It was now early evening and the Venus skies were a deep clear green. It was over an hour since the last rhinosaur had been killed or driven out. The gates had been temporarily repaired. Here and there a small building had been trodden into rubble.

Johnny and Baba were still locked inside the tank which had been dragged away from the dangerous fighting. From the turret they were watching a group of men gathered outside the administration building. Johnny wished someone would come and let them out.

Finally the crowd broke up. One group of men hopped on to the back of a tank and headed toward Johnny and Baba. The rest of the crowd followed on foot.

"I wonder what's up," Johnny said.

Baba shook his head.

"I don't like the looks of it," Johnny went on. "We're in an awful pickle." He looked down at the little bear's paws. He had painted the nails again with the nail polish, but he didn't think it would do any good.

The tank came rumbling to a halt beside them. The two crawled down from the turret. Johnny heard the men working on the lock. The manhole door was opened.

"Come on out, Johnny." It was his father's voice. Baba jumped on his shoulder and Johnny climbed slowly out. Johnny's father and Captain Thompson were standing on top of the tank, surrounded by a crowd of grave-faced Venus pioneers. It was odd. None of the men looked angry. Johnny knew they should be very angry with him. He tried to shape words to say he'd try to make up for the trouble he'd caused, but the words would not come.

Mr. Watson reached out and picked Baba from Johnny's shoulder. He lifted up one of the little bear's paws and looked at it carefully.

"The claws still look black to me," he said. Disappointment, mixed with relief, came over the faces of the men.

"Let me show you." Captain Thompson, not ungently, took Baba from Johnny's father.

The little bear looked straight at Johnny, an odd expression in his deep blue eyes. But he didn't struggle.

Captain Thompson set Baba down on the top of the tank and took one of the paws in his hands. With his fingernail he scraped at one of the claws, then another and another. He held the paw up for the men to see. The claws glowed clear blue in the evening light.

"You see," he said, triumphantly, "it is just as I said. The boy has been covering them up." The crowd sighed with wonder.

Captain Thompson turned back to Johnny's father. "You'd better tell the boy right away. It will be easier." Many of the crowd nodded their agreement. For the first time Johnny made out the object that Captain Thompson had been carrying. It was a small cage made of diamond-wood.

Johnny's father reached out and touched him on the shoulder.

"You know what happened here today, don't you, Johnny?" he asked in a grave tone.

"Yes, sir," Johnny answered in a low, shamed voice. "The crop's been ruined, and those hunters stole our claws."

"That's right," his father said. "And I think you also understand that if it hadn't been for you, this needn't have happened."

"Yes, sir." The words were almost a whisper. Johnny felt the tears coming up into his eyes.

"You can understand, then, it's up to you and us to make amends to the colony."

"Yes, sir." Johnny's whisper was even lower.

"Well, son, I'm sorry to do this, but I have to. I know Baba has been your pet for a long time, but you are going to have to give him up. I've just given him back to the colony. Now, get him into the cage, so we can get this over with."

"But you'll kill him!" Johnny cried out. He reached down and swept the little bear into his arms.

"No, son, not right away," his father answered. "The rocket captain says the colony could make some money by showing him alive on Earth before they—put him to sleep."

"But you know that he'll die. Oh, Daddy, please don't!" Johnny looked up, pleading, at his father.

Frederick Watson's eyes met Johnny's. They were kind but stern. He shook his head firmly.

Johnny looked around him through his tears. Baba was warm and furry in his arms. The men stood about; their faces were grave and determined. Most still held ato-tubes in their hands. Even at that, Baba had a chance. Johnny began to click in the ear of the little bear.

"Baba," he clicked very softly, "you can get away, over the wall by the rock. It isn't very far. I'll throw you as far as I can. If you bounce like crazy they could never hit you."

But the little bear jumped to the steel tank top.

"No, Johnny," he clicked. "You are my friend-pet-brother, no matter what happens."

Then, just as if he had been told to go by Johnny, the little bear walked over to the cage. Captain Thompson was holding a sliding door open. Baba climbed in. He squatted there and made a little whimpering noise that was the only sound he could make beside his clicks. He waved a paw at Johnny.

"The little devil acts almost human," the old guard, Jeb, said from the crowd.

Only Johnny knew how true that was.

"Better hustle that kid inside a tank," someone shouted. "He hasn't got any armor on."

Frederick Watson's head jerked around. His eyes widened. In one motion he took Johnny into his arms and jumped to the ground. Seconds later Johnny was in a big hunting tank headed for home, a home for the first time in ten years empty of a little bouncing bear.