"Welcome, Karrel!" Jarl laughed again, loud and reckless. "I'm claiming the _Knife_ and your chiefship, by the law of the raiders!" "A fight to the death--?" The other's lipless gash-mouth twisted awry. The green eyes were smouldering. "A pleasure, Jarl Corvett!" The huge mutant stripped off his tunic, his gun-belt. His _Pervod_ lieutenant cried, "Raiders! A death-ring!" The crewmen fell back, and linked arms, formed a circle. Knee-long arms swaying, their chief shambled forward. Jarl pushed Sais back. The circle parted to pass her. Karrel's mouth worked. "Jarl Corvett...." "Yes." "If you die, I claim the woman!" Jarl's heart pounded. "If I die, you can have her!" He did not dare look at Sais. The mutant moved into the circle. His prehensile fingers flexed and worked. His blank, grey-white face was a bleak mask of menace, the more fearsome for its very lack of expression. Slowly, they moved around, ever facing--each searching for an opening, seeking some hint of weakness. The tension climbed higher, in a throbbing crescendo. Jarl could feel the sweat come to his palms. His pulses hammered. Then, suddenly, arms flailing, Tas Karrel sprang forward. Jarl leaped back; jarred against the _Pervod_ lieutenant. Karrel lunged again. Again, Jarl tried to leap aside. But a clawed _Pervod_ foot hooked out and tripped him. He sprawled on the floor. In a flash, Tas Karrel was upon him. A bulging _dau_ arm bore down on his windpipe. Writhing, Jarl tried to tear free. But the arm would not let him. The prehensile fingers gouged at his eye-balls. He twisted; rocked back. Bit down on a finger. Karrel jerked. Jarl bit harder. Lunging, he bucked the mutant forward ... hooked a hammering heel up and around, into the blank _Fantay_ face. It was Karrel's turn to rock back. The hairy arm lifted. Jarl brought his chin forward, sucking air in great, choking gulps. He drove a savage blow home below the other's rib-casing. Karrel tottered. Jarl broke clear; staggered upright. The mutant threw himself round; started to lunge up. Jarl kicked him in the face with all his might. Karrel's head snapped back. His hand clutched for Jarl's ankle. * * * * * Savagely, Jarl stomped down on the fingers. He smashed rights and lefts to the grey-white mask face. A cut opened. Grey-green ooze spurted. Jarl kicked for the belly. An incoherent cry burst from the gash-mouth. The mutant threw himself over, tumbling towards the edge of the circle. A hoarse murmur rose from the crewmen. Wolf-like, arms still linked, they hunched forward. Jarl's arms dragged like anchors. His ears rang; his lungs burned. Dimly, he glimpsed Sais' panic-straught face at the edge of the circle. The sour stink of his own sweat rolled up in his nostrils. But he dared not hold back. If Karrel rose, he was finished. He dived in for the kill. But the mutant was twisting. His feet smashed at Jarl's breast-bone.