anchor in the gathering dusk, inside a snug
bay formed by a U-shaped island of the Kinapusan Group. The island was
very small, and uninhabited. It was surrounded by larger islands that
formed a kind of screen.

"Let's hope we can spend the night undisturbed," Zircon boomed as he
finished the last of his coffee. "I could use a good night's sleep."

"We all could," Rick agreed. He helped himself to more of the stew
Scotty had concocted. "Funny about a fight. That one was over in a few
minutes, but I feel as though I'd done a day's work at hard labor."

"A perfectly normal reaction," Zircon replied. "Our minds and bodies are
wonderful things. When we face danger our whole system goes into high
gear, our endocrines pumping fluids that get our bodies ready for fast
action, or for wounds. We operate at top physical efficiency. Then, when
the danger is past and our minds signal that it's time to get back to
normal, we show the effects of our overstimulation by a kind of
lassitude."

That was true, Rick knew from his own experience. It seemed that he was
always scared stiff before a fight, cool as could be during it, and limp
as boiled lettuce when it was over.

Zircon changed the subject. "Scotty, when you first spotted the pirates,
from what direction were they coming?"

The boy thought it over. "From about due south," he said at last. "But
when they spotted us the line shifted to the east, on an interception
course. They came from south originally, though."

"Not from southwest?" Zircon persisted.

"No. If anything, it was a little east of south, not west."

"Uhuh. That was my impression, but I wanted to be sure. Now, according
to the chart, most of the scattered islands of the Tawi Tawi Group lie
more westerly than south of here. If the pirates came from due south, it
means they swung wide to miss the inhabited islands."

Chahda asked, "What means this to you, sir?"

"I'm not sure. I think it means we had better search the seas to the
eastward of the main Tawi Tawi chain. The pirates would certainly have
come from a westerly direction if their headquarters were anywhere near
Tawi Tawi."

The big scientist rose. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm for
bed. Who has the first watch?"

"I'm on the eight-to-midnight," Rick replied. "It's after eight now, so
I'll stand by. Chahda relieves me at twelve, you come on at four, and
Scotty finishes the night."

They had arranged the anchor watches that way be