* * * * *

Barra looked at his reflection with satisfaction. It was too bad, he
thought, that he didn't have some companion to appreciate his wealth and
power. He examined his equipment carefully.

Everything was clean. Everything was in order. There was no device
lacking.

Proudly, he looked down at the huge, yellow pendant he was wearing for
the first time. It was funny, he thought, that he had never considered a
probe unit before. Now that he thought of it, this was a most
satisfactory device. Now, he could look into his villagers' minds and
see clearly what lay there. Even, he could get some ideas of the
intentions of visiting caravan masters.

Fitting the device and becoming familiar with it had been hard work, of
course, but he had mastered it. And today, he could wear the jewel and
use it. It would make the day's work easier.

He activated his levitator, floated to his boat, and pulled it away from
its shelter, setting the course toward Tibara.

The hard part of this operation was over, he thought. The rest was
simple routine.

This caravan master had given him a bit more trouble than some of the
others, but his final reaction had been just like all the others. He
smiled.

That flash of incredulity, followed by sudden, horrified comprehension,
then blankness, was becoming perfectly familiar. In fact, even this was
simple routine.

He wondered if he might be able to extend just a little. Perhaps he
could operate on a wider scale. There should be some way he could work
out to take over a neighboring estate and go from there.

Surely, there must be some outlet for his abilities, beyond mere
increase in the wealth of Kira Barra. And there must be some way to gain
a companion of sorts. He would have to think that over.

He swung the boat to the pier and floated away, grandly ignoring the
pseudomen who hurried to secure his lines.

He examined the village with approval as he stood in the center of the
clearing. There had been a great improvement since he had taken that
headman in hand. Perhaps this fellow would be satisfactory--might even
learn to take some pride in the appearance of his village--if, that is,
a pseudoman were capable of pride.

He looked over toward the headman's hut.

The fellow had come out, followed by the lead driver of the caravan.
Good, that would save the trouble of hunting the fellow out.

He concentrated on the caravan slave.

"Your master