I said, "That's one of the strange circumstances. I haven't heard them mention any other man but you. You see, Split, you're the hero of the hour. You're the one they want." "I hope you're not suggesting that _I_ marry this girl." "I _haven't_ suggested it, have _I_? But I will ask this: Do you like the girl?... Love her??... Enough to marry her?" "Under more favorable conditions--yes. I've never loved anybody before. But Omosla--from the first time I saw her, that evening, in the sunset--" "All right, Split. But you still tell me you haven't made love to her?" "Absolutely, _no_. You may not know it, Jim, but I was with you almost constantly for days and nights after your knockout. You came through the operation--the riskiest thing I ever tried in my life. When you began to pull out of it, I could have gladly taken you back to the ship and blasted off for home. But they were giving you care--Vauna and Omosla--and damned intelligent care, according to my orders. By that time the savages were knocking on our doors again, and I went onto the defense job with my pockets full of scare bombs, and the other kind too. From then on, I couldn't have held to tighter discipline if I'd been in a planetary war, I swear it." I beat my fist lightly on Split's shoulder. The fellow was great, no doubt about it, and I felt like a fool asking him questions about matters outside the bounds of duty. "You're okay, Split. You could violate a hundred codes, as far as I'm concerned, and I'd swear before any court in the world that you're tops. But we've still got a problem with this tribe--and this girl." "I'm not asking for compliments," Split said. "For the record I'm telling you what _did_ happen, and what didn't. And here's what did." Now it was his turn to pace twice around the bench. "How do I begin?" "With Omosla." "Omosla comes to me often. She brings me food and drink. She hangs around like a pet. She doesn't touch me--anymore. I put a stop to that soon after the first time she put her arms around me. Yes, she did that. I was busy watching the sponge-trees move down the valley. She was nearby, murmuring words, most of which I could only half understand. I didn't stop her when she slipped her arms around me--not for quite awhile. I remember plenty well the way those pins in her elbow furs scratched my arms. They stuck in like thorns. Look, you can still see the marks." He rolled up his sleeves to show me the slight scars on his upper arms, just above the elbows. "I figured either she didn't know those pins were sticking me, or else it was some sort of tricky test that girls use on men to test their metal. So I took it, and didn't wince. Sure, I was enjoying letting her hug me. But after that one time I always kept my distance. This all happened when we first came. You'd think she'd have forgotten. Especially if she had a real husband somewhere on the scene."