"Okay," he said shakily. "Okay, we're all right now. You are hereby entitled to join our Pacific wet-erans' club." Her laugh was small under the boom of breakers and hiss of scud. "You're trying hard, aren't you?" "I--_oh_, oh! Get _down_!" Peering over the edge Dalgetty saw the men descending the path. There were half a dozen, armed and wary. One had a WT radio unit on his back. In the shadow of the cliff they were almost invisible as they began prowling the beach. "Still hunting us!" Her voice was a groan. "You didn't expect otherwise, did you? I'm just hoping they don't come out here. Does anybody else know of this spot?" He held his lips close to her ear. "No, I don't believe so," she breathed. "I was the only one who cared to go swimming at this end of the island. But...." Dalgetty waited, grimly. The sun was down at last, the twilight thickening. A few stars twinkled to life in the east. The goons finished their search and settled in a line along the beach. "Oh-oh," muttered Dalgetty. "I get the idea. Bancroft's had the land beaten for me so thoroughly he's sure I must be somewhere out to sea. If I were he I'd guess I'd swum far out to be picked up by a waterboat. So--he's guarding every possible approach against a landing party." "What can we do?" whispered Elena. "Even if we can swim around their radius of sight we can't land just anywhere. Most of the island is vertical cliff. Or can you...?" "No," he said. "Regardless of what you may think I don't have vacuum cups on my feet. But how far does that gun of yours carry?" She stole a glance over the edge. Night was sweeping in. The island was a wall of blackness and the men at its foot were hidden. "You can't _see_!" she protested. He squeezed her shoulder. "Oh yes I can, honey. But whether I'm a good enough shot to.... We'll have to try it, that's all." Her face was a white blur and fear of the unknown put metal in her voice. "Part seal, part cat, part deer, part what else? I don't think you're human, Simon Dalgetty." He didn't answer. The abnormal voluntary dilation of pupils hurt his eyes. "What else has Dr. Tighe done?" Her tone was chill in the dark. "You can't study the human mind without studying the body too. What's he done? Are you the mutant they're always speculating about? Did Dr. Tighe create or find homo superior?" "If I don't plug that radio com-set before they can use it," he said, "I'll be homo-genized." "You can't laugh it off," she said through taut lips. "If you aren't of our species I have to assume you're our enemy--till you prove otherwise!" Her fingers closed hard on his arm. "Is that what your little gang at the Institute is doing? Have they decided that mere humanity isn't good enough to be civilized? Are they preparing the way for your kind to take over?" "Listen," he said wearily. "Right now we're two people, very mortal indeed, being hunted. So shut up!"