By that time, the armored fang was back, carrying samples of soil, plants, water, and even a couple of insects. They
were made aseptic in the airlock before entering. The prophylaxis was too brief to affect anytbii-ig below the surface of their specimens, and Levy’s crew got to work with practiced skill.
Analyses disclosed Earth-t@Te life, similar down to most of the enzymes, hormones, and vitamins; nothing to cause disease in man. Marooned humans could live here indefinitely.
Kogama chuckled at the final word and rubbed his hands. “All’s well,” he said. “We can go out and relax, I suppose,”
“You’re aware, of course, that you haven’t taken a fair sample of this planet’s life forms?” asked Trevelyan.
“Oh, no doubt there are. things which can hurt us—
venomous plants, for instance. But nothing we cadt handle,
I’m sure.”
Trevelyan nodded. “What’s your next line of study?”
“Sending parties out to hike around. Let’s see-” Kogama looked out the western port. “Say five hours to sunset. That’s time enough to get a pretty good notion of the layout here. Want to go, Micah?”
“Of course.”
“A few’ll have to stay by the boats,, just in case. Might as well be me in that group. I’m lazy.” Kogama belied his yawn by snapping a string of orders. Sixteen people were organized into four parties, each assigned to wall, in a definite direction and come back before sunset by another route. Sketch maps made from the air were provided, to be filled in by the hikers as well as possible, and samples of anything unusual were to be brought back for studv,
Trevelyan leagued himself with Scan, Nicki, an@ Ilaloa to make one group. The three humans wore coveralls, boots, skin-tight gloves, wiist radios, guns and canteens and rnedic kits at waist. Ilaloa had flatly refused to wear extra clothing.
“Let her have her way,” said Kogama. “If something poisons her, it’ll be a handy way for us to learn what’s dangerous.”
“There is no danger,” insisted Ilaloa. She sprang from the airlock to the grass and stood almost shuddering Aith
ecstasy. Slowly, she lifted her hands and closed eyes to the sun.
Nicki regarded the slim ‘,vhite form -,vith a touch of envy. Wish I had her nerve-or foolishness,” she said. Then, looking about her and drawing a deep slow breath: “It’s beautiful. It’s as beautiful as Rendezvous, and I never thought there could be two such planets.”
Trevelvan had to agree with her; a man could make Ms home here.
As he went toward the forest, Trevelyan became aware of its noises. They were like Earth’s in their myriad small whispers, but he missed the songs of grasshopper and meadowlark. Even the wind in the leaves had a different sound.
Ilaloa danced before her companions, laughing aloud, wild with the sudden joy of release. Like a wood nymph,
thought Trevelyan-and any moment Pan might come piping from the brush.
The four went up the hill slope, guiding themselves by a gyrocompass powered from the boat.
“It could be a park,” said Nicki, after a long silence.
Trevelyan blinked in surprise. Something about the landscape bad been haunting him; now something chilled in Mm. “Who,” be asked slowly, “is the caretaker?”
“Wby”-Nicki’s eyes regarded him with puzzlement-“nobody. It was just something I said.”
“It could happen this way,” he answered flatly, “but life is usually a struggle for place. This looks-landscaped!”
“But that’s silly, Micah. Nobody lives here. Not even
X would make a park of a whole world which he didn’t inhabit.”
Trevelyan looked ahead of him. Ilaloa was standing by a tree whose branches were heavy with dusk-colored fruit. Sean tried to stop her as she plucked one, but she laughed and bit into it.
“That’s pretty careless,” said Trevelyan. Nicki, arm in arm with him, felt his muscles grow rigid.
Sean was still protesting as the two approached. Ilaloa held
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the fruit to him. “It is 900 , she said. “There is sunlight in it.”
“But-‘ “Would I give “Try it, my dearest.” Her voice softened.
you that in which there was barm?”
“No. No, you wouldn’t. All right, then.” Sean accepted the, gift and tasted. A slow expression of delight crossed his