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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..37d040e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50571 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50571) diff --git a/old/50571-8.txt b/old/50571-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 29c6ce6..0000000 --- a/old/50571-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7068 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Green Odyssey, by Philip José Farmer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Green Odyssey - -Author: Philip José Farmer - -Release Date: November 29, 2015 [EBook #50571] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREEN ODYSSEY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE GREEN ODYSSEY - - by Philip José Farmer - - Make friends fast. - --_Handbook For The Shipwrecked_ - - Ballantine Books - New York - - Copyright 1957, by - Philip José Farmer - - Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 57-10603 - Printed in the United States of America - - BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC. - 101 Fifth Avenue, - New York 3, N. Y. - - [Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not - uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on - this publication was renewed.] - - This is an original novel--not a reprint--published - BY BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC. - - - - - To Nan Gerding - - - - -DANGER! THRILLS! ADVENTURE! - - -Alan Green was not exactly a hero. In fact he liked peace just as -well as the next man. Not that he was really afraid of that crazy, -hot-blooded hound-dog Alzo, or even of the hound's gorgeous owner, the -Duchess Zuni--who was also hot-blooded (to say nothing of the Duke). -After all, these things were understood on this backward, violent -planet, and a man could manage, provided he was alert twenty-four hours -a day. - -And as a matter of fact, Alan was only normally apprehensive of his -Junoesque, tempestuous (but altogether lovable) wife Amra. Delightful, -demanding Amra--and her five uproarious kids. The trouble was, he was -tired. And homesick. - -So when he heard of two other downed spacemen, he hitched a ride with -a piratical merchant-captain on a windroller destined to carry him to -the spaceship and thence to the peaceful green hills of Earth. But -he had reckoned without the vagaries of the windroller, pirates, the -"traveling islands," the rascally Captain, and various flora and fauna -peculiar to this planet--all of which, it now seemed, regarded Alan -with unnerving malevolence. - -And worst of all, Amra was determined that he should be a hero. Amra -won. - - - - -1 - - -For two years Alan Green had lived without hope. From the day the -spaceship had crashed on this unknown planet he had resigned himself -to the destiny created for him by accident and mathematics. Chances -against another ship landing within the next hundred years were a -million to one. Therefore it would do no good to sit around waiting -for rescue. Much as he loathed the idea, he must live the rest of his -life here, and he must squeeze as much blood as he could out of this -planet-sized turnip. There wasn't much to squeeze. In fact, it seemed -to him that he was the one losing the blood. Shortly after he'd been -cast away he'd been made a slave. - -Now, suddenly, he had hope. - -Hope came to him a month after he'd been made foreman of the kitchen -slaves of the Duke of Tropat. It came to him as he was standing behind -the Duchess during a meal and directing those who were waiting upon her. - -It was the Duchess Zuni who had not so subtly maneuvered him from the -labor pens to his coveted, if dangerous, position. Why dangerous? -Because she was very jealous and possessive, and the slightest hint of -lack of attention from him could mean he'd lose his life or one limb -or another. The knowledge of what had happened to his two predecessors -kept him extremely sensitive to her every gesture, her every wish. - -That fateful morning he was standing behind her as she sat at one end -of the long breakfast table. In one hand he held his foreman's wand, -a little white baton topped by a large red ball. With it he gestured -at the slaves who served food, who poured wine and beer, who fanned -away the flies, who carried in the household god and sat it on the god -chair, who played something like music. Now and then he bent over the -Duchess Zuni's long black hair and whispered phrases from this or that -love poem, praising her beauty, her supposed unattainability, and his -burning, if seemingly hopeless, passion for her. Zuni would smile, or -repeat the formula of thanks--the short one--or else giggle at his -funny accent. - -The Duke sat at the other end of the table. He ignored the by-play, -just as he ignored the so-called secret passage inside the walls of the -castle, which Green used to get to the Duchess's apartments. Custom -demanded this, just as custom demanded that he should play the outraged -husband if she got tired of Green or angry at him and accused him -publicly of amorous advances. This was enough to make Green jittery, -but he had more than the Duke to consider. There was Alzo. - -Alzo was the Duchess's watchdog, a mastiff-like monster with shaggy -red-gold hair. The dog hated Green with a vindictiveness that Green -could only account for by supposing that the animal knew, perhaps from -his body-odor, that he was not a native of this planet. Alzo rumbled -a warning deep in his chest every time Green bent over the Duchess or -made a too-sudden movement. Occasionally he rose to his four