Carl stared at the creature, fascinated. In his entire stay on Venus, never had he observed a chowl at such close range. For perhaps five seconds the chowl stared back at him, then quickly bounded off the ship and disappeared toward the forest. He turned. Diane, standing at the entrance to the control room was regarding him curiously. "They look almost human, don't they?" she said. "They are human," Carl told her. "Humanoid anyhow according to the people who are supposed to know about these things. We don't know too much about them really. They're so timid, it's a novelty to get within half-a-mile of them." "This one wasn't." Carl scratched his head. "I know. It's the first time I've ever got that close to one. I guess he didn't know what a spaceship was. You notice he didn't wait very long after he saw us through the window." "What are you going to do about Spero?" Diane asked suddenly. Carl walked over to the gun cabinet where he poked around a moment, then returned with the key. "I don't know," he admitted. He placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "Just how much does this immortality really mean to you?" Diane appeared to think about it a moment. "I'm not sure. I'm not sure at all. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I'm not more interested in finding out how it's accomplished than I am in applying it to myself. Do you feel that way, too?" Carl looked out the window. "I've always felt that way," he said. * * * * * Spero, aided by Dr. Hamlin, was just beginning to stir when they returned. He shook his head dazedly for a moment, then sat up massaging his jaw. Keating regarded him with a questioning stare. "What do you think we should do with you?" he asked bluntly. Spero patted his pockets and came up with a cigarette. After it had been lighted, he blew the smoke in Carl's direction. "If you were smart, you'd kill me," he said. "Only you're not smart. You know you won't, and I know you won't. So suppose we all relax and stop trying to build up suspense." Carl dropped his hand inside his pocket, allowing his grip to tighten around the butt of the needle gun. "What makes you so sure I won't kill you?" he said. "I could, you know. The fact you know where Edgerton and his cronies are wouldn't stop me. I could probably find them myself if I wanted to. And I'm not even sure that I want to." Spero took a drag on the cigarette and derricked himself to his feet. "I wasn't thinking of that," he said quietly. "I just happen to know that you haven't got it in you to kill a man in cold blood, Keating. I could do it but not you. You got too many principles. The worst you could bring yourself to do, Keating, would be to put it up to a vote. And if it came to that, everyone here--probably you included--would vote to let me off on the promise that I wouldn't do it again. Go ahead, put it to a vote. See if I'm not right."