He struggled to keep his temper down.

"What do you want to know?"

"What happened to the factor who was here before you?"

"I don't know. The translucene wasn't coming in like it should. Sammis
went out into the jungle for a palaver with the chiefs to find out
why. And he didn't come back."

"You didn't find out where he went?"

"I just told you," Morones said impatiently, "he went out to see the
native chiefs."

"Alone?"

"Of course, alone. There were only two of us Earthmen here. Couldn't
abandon this post to the wogglies, could we? Not that it'd make much
difference. Except for Nargyll, none'll come near."

"You never heard of him again?"

"No! Dammit, no! Say, didn't they have any dumber strappers around
than you? I told you once--I tell you again--I never saw hide nor hair
of him after that."

"Aw-right, aw-right!" Olear regarded Morones placidly. "And so you
took the job of factor and radioed for an assistant, and when the
assistant came he disappeared."

Morones grunted, "He went out to get acquainted with the country and
didn't come back."

* * * * *

Olear masked his close scrutiny of the factor under his idle and
expressionless gaze. He was not ready to jump to the conclusion that
Morones' uneasiness sprang from a sense of guilt. Guilty or not, he
had a right to feel uneasy. The man would be dense indeed if he did
not realize he was in line for suspicion, and he did not look dense.
Indeed, he was obviously a shrewd character.

"Let me see your 'lucene."

Morones rose. Despite his bulk he stepped nimbly. He had the
nimbleness of a Saturnian bear, which is great, as some of the earlier
explorers learned to their dismay.

"That's the first sensible question you've asked," Morones snorted.
"Take a look at our 'lucene. Ha! Have a good look!"

He led the way across the compound, waved his hand before the door of
a strongly built shed in a swift, definite combination, and the door
opened, revealing the interior. He waved invitingly.

"You go first," Olear said.

With a sneer Morones stepped in. "You're safe, boy, you're safe."

Olear looked at the small pile on the floor in astonishment. Instead
of the beautiful, semi-transparent chips of translucene, the dried sap
of a Mercurian tree which is invaluable to the world as the source of
an unfailing cancer cure, there were only a few dirty, dried up
shavings, hardly worth shipping back to Earth for refining. The