Chon had been looking at us and listening to everything. Finally he said, "You can't be sure of that, Mike. You haven't seen all of the Indigos. Some of them may not be as far down as the common carriers." Ellik sighed. "Explorers have to make snap decisions on insufficient data. We don't have time to see the whole damned planet before we write up a report." "Yes, explorers have to make snap decisions," Chon repeated to himself. "Are you going to take a look at those buildings, see if it's a village?" "I thought I'd see if our blueblood friend out there wants to show it to me," said Mike Ellik. "He won't," I said. They both looked at me. "You don't have any chair and nobody to carry you," I went on. "He'll think you're just a slob." "Jonathan," Ellik said, "you show occasional flashes of genius." I smiled and shrugged it off. "I know I'm not nearly as smart as you boys. But that doesn't mean I can't think _at all_." Ellik clapped me on the shoulder. "Of course it doesn't." But his grip was too strong. "Johnny," Ellik said gravely, "do you think _you_ could carry me?" "Wait a minute. You want me to act like one of those slobs? That's asking a lot." "But could you?" "Not all the way to those buildings. What was the gravity reading, Lee?" * * * * * Chon closed his eyes a second. "Point nine seven three." "There!" I said. "I couldn't tote you three or four miles piggy-back." "Look," Chon said, "we can strip down a magnetic flyer and you can ride the seat, Mike. Johnny can pretend to carry you, like on a platter. It'll impress the yokels with the strength of our flunkies." "_Mike_ could carry _me_," I pointed out. Chon laid a delicate hand on my back. "But, buddy, Mike outranks you." I shook my head. "Not that way, he doesn't." "We may be going to a lot of trouble for nothing," Mike said. "That gang may jump us as soon as we decant and try to have us for dinner." "There's always that risk," Chon agreed solemnly, "but naturally I will remain on duty at the controls of the stun cannon." "Securely inside," Ellik added. "Always on duty," Chon said. "Always inside," Ellik said. "It's in the records, Ellik. I took the last one." Lee said it a little too sharp and it cut the kidding. "Go soak your soft head in brine," Ellik said, disgruntled. "Wait a minute," Chon called. Ellik turned back. "Yeah?" "Don't forget to take your communicator with you." Chon's voice was choked. "You may get out of line of sight if you go off with that troupe." "I know this business," Ellik said, turning away. "Mike, I'm sorry if I offended you. Shake, huh?" Ellik smiled sourly. "Forget it." "Come on, shake." "Okay, we're buddies. Do I actually have to pump your clammy paw?" "Please!" "Oh, for Pete's sake!" Ellik turned around and kissed Chon on the forehead. Ellik was just sore, of course. But the manual warns against that sort of horseplay when you've been out a long time. "Satisfied now?" Ellik asked.