"You are a yellowbellied fink," he commented.

"Okay," I admitted, "but it's her I'm thinking of, too."

"I've heard the stories about you both," he said. "So you're a heel anda goofoff and she's a bitch. That's called compatibility these days. I dareyou, baitman, try keeping something you catch."

I turned.

"If you ever want that job, look me up."

I closed the door quietly behind me and left him sitting there waitingfor it to slam.

The day of the beast dawned like any other. Two days after my gutlessflight from empty waters I went down to rebait. Nothing on the scope. I wasjust making things ready for the routine attempt.

I hollered a "good morning" from outside the Slider and received ananswer from inside before I pushed off. I had reappraised Mike's words, sanssound, sans fury, and while I did not approve of their sentiment orsignificance, I had opted for civility anyhow.

So down, under, and away. I followed a decent cast about twohundred-ninety meters out. The snaking cables burned black to my left and Ipaced their undulations from the yellowgreen down into the darkness.Soundless lay the wet night, and I bent my way through it like a cock-eyedcomet, bright tail before.

I caught the line, slick and smooth, and began baiting. An icy worldswept by me then, ankles to head. It was a draft, as if someone had opened abig door beneath me. I wasn't drifting forwards that fast either.

Which meant that something might be moving up, something big enough todisplace a lot of water. I still didn't think it was Ikky. A freak currentof some sort, but not Ikky. Ha!

I had finished attaching the leads and pulled the first plug when abig, rugged, black island grew beneath me....

I flicked the beam downward. His mouth was opened.

I was rabbit.

Waves of the death-fear passed downward. My stomach imploded. I grewdizzy.

Only one thing, and one thing only. Left to do. I managed it, finally.I pulled the rest of the plugs.

I could count the scaly articulations ridging his eyes by then.

The squiggler grew, pinked into phosphorescence...squiggled.

Then my lamp. I had to kill it, leaving just the bait before him.

One glance back as I jammed the jatoes to life.

He was so near that the squiggler reflected on his teeth, in his eyes.Four meters, and I kissed his lambent jowls with two jets of backwash as Isoared. Then I didn't know whether he was following or had halted. I beganto black out as I waited to be eaten.

The jatoes died and I kicked weakly.

Too fast, I felt a cramp coming on. One flick of the beam, criedrabbit. One second, to know...

Or end things up, I answered. No, rabbit, we don't dart before hunters.Stay dark.

Green waters, finally, to yellowgreen, then top.

Doubling, I beat off toward Tensquare. The waves from the explosionbehind pushed me on ahead. The world closed in, and a screamed "He's alive!"in the distance.

A giant shadow and a shock wave. The line was alive, too. Happy FishingGrounds. Maybe I did something wrong....

Somewhere Hand was clenched. What's bait?

A few million years. I remember starting out as a one-celled organismand painfully becoming an amphibian, then an air-breather. From somewherehigh in the treetops I heard a voice.

"He's coming around."

I evolved back into homosapience, then a step further into a hangover.

"Don't try to get up yet."

"Have we got him?" I slurred.

"Still fighting, but he's hooked. We thought he took you for anappetizer."

"So did I."

"Breath some of this and shut up."

A funnel over my face. Good. Lift your cups and drink....

"He was awfully deep. Below scope range. We didn't catch him till hestarted up. Too late, then."

I began to yawn.

"We'll get you inside now."

I managed to uncase my ankle knife.

"Try it and you'll be minus a thumb."

"You need rest."

"Then bring me a couple more blankets. I'm staying."

I fell back and closed my eyes.

Someone was shaking me. Gloom and cold. Spotlights bled yellow on thedeck. I was in a jury-rigged bunk, bulked against the center blister.Swaddled in wool, I still shivered.

"It's been eleven hours. You're not going to see anything now."

I tasted blood.

"Drink this."

Water. I had a remark but I couldn't mouth it.

"Don't ask me how I feel," I croaked. "I know that comes next, butdon't ask me. Okay?"

"Okay. Want to go below now?"

"No. Just get me my jacket."

"Right here."

"What's he doing?"

"Nothing. He's deep, he's doped but he's staying down."

"How long since last time he showed?"

"Two hours, about."

"Jean?"

"She won't let anyone in the Slider. Listen, Mike says to come on in.He's right behind you in the blister."

I sat up and turned around. Mike was watching. He gestured; I gesturedback.

I swung my feet over the edge and took a couple of deep breaths. Painsin my stomach. I got to my feet and made it into the blister.

"Howza gut?" queried Mike.

I checked the scope. No Ikky. Too deep.

"You buying?"

"Yeah, coffee."

"Not coffee."

"You're ill. Also, coffee is all that's allowed in here."

"Coffee is a brownish liquid that burns your stomach. You have some inthe bottom drawer."

"No cups. You'll have to use a glass."

"Tough."

He poured.

"You do that well. Been practicing for that job?"

"What job?"

"The one I offered you--"

A blot on the scope!

"Rising, ma'am! Rising!" he yelled into the box.

"Thanks, Mike. I've got it in here," she crackled.

"Jean!"

"Shut up! She's busy!"

"Was that Carl?"

"Yeah," I called. "Talk later," and I cut it.

Why did I do that?

"Why did you do that?"

I didn't know.

"I don't know."

Damned echoes! I got up and walked outside.

Nothing. Nothing.

Something?

Tensquare actually rocked! He must have turned when he saw the hull andstarted downward again. White water to my left, and boiling. An endlessspaghetti of cable roared hotly into the belly of the deep.

I stood awhile, then turned and went back inside.

Two hours sick. Four, and better.

"The dope's getting to him."

"Yeah."

"What about Miss Luharich?"

"What about her?"

"She must be half dead."

"Probably."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"She signed the contract for this. She knew what might happen. It did."

"I think you could land him."

"So do I."

"So does she."

"Then let her ask me."

Ikky was drifting lethargically, at thirty fathoms.

I took another walk and happened to pass behind the Slider. She wasn'tlooking my way.

"Carl, come in here!"

Eyes of Picasso, that's what, and a conspiracy to make me Slide...

"Is that an order?"

"Yes--No! Please."

I dashed inside and monitored. He was rising.

"Push or pull?"

I slammed the "wind" and he came like a kitten.

"Make up your own mind now."

He balked at ten fathoms.

"Play him?"

"No!"

She wound him upwards--five fathoms, four...

She hit the extensors at two, and the caught him. Then the graffles.

Cries without and a heat of lightning of flashbulbs.

The crew saw Ikky.

He began to struggle. She kept the cables tight, raised the graffles.

Up.

Another two feet and the graffles began pulsing.

Screams and fast footfalls.

Giant beanstalk in the wind, his neck, waving. The green hills of hisshoulders grew.