When Jeff Aubray pulled himself up from the planking, the apparitions were gone. His knees shook and perspiration crawled cold on his face, but he managed to haul Jennifer up with him. "Come out of it, will you?" he yelled ungallantly in her ear. "If a thing like that is loose on the island, we've got to get help!" * * * * * Jennifer did not respond and he slapped her, until her eyes fluttered angrily. "There's an EI communicator in my cabin," Jeff said. "Let's go." Memory lent Jennifer a sudden vitality that nearly left Jeff behind in their dash for the cottage up the beach. "The door," Jeff panted, inside. "Fasten the hurricane bolt. Hurry." While she secured the flimsy door, he ripped through his belongings, aligning his EI communicator again on his breakfast table. Finding out where the islanders got their calm-crystals had become suddenly unimportant; just then, he wanted nothing so much as to see a well-armed patrol ship nosing down out of the Calaxian sunrise. He was activating the screen when Jennifer, in a magnificent rage in spite of soaked blouse and dungarees, advanced on him. "You're an Earth Interests spy after all," she accused. "They said in the Township you are no artist, but Uncle Charlie and I--" Jeff made a pushing motion. "Keep away from me. Do you want that devil tearing the cabin down around us?" She fell quiet, remembering the Zid, and he made his call. "Aubray, Chain 147. Come in, Consulate!" There was a sound of stealthy movement outside the cabin and he flicked sweat out of his eyes with a hand that shook. "EI, for God's sake, come in! I'm in trouble here!" The image on his three-inch screen was not Consul Satterfield's but the startled consulate operator's. "Trouble?" Jeff forced stumbling words into line. The EI operator shook his head doubtfully. "Consul's gone for the day, Aubray. I'll see if I can reach him." "He was about to send out an EI patrol ship to take over here in the islands," Jeff said. "Tell him to hurry it!" He knew when he put down the microphone that the ship would be too late. EI might still drag the secret of the calm-crystal source out of the islanders, but Jeff Aubray and Jennifer Mack wouldn't be on hand to witness their sorry triumph. The flimsy cabin could not stand for long against the sort of brute the owls had shown him, and there was no sort of weapon at hand. They couldn't even run. "There's something outside," Jennifer said in a small voice. Her voice seemed to trigger the attack. * * * * * The Zid lunged against the door with a force that cracked the wooden hurricane bolt across and opened a three-inch slit between leading edge and lintel. Jeff had a glimpse of slanted red eyes and white-fanged snout before reflex sent him headlong to shoulder the door shut again. "The bunk," he panted at Jennifer. "Shove it over."