Even then he didn't hurry. He followed Kueelo, swinging along in slow loping strides, but not gaining. He felt weak and sick. That jagged need for tsith was again sawing away at his entrails. His feet tangled in the outlying swamp grass, he plunged headlong and picked himself up. Kueelo was heading for higher ground away from the compound. Kueelo was yelling as he ran. Latham wondered why the devil he was yelling. Then, some distance ahead, Latham could see a third man lifting himself from the ground. The Jovian! Suddenly Latham remembered him. The Jovian had been with them last night too. Now Kueelo was tugging at the man, yelling, showing him the Josmian. The Jovian hoisted his bulk erect, turned and waited for Latham, grinning broadly. The grin didn't fool Latham. All Jovians grinned. Some of them grinned while breaking a man's vertebrae. This was one of the big ones, Latham noticed, and he was ugly, with long reaching arms and wiry hair and a face that looked as if he'd slept in it. Latham stopped just short of him and reached out a hand. "I want the Josmian," said Joel Latham. The Jovian came a step forward. "You leave Kueelo alone. Kueelo, he's my friend." "I'm going to have that Josmian," said Joel Latham. The Jovian thrust out a huge fist with amazing speed. Latham caught at it and hung on grimly. The Jovian brought his other hand around in an arc that caught the Earthman across the face, sent him sprawling ten feet away. "Josmian belongs to us, now. You leave us alone." Joel Latham sat there wiping blood from his face, watching the bestial pair as they headed around the compound and into the matted jungle. His last glimpse, just before darkness swallowed them up, was of Kueelo grinning gleefully back at him. Latham sighed. He stood up. The blow had shaken some of the resolve out of him. He turned east, northeast, east-by-north, like a compass on a binge. Then he saw Penger watching him from the outer gate of the compound. Apparently Penger had seen it all. Latham turned and ran toward Jake Penger. "You saw them!" Latham wailed. "You saw it. They stole my Josmian! You've got to stop them!" * * * * * Penger planted his feet wide apart and surveyed the snivelling Earthman. Penger's dark face was hard-cut and impassive. He'd seen these tsith hounds before. They came here and died here. He hated them all. Penger said, "They did what?" "The Josmian, the purple Josmian! I found it and they stole it from me. You've got to help me, Penger!" Penger said, "You're crazy." "But I found it, I tell you! A big one. I'll sell it to you, Penger. I'll--" Penger said, "You're crazy with tsith. There hasn't been a Josmian found in this swamp for ten years." "Penger, listen to me--" Penger said, "Forget it. You want tsith? You'll have tsith. But you'll work and you'll work hard. You'll get the draanga-weed out."