feet and -nuzzled the man's leg. When that happened Green could not keep from -breaking out into a sweat, for the dog had twice bitten him, playfully, -so to speak, and severely lacerated his calf. As if that weren't bad -enough, Green had to worry that the natives might notice that his scars -healed abnormally fast, almost overnight. He'd been forced to wear -bandages on his legs long after the new skin had come in. - -Even now, the nauseating canine was sniffing around Green's quivering -hide in the hope of putting the fear of the devil in him. At that -moment the Earthman resolved that, come the headsman's ax, rack, wheel, -or other hellish tortures, he was going to kill that hound. It was just -after he made that vow that the Duchess caused him to forget altogether -the beast. - -"Dear," said Zuni, interrupting the Duke in the midst of his -conversation with a merchant-captain, "what is this I hear about two -men who have fallen from the sky in a great ship of iron?" - -Green quivered, and he held his breath as he waited for the Duke's -reply. - -The Duke, a short, dark many-chinned man with white hair and very thick -bristly salt-and-pepper eyebrows, frowned. - -"Men? Demons, rather! Can men fly in an iron ship through the air? -These two claimed to have come from the stars, and you know what that -means. Remember Oixrotl's prophecy: _A demon will come, claiming -to be an angel_. No doubt about these two! Just to show you their -subtlety, they claim to be neither demon nor angels, but men! Now, -there's devilish clever thinking. Confusing to anybody but the most -clear-headed. I'm glad the King of Estorya wasn't taken in." - -Eagerly Zuni leaned forward, her large brown eyes bright, and her -red-painted mouth open and wet. "Oh, has he burned them already? What a -shame! I should think he'd at least torture them for a while." - -Miran, the merchant-captain, said, "Your pardon, gracious lady, but the -King of Estorya has done no such thing. The Estoryan law demands that -all suspected demons should be kept in prison for two years. Everybody -knows that a devil can't keep his human disguise more than two years. -At the end of that time he reverts to his natural flesh and form, a -hideous sight to behold, blasphemous, repulsive, soul-shaking." - -Miran rolled his one good eye so that only the white showed and made -the sign to ward off evil, the index finger held rigidly out from a -clenched fist. Jugkaxtr, the household priest, dived under the table, -where he crouched praying, secure in the knowledge that demons couldn't -touch him while he knelt beneath the thrice-blessed wood. The Duke -swallowed a whole glass of wine, apparently to calm his nerves, and -belched. - -Miran wiped his face and said, "Of course, I wasn't able to find -out much, because we merchants are regarded with deep suspicion and -scarcely dare to move outside the harbor or the marketplace. The -Estoryans worship a female deity--ridiculous, isn't it?--and eat fish. -They hate us Tropatians because we worship Zaxropatr, Male of Males, -and because they must depend on us to bring them fish. But they aren't -close-mouthed. They babble on and on to us, especially when one has -given them wine for nothing." - -Green finally released his breath in a sigh of relief. How glad he -was that he had never told these people his true origin! So far as -they knew he was merely one of the many slaves who came from a distant -country in the North. - -Miran cleared his throat, adjusted his violet turban and yellow robes, -pulled gently at the large gold ring that hung from his nose and said, -"It took me a month to get back from Estorya, and that is very good -time indeed, but then I am noted for my good luck, though I prefer to -call it skill plus the favor given by the gods to the truly devout. -I do not boast, O gods, but merely give you tribute because you have -smiled upon my ventures and have found pleasing the scent of my many -sacrifices in your nostrils!" - -Green lowered his eyelids to conceal the expression of disgust which he -felt must be shining from them. At the same time, he saw Zuni's shoe -tapping impatiently. Inwardly he groaned, because he knew she would -divert the conversation to something more interesting to her, to her -clothes and the state of her stomach and/or complexion. And there would -be nothing that anybody could do about it, because the custom was that -the woman of the house regulated the subject of talk during breakfast. -If only this had been lunch or dinner! Then the men would theoretically -have had uncontested control. - -"These two demons were very tall, like your slave Green, here," said -Miran, "and they could not speak a word of Estoryan. Or at least they -claimed they couldn't. When King Raussmig's soldiers tried to capture -them they brought from the folds of their strange clothes two pistols -that only had to be pointed to send silent and awesome and sure death. -Everywhere men dropped dead. Panic overtook many, but there were brave -soldiers who kept on charging, and eventually the magical instruments -became exhausted. The demons were overpowered and put into the Tower -of Grass Cats from which no man or demon has yet escaped. And there -they will be until the Festival of the Sun's Eye. Then they will be -burnt...." - -From beneath the table rose the babble of the priest, Jugkaxtr, -as he blessed everyone in the house, down to the latest-born pup, -and the fleas living thereoff, and cursed all those who were -possessed by even the tiniest demon. The Duke, growing impatient at -the noise, kicked under the table. Jugkaxtr yelped and presently -crawled