ars he could stand it no longer. He got up and walked to the
doorway.

Something had gone somewhere; either the ship or the world he'd known,
because out there was a different world and he knew damn well he'd never
seen it before.

Chapter VII

Martin Kirk stepped out into a circle of lush vegetation. And in doing
so, he learned something. He learned that the human mind is a far more
adaptable mechanism than most people imagine; that they can pelt you
with goof balls and you get sweat on your lip and have to talk to
yourself to keep from sliding off your rocker, but after a while when
your mind seems half-way over the edge, it straightens up suddenly and
starts going along. A defense mechanism against insanity? He didn't
know.

He only knew that when the tiger roared, he whirled around with his gun
leveled, saw the six-inch teeth, got wholesomely and sanely scared, and
then everything was all right. He knew he was all right when he got the
right reaction from sight of the almost naked girl holding the tiger.

For a long moment it was a frozen-action tableau. The huge orange and
black beast. The wide-eyed young brunette nudist, and the tropical
forest with the great big fat sun overhead. The girl's voice nailed it
all down. "Don't be afraid. Rondo won't hurt you."

Kirk's resentment flared warmly and, had resentment been a tangible
thing, he would have kissed it. "You're tootin' right he won't, sister.
This isn't a toy I'm holding."

"Rondo is very gentle."

Kirk eyed the girl. "Why don't you put some clothes on?"

Her teeth were as bright and even as little white knives but her smile
took the edge off them. "Only people in the city wear clothes. I wear
them when I'm in the city. When I come out here I--"

"--you don't wear any clothes. Tell me--where am I?"

"Don't you know?"

"Let's not play games. If I knew I wouldn't ask you."

"Did you come on the ship?"

"You saw me get out of it didn't you? Now answer my question." And he
realized how certain he was of what her answer would be.

"On Mythox."

"Well fancy that. Now tell me something else. Do you know what language
you're speaking?"

"Of course. English."

"And why should you speak English on Mythox? Haven't you got a language
of your own?"

"Certainly. But you're obviously from Earth. I thought you were a
Watcher. I tried English. If you hadn't responded I'd have spoken to you
in the other Earth languages."

"How many do you know