not seem to notice the shaking.

"Yes. You are right, Eeshta. Dying ends all of it. But for me it is all ended now. It ended under your knives, on Ashura. And I would rather die than live as I am.** .

"No. Limila-I"

"If I did not feel I were needed here for a time yet, I

would die tonight."

"But how is that? Have you a sickness?"

No Demu mouth ever moves as Limila's serrated lips move now. "Not the kind you mean. My sickness is only that I would take a knife, and let out all my blood, so as

to die."

The young person resists belief. "But that is-no one

does so except those twice-come to Sisshain, who would become but do not become-no shame to the eggs."

"No' shame ..." Umila murmurs. "You are beginning

146.

s-. -

to understand. I cannot become, as you would, because I am not eggborn. And I cannot become in my own way, because of-because of having been given correct appear- ance. This is what you do to me and others. This is what must be stopped. This is why we need to know of you. Not to hurt you. But to stop your hurting usi"

The young person is troubled. "Can you not still be- come, Limila, in your own way?"

"My way? I have no face; I have no self. There is no one left who can become. I would have-Barton would have been my most needful person-and he cannot stand the sight of me. I cannot stand the sight of what is left, either. It is not Limila. I am inside, but no one can see me, and I can no longer see myself.*'

All that Eeshta knows collapses; nothing is left but to believe. "But then." it cries. "Hishtoo is wrong. We, the Demu, are wrong. For to give such hurt-it cannot be correct.'* It hardly notices that it speaks in the tongue of

animals.

It goes to Limila and holds that tall person in its arms as though for breeding-although Eeshta is one of four fingers short of breeding age, and Limila not eggborn.

And the feeling is not of eggs, or of fulfilling eggs.

"Limila, it is that I help you, that I learn in both our tongues. That I try to tell Hishtoo, though I think Hishtoo does not listen or understand. That when you go to our worlds, I go, also, and tell what you say, so that it is

known.

"Whatever else, Limila. it is good that Barton brings

me here."

Barton got home late; the Tri-V was off and the lights were dim. "Hil Anybody home?"

"Yes." The voice came from the kitchen. "I am here,

Barton."

She sat on one chair, leaning back with her feet oa an- other. The drink she sipped was dark between the ice cubes; the bottle on the table was bourbon. She wore no robe or hood; for a moment he saw her as she once had been. The light was dim, and the slim body almost the same-but the moment passed, and again she was face- less.

"Had to work late." He rummaged in the refrigerator, found a beer, and opened it. "A breakthrough on the Demu space drive, if Hishtoo slipped as bad as we think

147.

he did. So I ate m that crackerbox cafeteria, by the ship.**

He sat, and swallowed beer from the bottle. "How'd it go with you, today?'*

"We broke through, also. Barton. The young Demu has decided to cooperate." She sipped slowly at her glass.

**No kidding? You cracked the shell? That's great' Hey, how did you get through to her?"

"Personal talk. Barton. Exchange of reminiscences, among all of us there."

"Yeh? I'll bet you did most of it, Liroila. Didn't you?"

"I was of some help; the matter is not important." But *the ring of her voice belied the words. "At any rate, it has agreed to leam and exchange information, to reduce the conflict that must be."

He wanted to go to her, but then she would expect more than he could give. "Well, that's great I'm glad the kid's shaping up.'*

"Yes. We should make much better progress now."

"Good, Hey, you look tired. Rough day, really, wasn't it?"

Her maimed lips lifted into a ragged curve. "It's all right. Barton," she said.

"I'll live."

The Proud Enemy

148.

To CLARION WEST-

AND THE.

EXPOSITORY LUMP.

Barton took the ship straight up.

A million kilometers out from Earth, with Luna in quadrature, he cut power and coasted Ship One into solar orbit. The rest of his command. Ships Two through Ten, were not far behind. The other three squadrons, following, showed on the screen as groups of dots.

Beside Barton the big, bearlike man chuckled. "Hurry up and wait, is it? That was quite a takeoff."

"I figured you'd want your. command ship first at ren- dezvous, Tarleton. So I got us here."

"I wasn't complaining. I've ridden with you before- remember?"