out. He sat down and began gnawing the meat from a bone, -a well-done-thou-good-and-faithful-servant expression on his fat -features. Green also felt like kicking him, just as he often felt -like kicking every single human being on this planet. It was hard to -remember that he must exercise compassion and understanding for them, -and that his own remote ancestors had once been just as nauseatingly -superstitious, cruel and bloody. - -There was a big difference between reading about such people and -actually living among them. A history or a romantic novel could -describe how unwashed and diseased and formula-bound primitives were, -but only the too-too substantial stench and filth could make your gorge -rise. - -Even as he stood there Zuni's powerful perfume rose and clung in heavy -festoons about him and slithered down his nostrils. It was a rare and -expensive perfume, brought back by Miran from his voyages and given to -her as a token of the merchant's esteem. Used in small quantities it -would have been quite effective to express feminine daintiness and to -hint at delicate passion. But no, Zuni poured it like water over her, -hoping to cover up the stale odor left by _not_ taking a bath more than -once a month. - -She looked so beautiful, he thought. And stank so terribly. At least -she had at first. Now she looked less beautiful because he knew how -stupid she was, and didn't stink quite so badly because his nostrils -had become somewhat adjusted. They'd had to. - -"I intend to be back in Estorya by the time of the festival," said -Miran. "I've never seen the Eye of the Sun burn demons before. It's a -giant lens, you know. There will be just time enough to make a voyage -there and get back before the rainy season. I expect to make even -greater profits than the last time, because I've established some -highly placed contacts. O gods, I do not boast but merely praise your -favor to your humble worshiper, Miran the Merchant of the Clan of -Effenycan!" - -"Please bring me some more of this perfume," said the Duchess, "and I -just love the diamond necklace you gave me." - -"Diamonds, emeralds, rubies!" cried Miran, kissing his hand and rolling -his eye ecstatically. "I tell you, the Estoryans are rich beyond our -dreams! Jewels flow in their marketplaces like drops of water in a -cataract! Ah, if only the Emperor could be induced to organize a great -raiding fleet and storm its walls!" - -"He remembers too well what happened to his father's fleet when he -tried it," growled the Duke. "The storm that destroyed his thirty ships -was undoubtedly raised by the priests of the Goddess Hooda. I still -think that the expedition would have succeeded, however, if the late -Emperor had not ignored the vision that came to him the night before -they set sail. It was the great god Axoputqui, and he said...." - -There was a lengthy conversation which did not hold Green's attention. -He was too busy trying to think of a plan whereby he could get -to Estorya and to the demons' iron vessel, which was obviously a -spaceship. This was his only chance. Soon the rainy season would start -and there would be no vessels leaving for at least three months. - -He could, of course, just walk away and hope to get to Estorya on foot. -Thousands of miles through countless perils, and he had only a general -idea of where the city was ... no, Miran was his only hope. - -But how...? He didn't think that stowing away would work. There was -always a careful search for slaves who might try just that very plan. -He looked at Miran, the short, fat, big-stomached, hook-nosed, one-eyed -fellow with many chins and a large gold ring in his nose. The fellow -was shrewd, shrewd, and he would not want to offend the Duchess by -helping her official gigolo escape. Not, that is, unless Green could -offer him something that was so valuable that he couldn't afford not to -take the risk. Miran boasted that he was a hard-headed businessman, but -it was Green's observation that there was always a large soft spot in -that supposedly impenetrable cranium: the Fissure of Cupiditas. - - - - -2 - - -The Duke rose, and everybody followed his example. Jugkaxtr chanted the -formula of dismissal, then sat down to finish gnawing on the bone. The -others filed out. Green walked in front of Zuni in order to warn her -of any obstacles in her path and to take the brunt of any attempted -assassination. As he did so he was seized by the ankle and tripped -headlong. He did not fall hard because he was a quick man, in spite -of his six-foot-two and hundred ninety pounds. But he rose red-faced -because of the loud laughter and from repressed anger at Alzo, who had -again repeated his trick of grabbing Green's leg and upsetting him. -He wanted to grab a spear from a nearby guard and spit Alzo. But that -would be the end of Green. And whereas up to now there had been many -times when he would not particularly have cared if he left this planet -via the death route, he could not now make a false move. Not when -escape was so near! - -So he grinned sheepishly and again preceded the Duchess, while the -others followed her out. When they reached the bottom of the broad -stone staircase that led to the upper floors of the castle, Zuni told -Green that he was to go to the marketplace and buy tomorrow's food. As -for her, she was going back to bed and sleep until noon. - -Inwardly Green groaned. How long could he keep up this pace? He was -expected to stay up half the night with her, then attend to his -official duties during the day. She slept enough to be refreshed by -the time he visited her, but he never had a chance for