balding, affable--was associated in Chet's mind withhypodermic needles, bitter medicines, restrictions. Today, the doctorgave him a firm and friendly handshake, but yesterday, Chet felt, thatsame hand had inflicted pain.
"Glad to see you looking so well," the doctor said, taking a stanceagainst the wall by the porthole. He sounded sincere enough, but Chet,resuming his chair, wondered how much of the gladness was based on thedoctor's pride in professional handiwork.
There was an awkward pause. Chet remembered to murmur polite replies tothe men who were so obviously sizing him up. Then he asked, "When do youthink I'll be ready for duty?"
His visitors exchanged a glance. "Later," Commander Seymour said. "Takeit easy while you can, Barfield." He smiled unconvincingly at what musthave been meant as a joke.
Talk again lapsed, and Chet became uncomfortable. "The corpsman said youwanted to ask me some things," he said. And added, "You've alreadyquestioned me, haven't you?"
"Only a little," Dr. Pine said, flexing his long fingers and lookingdown at them. "We--ah--we had to find out about your shipmates.Commander Seymour wanted to look for them, naturally...."
Naturally.... "Are we going to leave here now, sir?" Chet asked thecommander.
"Not yet," he said. "Dr. Pine has a job to do."
"What's that, Doctor?"
"I'm going to study your Agvar friends, Mr. Barfield. Want to help?"
"Sure," Chet said. "There's nothing I'd rather do than bring you a fewcorpses to dissect."
"That--ah--that isn't the idea," Dr. Pine said, bending his fingers androcking from toes to heels. "I--ah--I want to do a littleanthropology--study them in the life...."
"Why?" Chet demanded. "I can tell you all about them. I can tell youwhat they did to me, too! They don't deserve to live! And this planetwon't be safe for spacemen till they're dead. Why waste time studyingthem? It isn't as if you were a professional anthropologist, sir--didn'tyou give me medical care?"
"Yes.... But I do anthropology, too. Medical help--ah--gains theconfidence of the people...."
"You mean--?" Chet was at first incredulous, then outraged. "You meanyou're not going to punish them?"
"That's right," Dr. Pine said, smiling.
"That's wrong!" Chet contradicted.
Cheeks burning, he turned to Commander Seymour. "How about you, sir? Doyou want your men chained to a post if they get captured? Do you want meto dismiss three years of torture as a mistake, or something? Do youwant--"
"Here, here!" Commander Seymour said. He didn't raise his voice. But ashe rose from the cot, Chet rose with him, and found himself atattention. They eyed each other.
"Relax," Dr. Pine suggested. "Please sit down--both of you."
Commander Seymour obeyed his subordinate. But Chet, still standing,still angry, turned hotly on the doctor.
"I can't just sit and let you talk about rewarding the Agvars fortorturing me!" he cried. "We don't have to appease them--they can'tfight. You don't have to be afraid--"
"That'll do, Barfield!" Commander Seymour was on his feet again, and histone was sharp. It quieted Chet instantly.
In silence he watched Commander Seymour motion Dr. Pine to follow himout the door. Someone locked it after them.
* * * * *
Alternately tossing on the cot and pacing the floor, Chet seethed forhours. His first interview with the new C.O., and two bawlings-out infive minutes! Because of Pine--Pine, who kept him confined in this room,seeing no one but the attendants, having his meals alone....
When a day passed, and then two, and he felt his strength returning,Chet was sure that Dr. Pine kept him out of the wardroom and away fromthe other officers only as punishment. Three years a prisoner--and aprisoner still! By the time Commander Seymour came to see him again,Chet had spent hours plotting revenge.
"Barfield," the commander said, "Dr. Pine is going--alone--to thevillage you escaped from. He'll pretend he's you, or someone likeyou--whichever he can get away with. So here's your chance for a littlefresh air--you can guide us to the village."
"Does that mean I go on active duty, sir?"
"Not quite. Dr. Pine hasn't released you from sickbay."
