A snake-devil, with its nervous system controlled not from the tiny,
brainless head but from a series of auxiliary "brains" at points along
its powerful spine, could and would go on fighting even after that
head was shorn away, as the first colonists had discovered when they
depended on the deadly ray guns fatal to any Terran life. But the
poison-tipped arrow Dalgard now handled, with confidence in its
complete efficiency, paralyzed within moments and killed in a
quarter-hour one of the scaled monstrosities.

"Lair--"

Dalgard did not need that warning thought from his companion. There
was no mistaking that sickly sweet stench born of decaying animal
matter, which was the betraying effluvium of a snake-devil's lair. He
turned to the right-hand wall and with a running leap reached its
broad top. The lane curved to end in an archway cut through another
wall, which was higher than Dalgard's head even when he stood on his
present elevation. But bands of ornamental patterning ran along the
taller barrier, and he was certain that it could be climbed. He
lowered a hand to Sssuri and hoisted the merman up to join him.

But Sssuri stood for a long moment looking ahead, and Dalgard knew
that the merman was disturbed, that the wall before them had some
terrifying meaning for the native Astran. So vivid was the impression
of what could only be termed horror--that Dalgard dared to ask a
question:

"What is it?"

The merman's yellow eyes turned from the wall to his companion. Behind