Hunter stared after Rockford as he walked away. There could be no possible shred of doubt--Rockford was insane! The breeze shifted and the voice of Narf came: "... Certainly no weapon for a timid man, this spread-beam blaster. Have to meet the enemy man-to-man at close range." "In that respect, too," Sonig said, "you remind me of our great General Paluk. His skill in hand-to-hand combat was something that--" "Rootenant--" Hunter quivered and steeled himself. "Rootenant--" Alonzo came to a flopping halt beside him. "I terr Princess Ryra and she say I are bad to be mad at you. So I not mad, even if you didn't give me my pay." "Thank you," Hunter said acidly. "I was deeply disturbed by your resentment." "Oh, I know, you don't rike me. But I think you not as mean as you act. But Rord Narf--he is. I terr you, he awready mad enough to kirr you." "What? Lord Narf wants to kill me?" "Oh, he know you hord Princess Ryra's hand awrmost awr the way down the hirr this morning. Mr. Sonig, he see you, and he run and terr Rord Narf and Mr. Boran, too." "But I was only helping her down the hill." "Rord Narf, he are going to say mean things about it to Princess Ryra, too. I know. He are awrways saying mean things to my Princess Ryra." Alonzo sighed, a sound strangely humanlike in its sadness. "Who wirr watch over my Princess Ryra after she marry Rord Narf? He said, 'The first thing to go around here wirr be that stupid brabber-mouth animar that are not worth what it costs to feed it.' I think maybe he are afraid that if he ever hit my Princess Ryra, I wirr kirr him." The brown eyes looked up at Hunter, and suddenly they were unlike he had ever seen them; cold with deliberate decision. "I wirr, too." * * * * * * * * * Hunter was still standing by the cabin, thinking of what Alonzo had said, when Rockford returned. "I also stopped by to see Val Boran," Rockford said. "While you're off with Lyla, we'll go to the city. Lyla is giving us free access to the Royal Library and the records of a neutral world carry more weight than anything I could say. Not that it's going to change his mind any--but it will give me a chance to work on him in another way." Rockford went into the cabin as Val Boran came up the path, Princess Lyla walking beside him. She was saying, "... And anything we have in the library is yours for the asking." They were close enough for Hunter to see her expression as she looked up at Val and added with what seemed a touch of wistfulness, "I'll be glad to go in with you and Mr. Rockford and do what I can to help if you want me to." "Lyla"--it was the grating voice of Narf who seemed to have the ability to materialize anywhere--"I'm sure the man knows his business. Besides, I want to talk to you about something as soon as I have finished my discussion with Mr. Sonig."