any real rest. -Even when he had his free hours in the afternoon he had to go to his -house in the pens, and there he had to stay awake and attend to all -his familial duties. And Amra, his slave-wife, and her six children -demanded much from him. They were even more tyrannical than the -Duchess, if that were possible. - -How long, O Lord, how long? The situation was intolerable; even if he'd -not heard of the spaceship he would have plotted to escape. Better a -quick death while trying to get away than a slow, torturous one by -exhaustion. - -He bowed good-by to the Duke and Duchess, then followed the violet -turban and yellow robes of Miran through the courtyard, through the -thick stone walls, over the bridge of the broad moat, and into the -narrow winding streets of the city of Quotz. Here the merchant-captain -got into his silver-and-jewel-decorated rickshaw. The two long-legged -men between its shafts, sailors and clansmen from Miran's vessel, the -_Bird of Fortune_, began running through the crowd. The people made way -for them, as two other sailors preceded them calling out Miran's name -and cracking whips in the air. - -Green, after looking to make certain that nobody from the castle was -around to see him, ran until he was even with the rickshaw. Miran -halted it and asked what he wanted. - -"Your pardon, Your Richness, but may a humble slave speak and not be -reprimanded?" - -"I presume it is no idle thought you have in mind," said Miran, looking -Green over his one eye narrow in its fat-folds. - -"It has to do with money." - -"Ah, despite your foreign accent you speak with a pleasing voice; you -are the golden trumpet of Mennirox, my patron god. Speak!" - -"First Your Richness must swear by Mennirox that you will under no -circumstances divulge my proposal." - -"There is wealth in this? For me?" - -"There is." - -Miran glanced at his clansmen, standing there patiently, apparently -oblivious of what was going on. He had power of life and death over -them, but he didn't trust them. He said, "Perhaps it would be better if -I thought about this before making such a drastic oath. Could you meet -me tonight at the Hour of the Wineglass at the House of Equality? And -could you perhaps give me a slight hint of what you have in mind?" - -"The answer to both is yes. My proposal has to do with the dried fish -that you carry as cargo to the Estoryans. There is another thing, too, -but I may not even hint at it until I have your oath." - -"Very well then. At the agreed hour. Fish, eh? I must be off. Time is -money, you know. Get going boys, full sails." - -Green hailed a passing rickshaw and seated himself comfortably in it. -As assistant majordomo he had plenty of money. Moreover, the Duke and -Duchess would have been outraged if he had lowered their prestige by -walking through the city's streets. His vehicle made good time, too, -because everybody recognized his livery: the scarlet and white tricorn -hat and the white sleeveless shirt with the Duke's heraldic arms on its -chest--red and green concentric circles pierced by a black arrow. - -The street led always downward, for the city had been built on the -foothills of the mountains. It wandered here and there and gave Green -plenty of time to think. - -The trouble was, he thought, that if the two imprisoned men at Estorya -were to die before he got to them he'd still be lost. He had no idea -of how to pilot or navigate a spaceship. He'd been a passenger on a -freighter when it had unaccountably blown up, and he'd been forced to -leave the dying vessel in one of those automatic castaway emergency -shells. The capsule had got him down to the surface of this planet and -was, as far as he knew, still up in the hills where he'd left it. After -wandering for a week and almost starving to death he'd been picked up -by some peasants. They had turned him in to the soldiers of a nearby -garrison, thinking he must be a runaway slave on whom they'd collect -a reward. Taken to the capital city of Quotz, Green had almost been -freed because there was no record of his being anybody's property. But -his tallness, blondness and inability to speak the local language had -convinced his captors that he must have wandered down from some far -northern country. Therefore if he wasn't a slave he should be. - -Presto, changeo! He was. And he'd put in six months in a quarry and a -year as a dock worker. Then the Duchess had chanced to see him on the -streets as she rode by, and he'd been transferred to the castle. - -The streets were alive with the short, dark, stocky natives and the -taller, lighter-complexioned slaves. The former wore their turbans of -various colors, indicating their status and trade. The latter wore -their three-cornered hats. Occasionally a priest in his high conical -hat, hexagonal spectacles and goatee rode by. Wagons and rickshaws -drawn by men or by big, powerful dogs went by. Merchants stood at the -fronts of their shops and hawked their wares in loud voices. They sold -cloth, grixtr nut, parchment, knives, swords, helmets, drugs, books--on -magic, on religion, on travel--spices, perfumes, ink, rugs, highly -sugared drinks, wine, beer, tonic, paintings, everything that went to -make up their civilization. Butchers stood before open shops where -dressed fowl, deer and dogs hung. Dealers in birds pointed out the -virtues of their many-colored and multi-songed pets. - -For the thousandth time Green wondered at this strange planet where -the only large animals were men, dogs, grass cats, a small deer and -a very small equine. In fact, there was a paucity of any variety of -animal life, except for