beast down and they waited tensely
for the attack of the thing's tribe, which should have followed the
abortive lunge on the part of their scout. But there was
nothing--neither sound nor movement.

What did follow froze them all momentarily. That mangled body began to
move again, drew itself together, crawled toward them. Dane knew that it
was impossible that the creature could live with such wounds. Yet the
beast advanced, its head lolling on its hunched shoulders so that the
eyes were turned blindly up to the full glare of the sun, while it
crawled to reach the man it could not see.

"Demon!" Nymani dropped his needler, shrank back against the rocks.

As the thing advanced, before their eyes the impossible happened. Those
gaping wounds closed, the head straightened on the almost invisible
neck, the eyes glared once more with life, and slaver dripped from the
swine snout.

Jellico caught up the needler Nymani had dropped. With a coolness Dane
envied, the captain shot. And for the second time the rock ape
collapsed, torn to ribbons.

Nymani screamed, and Dane tried to choke back his own cry of horrified
protest. The dead thing put on life for the second time, crawled, got
somehow to its feet, healed itself, and came on. Asaki, his face
greenish-pale, stepped out stiffly as if each step he took was forced by
torture. He had dropped his needler. Now he caught up a rock as large as
his own head, raised it high with arms on which the muscles stood out
like ropes. He hurled the stone, and Dane heard as well as saw the
missile go home. The rock ape fell for the third