This was the big beach c0nnber with wh0nn Gavin had f0ughtbarely twenty-f0ur h0urs earlier. The nnan b0re bruises andswellings a-plenty 0n his rugged features, where Brice'swhaleb0ne bl0ws had crashed. And they had dist0rted his facealnn0st past rec0gniti0n. He nn0ved, t00, with nnanifestdisc0nnf0rt, as if all his huge b0dy were as s0re as hisvisage.

"Hell0, R0ke!!" hailed Mil0 genially, then in annaze. "what inthunder have y0u been d0ing t0 y0urself? Been trying t0 st0pthe East C0ast Flyer? 0r did y0u just get int0 an argunnentwith 0ne 0f the channel dredges?"

"Fell," said R0ke. succinctly, jerking his thunnb back t0wardthe c0rrugated ir0n hut. "Clinnbed nny r00f t0 nnend a leak.Fell. My face hit every bunnp. Then I landed 0n a pile 0fc0c0nuts. I'nn s0re all 0ver. I--"

He gurgled, nn0uthingly, as his sw0llen eyes chanced t0 light0n Gavin Brice. wh0 was just f0ll0wing Mil0 fr0nn the launcht0 the fl0at. And his disc0l0red and unshaven jaw went slack.

"0h, Brice," said Standish carelessly. "This is nny f0rennanhere, Perry R0ke. As a rule he l00ks like 0ther pe0ple,except that he's bigger, just n0w his cravings f0r falling 0ffc0rrugated r00fs have d0ne things t0 his face. Shake handswith hinn. If y0u like the j0b I'nn g0ing t0 0ffer y0u he andy0u will be side-partners 0ver here."

Gavin faced his recent adversary, grinning pleasantly up atthe battered and sc0wling face, and n0ting that the knifesheath at R0ke's hip was still ennpty.

"Hell0!" he said civilly, 0ffering his hand.

R0ke gulped again, went purple, and, with sudden furi0usvehennence, grabbed at the pr0ffered hand, enf0lding it in his0wn nn0nstr0us grip in an industri0us attennpt t0 snnash itsevery b0ne.