Pine again! Pine found him good enough to imitate, it seemed, but notgood enough to put on duty.
Suddenly Chet saw the possibilities. So Pine was going to impersonatehim? Then Pine would be taken for an escaped sacrifice, a prisoner who'dkilled a witch-doctor!
Tell him? Huh. Let him find out the hard way! Then even he, yellow as hewas, would want revenge on the Agvars. If he survived their welcome....
"I'll be _glad_ to go, sir," Chet said.
* * * * *
They brought him fatigues, not a dress uniform. But fatigues andshoes--even tight ones--were clothing, at least. And clothing wouldchange his appearance. The Agvars had never seen him dressed, nor, sincehis first days, with a haircut and shave. Whether Pine's impersonationworked or not, Chet saw no danger for himself in approaching thevillage. But he wondered how it was to be managed.
He was told the plan when Commander Seymour and Dr. Pine met him outsideby the ship's tail. The commander, who was armed, and the doctor,already naked except for a pair of slippers and a sunlamp tan, would gowith him by the shortest route direct to the village. But only Dr. Pinewould enter it.
Commander Seymour explained Chet's part--and his own. "Barfield," hesaid, "I want you to find and point out some kind of game animal theyuse for food. I count on killing something after we come under theAgvars' observation. That should show off our weapon-superiority--andpave the way for a feast."
"No medical stuff?" Chet asked sarcastically. "I thought Dr. Pine wassupposed to cure all their ills, not give them indigestion."
"He has to get their confidence before he can treat them," CommanderSeymour explained seriously. "And on a strange planet like this, he'staking quite a chance to try treatment at any time: if it fails, they'reapt to accuse him of murder!"
Chet said nothing. But he felt as if he'd drawn a wild card in a pokergame.
* * * * *
They'd entered the woods. Even before that, Dr. Pine had lagged becausehis slippers kept falling off, and now he brought up the rear. Chet, inthe lead, took a last long look at the ship before the trees and mossescut off his view.
He went on slowed by vague reluctance. He didn't like this forest. Thetrees dwarfed and oppressed him. Old fears began to stir and gnaw, butat new places.
Perhaps the two men he guided would stand together against him. If so,revenge on one would cut him off from both as sharply as the forest cuthim off from the ship....
Well, it was worth it! They hadn't put him on duty, hadn't accepted himas one of themselves.... He couldn't be cut off much more than he wasalready!
And Seymour might listen to reason. After all, he was a practical man, aleader. And Pine was yellow!
"What's Pine after, sir?" Chet asked over his shoulder. "Why take theserisks you've mentioned?"
"Well, partly for safety: if we kill any Agvars, we're likely to have tokill them all, or have the survivors to contend with indefinitely. Thatmight cost us some casualties.... And of course there's the researchangle, but that's out of my line."
"What's the matter with punishment, sir--discipline? You use disciplineon your crew--why not on their enemies?"
"Because the men understand the rules and the penalties. The Agvarsdon't."
"Kill them, sir! That they'll understand!"
"No!" Commander Seymour spoke sharply. "If they don't fight back, that'scold-blooded slaughter. If they do, it's war. I don't hold withbutchery, Barfield, and I certainly won't risk casualties just to giveyou a cheap feeling of satisfaction!"
He couldn't escape. Commander Seymour, looking from over Chet's shoulderlike a walking sneer, stuck close. But he gave the impression offollowing a man who smelled bad.
_Was he?_ Chet wondered.
Wondering, he unconsciously hung his head,
slowed--stopped. Dr. Pinecaught up. He and Commander Seymour, faintly breathless from the tryingneed to regulate their respiration consciously, looked at Chetquestioningly.
Again they were sizing him up. Suddenly Chet wished he could go back tothat first interview in the sickbay, and change all the things he'dsaid.
"We can't go on!" he blurted. "You don't know what you're getting into,Doctor!"
"Oh?" said Dr. Pine agreeably. "I know