Powell lifted to his knees and crawled forward, his senses pinpointed on Reich’s perception. He froze again as ALARM clanged in Reich’s head. Reich leaped to his feet, bow ready, a featherless arrow at half-cock, and peered intently into the darkness.

“What is it, Ben?” Hassop murmured.

“I don’t know. Something.”

“Hell. You’ve got your Barrier, haven’t you?”

“I keep forgetting.” Reich sank back and built up the fire; but he was not forgetting the Barrier. The wary instinct of the killer was warning him, vaguely, persistently… And Powell could only marvel at the intricate survival mechanism of the human mind. He peeped Reich again. Reich was mechanically resorting to the tune-block he associated with crisis: Tenser, said the Tensor, Tenser, said the Tensor. Tension, apprehension, and dissension have begun. Behind that there was turmoil; a mounting resolution to kill quickly… kill savagely… destroy now and arrange the evidence later…

As Reich reached for the bow, his eyes carefully averted from Hassop, his mind intent on the throbbing heart that was his target, Powell drove forward urgently. Before he had moved ten feet, ALARM tripped again in Reich’s mind and the big man was on his feet once more. This time he whipped a burning branch from the fire and hurled the flare toward the blackness where Powell was concealed. The idea and execution came so quickly that Powell could not anticipate the action. He would have been fully illuminated if Reich had not forgotten the Barrier. It stopped the flaming branch in mid-flight and dropped it to the ground.

“Christ!” Reich cried, and swung around abruptly at Hassop.

“What is it Ben?”

In answer, Reich drew the arrow back to the lobe of his ear and held the point on Hassop’s body. Hassop scrambled to his feet.

“Ben, watch out! You’re shooting at me!”

Hassop leaped to one side unexpectedly as Reich let the arrow fly.

“Ben! For the love of —” Suddenly Hassop realized the intent. He turned with a strangulated cry and ran from the fire as Reich notched another arrow. Running desperately, Hassop smashed into the barrier and staggered back from the invisible wall as an arrow shot past his shoulder and shattered.

“Ben!” he screamed.

“You son of a bitch,” Reich growled, and notched another shaft.

Powell leaped forward and reached the edge of the Barrier. He could not pass it. Inside, Hassop ran screaming across the far side while Reich stalked him with half-cocked bow, closing in for the kill. Hassop again smashed into the Barrier, fell, crawled, and regained his feet to dart off again like a cornered rat, Reich following him doggedly.

“Jesus!” Powell muttered. He stepped back into the darkness, thinking desperately. Hassop’s screams had aroused the jungle, and there was a roaring and an echoing rumble in his ears. He reached out on the TP Band, sensing, touching, feeling. There was nothing but blind fear, blind rage, blind instinct around him. The hippos, sodden and viscid… the crocodiles, deaf, angry, hungry… swambats, as furious as rhinoceri whose size they doubled… A quarter mile off were the faint broadcasts of elephant, wapiti, giant cats…