three of them went upstairs. Byng excused himself and vanished into
the extra room almost immediately; Hawkes whispered to Alan, "Johnny's a
dreamduster--a narcosephrine addict. In the early stages; you can spot
it by the yellowing of the eyeballs. Later on it'll cripple him, but he
doesn't worry about later on."

Alan studied the small, lean man when he returned. Byng was smiling--a
strange unworldly smile. He held a small plastic capsule in his right
hand.

"Here's another facet of your education," he said. He looked at Hawkes.
"Is it okay?"

Hawkes nodded.

Byng said, "Take a squint at this capsule, boy. It's
dreamdust--narcosephrine. That's my kick."

He tossed the capsule nonchalantly to Alan, who caught it and held it at
arm's distance as if it were a live viper. It contained a yellow powder.

"You twist the cap and sniff a little," Hawkes said. "But don't try it
unless you hate yourself real bad. Johnny can testify to that."

Alan frowned. "What does the stuff do?"

"It's a stimulant--a nerve-stimulant. Enhances perception. It's made
from a weed that grows only in dry, arid places--comes from Epsilon
Eridani IV originally, but the galaxy's biggest plantation is in the
Sahara. It's habit-forming--and expensive."

"How much of it do you have to take to--to get the habit?"

Byng's thin lips curled in a cynical scowl. "One sniff. And the drug
takes all your worries away. You're nine feet tall and the world's your
plaything, when you're up on dream dust. Everything you look at has six
different colors." Bitterly Byng said, "Just one catch--after about a
year you stop feeling the effect. But not the craving. That stays with
you forever. Every night, one good sniff--at a hundred credits a sniff.
And there's no cure."

Alan shuddered. He had seen dreamdust addicts in the advanced
state--withered palsied old men of forty, unable to eat, crippled,
drying up and nearing death. All that for a year's pleasure!

"Johnny used to be a starman," Hawkes said suddenly. "That's why I
picked him for our little stunt tonight. I thought it was about time I
introduced you two."

Alan's eyes widened. "What ship?"

"_Galactic Queen._ A dreamdust peddler came wandering through the
Enclave one night and let me have a free sniff. Generous of him."

"And you--became an addict?"

"Five minutes later. So my ship left without me. That was eleven years
ago, Earthtime. Figure it out--a hundred credits a night for eleven
years.