"They found him, lying like that," Nada said. Terror was on her face.
"Something--someone with a strange gun of lightning, like the one I
took from you."

It was dawning on Morgan. Then a flapping of wings sounded. "Coming,
Nada. Cah comes."

The beaked-nosed, feathered shape of Cah came fluttering; landed by
Nada. Weird chattering bird. "Cah saw it, Nada. Men like this one.
Out beyond the tunnels, they killed Tagaro. Cah saw them. Cah sees
everything--"

It fluttered away, excited, like an imbecilic child, chattering with
its excitement.

Space-pirates! Prowling here, looking for the Zolonite. Doubtless they
had seen Morgan's little space-ship; knew he was here, and were looking
for him.

"They were outside?" Morgan demanded swiftly. "Out near where I found
you? Is that what the parrot-thing tried to say?"

"Yes," she gasped. "Oh, who could it be? Other earthmen here? You--you
said you came alone."

"I did. But I can make a pretty darn good guess who it is all right.
Nada, listen!"

The ring of goths here were all eyeing Morgan suspiciously with weird,
baleful eyes set in wrinkled, bluish, ape-like faces.

"Tell them I didn't do it," Morgan said hastily. "Tell them bad men did
it, if they can manage to understand that much from you."

Would the damned growling things jump on him now? "Listen," he added
swiftly to the girl. "That's a band of earthmen--space-pirates. They're
here to try and steal the Zolonite I came after. Nada, where's that gun
of mine you took away from me?"

"What--what are you going to do?" she stammered.

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