“I’m not sure whether I am glad to see you, Kennon,” he said uncertainly. “But I suppose I have to be.” Kennon believed him. “How have you been?” Kennon asked. “Not too bad until this afternoon. Things have been going pretty well.” He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. “I suppose Cousin Alex will skin me for this, but there’s nothing else I can do.” He licked his lips. “You’ve been here long enough--and you’ll have to know eventually.” He fidgeted and finally sat down behind the desk. “We have trouble. Half the Lani were stricken about four hours ago. It was sudden. No warning at all. And if they die--” his voice trailed off. “Well--what are we waiting for? Get someone to bring my bags down here and we’ll look them over.” “Do you have to?--Can’t you prescribe something?” “How? I haven’t examined the patients.” “I can tell you what’s wrong.” Kennon smiled. “I hardly think that’s the way to do it. Even though your description might be accurate, you still might miss something of critical importance.” Douglas sighed. “I thought that’s what you’d say,” he said. “Oh--very well--you might as well see what we have out here.” “You can’t possibly believe that I don’t already know,” Kennon said. “You have male Lani.” Douglas looked at him, his face blank with surprise. “But--how did you know? No one on the main island does except the Family. And we never talk about it. Did Eloise tell you? I noticed she was struck with you the day you came, and the Lani who have come out here since have been talking about you two. Did she do it?” Kennon shook his head. “She never said a word.” “Then how--” “I’m not stupid,” Kennon said. “That story you’ve spread about artificial fertilization has more holes in it than a sieve. That technique has been investigated a thousand times. And it has never worked past the first generation. If you had been using it, the Lani would long ago have been extinct. Haploids don’t reproduce, and the only way the diploid number of chromosomes can be kept is to replace those lost by maturation division of the ovum. You might be able to keep the diploid number by using immature ova, but the fertilization technique would be far more complex than the simple uterine injections you use at Hillside Station.” Douglas looked at him blankly. “Besides,” Kennon added, “I have a microscope. I checked your so-called fertilizing solution. I found spermatozoa, and spermatozoa only come from males. What’s more, the males have to be the same species as the females or fertilization will not take place. So there must be male Lani. Nothing else fits. You’ve been using artificial insemination on the main-island Lani. And from the way this place is guarded, it’s obvious that here is your stud farm.” Douglas shrugged and spread his hands in a gesture of resignation. “I suppose,” he said, “that’s the way Old Doc found out too. We never told him, but he knew before he ever came out here.”