the surprisingly large number of birds. It was -this scarcity of horses and oxen, he supposed, that helped perpetuate -slavery. Man and dog had to provide most of the labor. - -No doubt there was an explanation for all this, but it must be buried -so deep in this people's forgotten history that one would never know. -Green, always curious, wished that he had time and means to explore. -But he didn't. He might as well resign himself to keeping a whole skin -and to getting out of this mess as fast as he could. - -There was enough to do merely to make his way through the narrow and -crowded streets. He had to display his baton often to clear a path, -though when he approached the harbor area he had less trouble because -the streets were much wider. - -Here great wagons drawn by gangs of slaves carried huge loads to or -from the ships. The thoroughfares had to be broad, else the people -would have been crushed between wagon and house. Here also were the -so-called Pens, where the dock-slaves lived. Once the area had actually -been an enclosure where men and women were locked up for the night. But -the walls had been torn down and new houses built in the old Duke's -time. The closest Earthly parallel Green could think of for these -edifices was a housing project. Small cottages, all exactly alike, set -in military columns. - -For a moment he considered stopping off to see Amra, then decided -against it. She'd get him tied up in an argument or something, and -he'd spend too much time trying to soothe her, time that should be -spent at the marketplace. He hated scenes, whereas Amra was a born -self-dramatist who reveled in them, almost wallowed, one might say. - -He averted his eyes from the Pens and looked at the other side of -the street, where the walls of the great warehouses towered. Workmen -swarmed around them, and cranes, operated by gangs pushing wheels like -a ship's capstan, raised or lowered big bundles. Here, he thought, was -a business opportunity for him. - -Introduce the steam engine. It'd be the greatest thing that ever hit -this planet. Wood-burning automobiles could replace the rickshaws. -Cranes could be run by donkey-engines. The ships themselves could have -their wheels powered by steam. Or perhaps, he thought, rails could be -laid across the Xurdimur, and locomotives would make the ships obsolete. - -No, that wouldn't work. Iron rails cost too much. And the savages that -roved over the grassy plains would tear them up and forge weapons from -them. - -Besides, every time he suggested to the Duke a new and much more -efficient method of doing something he ran dead into the brick wall of -tradition and custom. Nothing new could be accepted unless the gods -accepted it. The gods' will was interpreted by the priests. The priests -clutched the status quo as tightly as a hungry infant clutches its -mother's breast or an old man clings to his property. - -Green could make a fight against the theocracy, but he didn't feel it -was worth while to become a martyr. - -He heard a familiar voice behind him calling his name. - -"Alan! Alan!" - -He hunched his shoulders like a turtle withdrawing his head and thought -desperately for a moment of trying to ignore the voice. But, though a -woman's, it was powerful and penetrating, and everybody around him had -already turned to see its owner. So he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard -it. - -"ALAN, YOU BIG BLOND NO-GOOD HUNK OF MAN, STOP!" - -Reluctantly Green told his rickshaw boy to turn around. The boy, -grinning, did so. Like everybody else along the harbor front he knew -Amra and was familiar with her relations with Green. She held their -one-year-old daughter in her arms, cradled against her magnificent -bosom. Behind her stood her other five children, her two sons by the -Duke, her daughter by a visiting prince, her son by the captain of a -Northerner ship, her daughter by a temple sculptor. Her rise and fall -and slow rise again was told in the children around her; the tableau -embodied an outline of the structure of the planet's society. - - - - -3 - - -Her mother had been a Northerner slave; her father, a native freeman, -a wheelwright. When she was five years old they had died in a plague. -She had been transferred to the Pens and raised by her aunt. When she -was fifteen her beauty had attracted the Duke and he had installed -her in the palace. There she gave birth to his two sons, now ten and -eleven, who would soon be taken away from her and raised in the Duke's -household as free and petted servants. - -The Duke had married the present Duchess several years after his -liaison with Amra began and her jealousy had forced him to get rid of -Amra. Back to the Pens she had gone; perhaps the Duke had not been -too sad to see her go, for living with her was like living with a -hurricane, and he liked peace and quiet too well. - -Then, in accordance with the custom, she had been recommended by the -Duke to a visiting prince; the prince had overstayed his leave from -his native country because he hated to part with her, and the Duke had -wanted to give her as a present. But here he'd overstepped his legal -authority. Slaves had certain rights. A woman who had borne a citizen a -child could not be shipped away or sold unless she gave her permission. -Amra didn't choose to go, so the sorrowing prince had gone home, though -not without leaving a memento of his visit behind him. - -The captain of a ship had purchased her, but here again the law came -to her rescue. He could not take her out of the country, and she again -refused to leave. By now she had purchased several businesses--slaves -were allowed to hold property and even have slaves of their own--and -she knew that her two boys by the Duke would be valuable later on, when -they'd go to live with him. - -The temple sculptor had used her as his model for his great marble -statue of the goddess of Fertility. Well he might, for she was a -magnificent creature, a tall woman with long, richly auburn hair, a -flawless skin, large russet brown eyes, a mouth as red and ripe as a -plum, breasts with which neither child nor lover could find fault, a -waist amazingly slender considering the rest of her curved body and her -fruitfulness. Her long legs would have looked good on an Earthwoman and -were even more outstanding among a population of club-ankled females. - -There was more to her than beauty. She radiated a something that struck -every male at first sight; to Green she sometimes seemed to be a -violent physical event, perhaps even a principle of Nature herself. - -There were times when Green felt proud because she had picked him as -her mate, chosen him when he was a newly imported slave who could say -only a few words in the highly irregular agglutinative tongue. But -there were times when he felt that she was too much for him, and those -times had been getting too frequent lately. Besides, he felt a pang -whenever he saw their child, because he loved it and dreaded the moment -when he would have to leave it. As for deserting Amra, he wasn't sure -how that would make him feel. Undeniably, she did affect him, but then -so did a blow in the teeth or wine in the blood. - -He got down out of the rickshaw, told the boy to wait, said, "Hello, -honey," and kissed her. He was glad she was a slave, because she didn't -wear a nose-ring. When he kissed the Duchess he was always annoyed -by hers. She refused to take it off when with him because that would -put her on his level, and he mustn't ever forget he was a slave. It -was perfectly moral for her to take a bondsman as a lover but not a -freeman, and she was nothing if not moral. - -Amra's return kiss was passionate, part of which was the vigor of -asperity. "You're not fooling me," she said. "You meant to ride right -by. Kiss the children! What's the matter, are you getting tired of me? -You told me you only accepted the Duchess's offer because it meant -advancement, and you were afraid that if you turned her down she'd -find an excuse to kill you. Well, I believed you--half-believed you, -anyway. But I won't if you try sneaking by without seeing me. What's -the matter? Are you a man or not? Are you afraid to face a woman? Don't -shake your head. You're a liar! Don't forget to kiss Grizquetr; you -know he's an affectionate boy and worships you, and it's absurd to -say that in your country grown men don't kiss boys that old. You're -not in your country--what a strange, frigid, loveless race must live -there--and even if you were you might overlook their customs to show -some tenderness to the boy. Come on back to our house and I'll bring up -some of that wonderful Chalousma wine that came in the other day out of -the cellar----" - -"What was a ship doing in your cellar?" he said, and he whooped with -laughter. "By all the gods, Amra, I know it's been two days since I've -seen you, but don't try to crowd forty-eight hours' conversation into -ten minutes, especially your kind of conversation. And quit scolding me -in front of the children. You know it's bad for them. They might pick -up your attitude of contempt for the head of the house." - -"I? Contempt? Why, I worship the ground you walk on! I tell them -continually what a fine man you are, though it's rather hard to -convince them when you do show up and they see the truth. Still...." - -There was only one way to handle her; that was to outtalk, outshout, -outact her. It was hard going, especially when he felt so tired, and -when she would not cooperate with him but would fight for precedence. -The trouble was, she didn't feel any respect for the man she could shut -up, so it was absolutely necessary to dominate her. - -This he accomplished by giving her a big squeeze, causing the baby to -cry because she was pushed in too tightly between the two of them. Then -while Amra was trying to soothe the baby he began telling her what had -happened at the palace. - -She was silent, except for a sharply pointed question interjected now -and then, and she insisted upon hearing the details of everything that -had taken place--everything. He told her things that he would not have -mentioned before children--two years ago. But the extremely frank and -uninhibited society of the slaves had freed him of any such restraints. - -They went inside Amra's house, through her offices, where six of her -clerks and secretaries worked, through the living rooms proper, and on -into the kitchen. - -She rang a bell and told Inzax, a pretty little blonde, to go into the -cellar and bring up a quart of Chalousma. One of the clerks popped -his head in the kitchen door and told her that a Mr. Sheshyarvrenti, -purser of an Andoonanarga vessel, wanted to see her about the -disposition of some rare birds that she had ordered seven months -before. He would deal with no one but her. - -"Let him cool his heels for a while," she said. The clerk gulped and -his head disappeared. - -Green took Paxi, his daughter, and played with her while Amra poured -their wine. - -"This can go on only so long," she said. "I love you, and I'm not -getting the attention I'm accustomed to. You should find some pretense -to break off with the Duchess. I'm a vigorous woman who needs a lot of -love. I want you here." - -Green had nothing