down. The night cold had long descended when the two men changed shifts. All through his trick, Rick had sat facing her. She lay quietly, simulating sleep. At last Jocco began to nod and doze. For a while he managed to jerk himself awake; but he finally fell over and slept.

Cautiously she crept over to him and shook his arm. He didn't stir. Satisfaction touched with grim humor warmed her internally as she bent over him and removed his boots. She moved with them off into the desert. Satisfied at last that she was far enough from camp, she heaved the boots into the desert darkness.

She wasn't gone long, but even so she had barely settled down again when she heard Rick shake Jocco, "Wake up, you fool. I'd like to kill you for this. The girl could have crept off and you wouldn't have known it."

"I'm sorry, Rick. But I'm tired. I couldn't help it."

Rick began to cuss but stopped. "What's the use. Go back to sleep. I'll finish your watch."

It wasn't until they were ready to move the next morning that Jocco noticed that his boots were missing. He turned to Leeda. "You stole them."

"Don't be a damned fool," Rick answered. "She was watched all night. You probably had a nightmare and heaved them out into the desert. Let's look."

Leeda watched them search in an ever widening circle. Limping and still bootless, Jocco moved with Rick back to the camp.

"You'll have to try it as is," Rick was saying as they came close.

"But I can't," Jocco whined. "The dust almost drove me crazy with them on. What will I do this way?"

"That's your problem," Rick said callously. "Come or stay here alone. It's up to you." He turned to Leeda, "Glad to see you look so lousy this morning. At least you are suffering some, too. If you're telling the truth, we'll be at the pool tomorrow."

They were on the way about a half hour when the sand around Jocco's feet began to boil. Almost immediately his voice rose shrilly and then disappeared except for twitchings on his cheeks and lips.

"What's wrong, Jocco?" Rick asked.

"His feet," Leeda said laconically.

It looked as though Jocco was sinking into the sand. Then the red stains 

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