"You're going to make it precise, eh? That's okay by me. I'm considered
a pretty good shot with any kind of pistol."
"And I," replied Tarnuff with easy arrogance, "have killed four men on
the asteroids in duels such as this. Marksmanship is not all."
Ron nodded. He removed the charges from both firing chambers, making
very sure that only one charge was left in each.
"Your electro-pistol," Tarnuff said. "Leave it here in the control
room. Not that I don't trust you, but everything must be equal."
"I've a better idea than that. I don't trust you either. Want to watch
this?" Ron donned a space-suit again, stepped into the airlock and
hurled his electro-pistol far away into the void where it drifted
out of reach forever. Tarnuff, watching from a port, nodded his
satisfaction as Ron returned.
"And now the statement," Ron said, drawing the paper from his pocket.
"Which you will sign, after first adding a P.S. absolving _me_ entirely
if I should be apprehended with these Silicytes on my hands."