"Huh? What's that?" Burke seemed startled. . Oscar gave him a quick resume of the fate of the jeep. Burke looked both amazed and terribly, bitterly disappointed. "Well, of all the gang of stupes! Just forget that offer; you haven't got anything to sell,"
"I've already forgotten it and you had better be glad I have. Let me point out that we wouldn't have been making a jet landing in a jungle if you hadn't made an ass of yourself and then called for help. However, we hope to
recover the jeep if I can manage to smooth out the trouble you've caused- and that's no small job."
"Well, of course if you can square things and get your ship back, the offer stands."
"Stop talking about that clumsy piece of bribery! We can't possibly promise you anything, even if we wanted to. We've got our mission to carry out."
"Okay-your mission is to get me out of here. It comes to the same thing; I was just being generous."
"Our mission isn't anything of the sort. Our prime mission is what the prime mission of the Patrol always is: to keep the peace. Our orders read to investigate a reported native uprising-there isn't any-and keep the peace.' There's not a word about springing Girard Burke from the local jail and giving him a free ride home."
"But-"
"I'm not through. You know how the Patrol works as well as I do. It acts in remote places and a Patrol officer has to use his own judgment, being guided by the Tradition-"
"Well, if it's precedent you're looking for, you've got to-"