Never Gut-Shoot a Wampus

A modestly successful prospector accepts an invitation from a boastful, ultra‑wealthy hunter to join an interstellar expedition to a hot, animal‑rich planet. Onboard, social contrasts surface between the narrator, the Major, his glamorous wife, and several alluring companions, while the Major dispenses hunting lore and opinions about weapons. The party prepares to pursue swift, internally‑skeletoned predators called wampuses, and practical cautions about disabling such beasts—emphasizing breaking bones rather than gut wounds—shape their tactics. The story moves from clubroom banter and interpersonal tension to frontier preparation, mixing leisure excess, competitive bragging, and pragmatic survival detail.