Plague Ship by Andre Norton Science Fiction Space Opera Adventure

<p><strong>Told from the viewpoint of Dane Thorson an apprentice-Cargo Master a lanky very young man in an ill-fitting Trader's tunic Plague Ship takes the crew of the Solar Queen to Sargol where the enigmatic feline natives seem very reluctant to trade away their fabulous scented gemstones. </strong>When Dane Thorson discovers an herb that the Salariki are willing to swap for their gems he brings the ship into a peril he could never have imagined -- a strange plague that comes from venomous stowaways from Sargol. . . .</p>