ll.

He got surprise number two when Stanton's fist landed on the tip of his
rather sensitive snout, rocking his head back. His own hands met nothing
but air, and by the time he had recovered from the blow, Stanton was
well back, out of the way.

_He's so small!_ Stanton thought wonderingly. Even when he reared up,
the Nipe's head was only three feet above the concrete floor.

The Nipe came in again--more cautiously this time.

Stanton punched again with a straight right. The Nipe moved his head
aside, and Stanton's knuckles merely grazed the side of the alien's
head, just below the lower right eye.

At the same time, one of the Nipe's hands swung in in a chopping right
hook that took Stanton just below the ribs. Stanton leaped back with a
gasp of pain.

The Nipe didn't use fists. He used his open hand, fingers together, like
a judo fighter.

The Nipe came forward, and, as Stanton danced back, the Nipe made a grab
for his ankle, almost catching it. There were too many hands to watch!

Stanton had two advantages: weight and reach. His arms were almost half
again as long as the Nipe's.

Against that, the Nipe had all those hands; and with his low center of
gravity and four-footed stance, it would be hard to knock him down. On
the other hand, if Stanton lost his footing, the fight would be over
fast.

Stanton lunged suddenly forward and planted a left in the Nipe's right
upper eye, then followed it with a right uppercut to the Nipe's jaw as
his head snapped back. The Nipe's four hands cut inward from the sides
like sword blades, but they found no target.

Backing away, Stanton realized he had another advantage. The Nipe
couldn't throw a straight jab! His shoulders--if that's what they should
be called--were narrow and the upper arm bones weren't articulated
properly for such a blow. The alien could throw a mean hook, but he had
to get in close to deliver it.

On the other side of the coin was the fact that the Nipe knew plenty
about human anatomy--from the bones out. Stanton's knowledge of Nipe
anatomy was almost totally superficial.

He wished he knew if and where the Nipe had a solar plexus. He would
like to punch something soft for a change.

Instead, he tried for another eye. He danced in, jabbed, and danced out.
The Nipe had ducked again, taking the blow on the side of his head.

Then the Nipe came in low, at an angle, trying for the groin. For his
troubles, he got a knee in the jaw that staggered h