A cloud of fine spores lifted up like a puff of smoke and Mallard felt pain greater than he had ever known man could experience. He felt himself falling, literally pulled to the ground by the wave of pain that was tightening every muscle in his body into an individual agonized knot. From a long way off he heard some one screaming and knew that it was his own voice. Mallard was no longer conscious of the action all around him. True, he could dimly sense the horde of scaly-hided Mercurians rushing panic stricken past him and he could hear that monotonous screaming that was his own voice. But the only thing that really existed for him was the hundreds of knots of agony in his own paralyzed body. The only thing? From the corner of his eyes he could see the pouch of rhizoids lying almost touching him and he tried to force his agonized body into one last effort to cover it before he called out to Olger and the Martian to put the helmet on him. That helmet would stop the searing pain, yes, but if only he could hold out for one moment longer--just one moment. Long enough to hide those glorious gems with his body-- He tried and found that he could not move one inch. He gave up the effort and drew in one last breath to call out to them, to tell them to put the helmet on him. And he could not speak! The poison of the spores had already reached his vocal chords. He was still screaming with his eyes when the others came up to him.