to lose by agreeing with her, since he planned to be -leaving in a very short time. "You're right," he said. "I'll tell her -as soon as I think up a good excuse." He fingered his neck at the place -where a headsman's ax would come down. "It had better be a good one, -though." - -Amra seemed to glow all over with happiness. She held her glass up and -said, "Here's to the Duchess. May demons carry her off." - -"You'd better be careful, saying that before the children. You know -that if they innocently repeated that to someone and it got back to the -Duchess you'd be burned in the next witchhunt." - -"Not my children!" she scoffed. "They're too clever. They take after -their mother. They know when to keep their mouths shut." - -Green gulped his wine and stood up. "I must go." - -"You'll come home tonight? Surely the Duchess will let you out one -night a week?" - -"Not one single night. And I can't come here this evening because I'm -to meet Miran the Merchant at the House of Equality. Business, you -know." - -"Oh, I know! You'll dillydally about the whole matter, and put off -acting for one reason or another, and the first thing you know, years -will go by, and----" - -"If this keeps up I'll be dead in six months," he said. "I'm _tired_! I -have to get some sleep." - -She changed instantly from anger to sympathy. "Poor dear, why don't you -forget that appointment and sleep here until it's time to go back to -the castle? I'll send a messenger to Miran telling him you're sick." - -"No, this is something I just can't pass by." - -"What is it?" - -"It's of such a nature that telling you, or anybody, would spoil it." - -"And just what could that be?" she demanded, angry again. "It concerns -some woman, I'll bet!" - -"My problem is keeping away from you women, not getting into more -trouble. No, it's just that Miran has sworn me by all his gods to keep -silent and of course I couldn't think of breaking a vow." - -"I know your opinion of our gods," she said. "Well, go along with you! -But I warn you, I'm an impatient woman; I'll give you a week to work on -the Duchess, then I'm launching an attack myself." - -"That won't be necessary," he said. He kissed her and the children and -left. He congratulated himself on having delayed Amra that long. If he -couldn't carry out his scheme in a week he was lost, anyway. He'd have -to walk away from the city and out onto the Xurdimur, even if packs of -wild dogs and man-eating grass cats and cannibalistic men and God knew -what else did roam the grassy plains. - - - - -4 - - -Every city and village of the Empire had its House of Equality, within -whose walls distinctions of every type were abandoned. Green did not -know the origin of the institution, but he recognized its value as -a safety valve to blow off the extreme social pressure put on every -class. Here the slave who did not dare open his mouth in the outside -mundane world could curse his master to his face and go unpunished by -the authorities. Of course, there was nothing to keep the master from -retaliating in kind, for the slave also cast off his legal rights when -he entered. Violence was not unknown here, though it was infrequent. -Blood shed within these walls did not, theoretically, call for -punishment. But any murderer would find that, though the police paid -no attention to him, he'd have to deal with the slain one's relatives. -Many feuds had had their origin and end here. - -Green had excused himself after the evening meal, saying that he had to -talk to Miran about getting some spices from Estorya. Also the merchant -had mentioned that on his last trip he'd heard that a band of Estoryan -hunters were going after the rare and beautiful _getzlen_ bird and that -he might find some for sale when he returned there. Zuni's face lit up, -because she desired a _getzlen_ bird even more than a chance to annoy -her husband. Graciously she gave Green permission to leave. - -Inwardly exultant, though outwardly pulling a long face that was -supposed to suggest his sadness at having to leave the Duchess, he -backed out of the dining room. Not very gracefully, for Alzo chose that -moment to refuse to get out of Green's path. Green tumbled backward, -sprawling over the huge mastiff, who snarled with anger and trembled -with hypocritical indignation and bared his fangs with the intention -of tearing Green apart. The Earthman did not try to rise, because he -did not want to give Alzo an excuse for jumping him. Instead he bared -his own teeth and snarled back. The hall roared with laughter and the -Duke, holding his sides, tears running from his bulging eyes, rose -and staggered over to where the two faced each other on all fours. He -clutched Alzo's spike-studded collar and dragged him away, meanwhile -choking out a command to Green to take off while the taking off was -good. - -Green swallowed his anger, thanked the Duke and left. Swearing that -he'd rip the hound apart some day with his bare hands, the Earthman -left for the House of Equality. It took all the long rickshaw ride to -the temple for him to calm down. - -The great central room with its three-story ceiling was full that -night. Men in their long evening kilts and women in masks crowded -around the gambling tables, the bars and the grudge-stages. There -was a large crowd around the platform on which two dealers in wheat -were slugging it out to work off resentment arising from business -disputes. But by far the greatest number had gathered to watch a -husband-and-wife match. His left hand had been tied to his side, and -she had been armed with a club. Thus equalized, they'd been given the -word to go