And then Dal Timgar was digging into the pile of papers, searching frantically for something he could not find. "That first report we got," he said hoarsely. "There was something in the very first information we ever saw on this planet...." "You mean the Confederation's data? It's in the radio log." Tiger pulled open the thick log book. "But what...." "It's there, plain as day, I'm sure of it," Dal said. He read through the report swiftly, until he came to the last paragraph--a two-line description of the largest creatures the original Exploration Ship had found on the planet, described by them as totally unintelligent and only observed on a few occasions in the course of the exploration. Dal read it, and his hands were trembling as he handed the report to Jack. "I knew the answer was there!" he said. "Take a look at that again and think about it for a minute." Jack read it through. "I don't see what you mean," he said. "I mean that I think we've made a horrible mistake," Dal said, "and I think I see now what it was. We've had this whole thing exactly 100 per cent backward from the start, and that explains everything that's happened here!" Tiger peered over Jack's shoulder at the report. "Backward?" "As backward as we could get it," Dal said. "We've assumed all along that these flesh-and-blood creatures down there were the ones that were calling us for help because of a virus plague that was attacking and killing them. All right, look at it the other way. Just suppose that the intelligent creature that called us for help was the _virus_, and that those flesh-and-blood creatures down there with the blank, stupid faces are the _real_ plague we ought to have been fighting all along!" CHAPTER 11 DAL BREAKS A PROMISE For a moment the others just stared at their Garvian crewmate. Then Jack Alvarez snorted. "You'd better go back and get some rest," he said. "This has been a tougher grind than I thought. You're beginning to show the strain." "No, I mean it," Dal said earnestly. "I think that is exactly what's been happening." Tiger looked at him with concern. "Dal, this is no time for double talk and nonsense." "It's not nonsense," Dal said. "It's the answer, if you'll only stop and think." "An intelligent _virus_?" Jack said. "Who ever heard of such a thing? There's never been a life-form like that reported since the beginning of the galactic exploration." "But that doesn't mean there couldn't be one," Dal said. "And how would an exploratory crew ever identify it, if it existed? How would they ever even suspect it? They'd miss it completely--unless it happened to get into trouble itself and try to call for help!" Dal jumped up in excitement.