to it. So far the man had had the worst of the match, as -bloody patches on his head and bruises on his arm showed. If he could -get the club away from her he had the right to do what he wanted to -her. But if she could break his free arm she had him at her complete -mercy. - -Green avoided the stage, because such barbarous doings made him sick. -Looking for Miran, he finally found him rolling a pair of six-sided -dice with another captain. This fellow wore the red turban and black -robes of the Clan Axucan. He had just lost to Miran and was paying him -sixty _iquogr_, a goodly sum even for a merchant-prince. - -Miran took Green's arm, something he'd never have done outside the -House, and led him off to a curtained booth where they could get as -much privacy as they wished. He matched Green for drinks; Green lost, -and Miran ordered a large pitcher of Chalousma. - -"Nothing but the best for yours truly--whenever someone else is -paying," Miran said jovially. "Now, I'm a great one for fun, but I'm -here primarily for business. So--let's have your proposal at once, if -you please." - -"First I must have your solemn oath that you will tell absolutely no -one what you hear in this booth. Second, that if you reject my idea -you do not then use it later on. Third, that if you do accept you will -never attempt later on to kill me or get rid of me and thus reap the -profits." - -Miran's face had been blank, but at the word "profits" it twisted into -many folds and creases, all expressive of joy. - -He reached into the huge purse he carried slung over his shoulder -and pulled out a little golden idol of the patron deity of the Clan -Effenycan. Putting his right hand upon its ugly head, he lifted his -left and said, "I swear by Zaceffucanquanr that I will obey your wishes -in this matter. May he strike me with lice, leprosy, lecher's disease -and lightning if I should break this, my solemn vow." - -Satisfied, Green said, "First I want you to arrange for me to be aboard -your windroller when you leave for Estorya." - -Miran choked on his wine and coughed and sputtered until Green pounded -his back. - -"I do not ask that you give me passage _back_. Now, here's my idea. You -plan to be taking a large cargo of dried fish because the Estoryans' -religion requires that they eat them at every meal and because they use -them in great quantities at their numerous festivals." - -"True, true. Do you know, I've never been able to figure out why they -should worship a fish-goddess. They live over five thousand miles from -the sea, and there's no evidence that any of them have ever been to the -sea. Yet, they demand saltwater fish, won't use the fish from a nearby -lake." - -"There're many mysteries about the Xurdimur. However, they needn't -concern us. Now, do you know that the Estoryans' Book of Gods places -much more ritual-power in freshly killed and cooked fish than in smoked -fish? However, they've always had to be content with the dried fish -the windrollers brought them. What price would they not pay for living -sea-fish?" - -Miran rubbed his palms together. "Indeed it does make one wonder...?" - -Green then outlined his idea. Miran sat stunned. Not at the audacity or -originality of the plan, but because it was so obvious that he wondered -why neither he nor anyone else had ever thought of it. He said so. - -Green drank his wine and said, "I suppose that people wondered the same -when the first wheel or bow and arrow were invented. So obvious, yet no -one thought of them until then." - -"Let me get this straight," said Miran. "You want me to buy a caravan -of wagons, build water-tight tanks into them and use them to transport -ocean fish back to here? Then the wagon bodies, with their contents, -will be lifted onto my windroller and fitted into specially prepared -racks--or perhaps, holes--on the middeck? Also, you will show me how to -analyze sea water so that its formula may be sold to the Estoryans, and -they can thus keep the fish alive in their own tanks?" - -"That's right." - -"Hmmm." Miran ran his fat, ring-studded finger over his hook nose and -the square gold ornament hanging therefrom. His single eye glared -pale-bluely at Green. The other was covered with a white patch to hide -the emptiness left after a ball from a Ving musket had struck it. - -"It's four weeks until the very last day on which I can set sail from -here and still get to Estorya and back before the rains come. It's just -barely possible to have the tanks built, get them convoyed down to -the seashore, get the fish in and bring them back. Meantime, I can be -having the deck altered. If my men work day and night we can make it." - -"Of course, this is a one-shot proposition. You can't possibly keep a -monopoly on the idea, once the first trip is over. Too many people are -bound to talk, and the other captains will hear of it." - -"I know; don't teach an Effenycan to suck eggs. But what if the fish -should die?" - -Green shrugged and spread out his palms. "A possibility. You're taking -a tremendous gamble. But every voyage on the Xurdimur is, isn't it? How -many windrollers come back? Or how many can boast your list of forty -successful trips?" - -"Not many," said Miran. - -He slumped in his seat, brooding over his goblet of wine. His eye, sunk -in ranges of fat, seemed to stare through Green. The Earthman pretended -indifference, though his heart was pounding, and he controlled his -breathing with difficulty. - -"You're asking a great deal," Miran finally said. "If the Duke were to -find out that I'd agreed to help a valued slave escape, I'd be tortured -in a _most_ refined way, and the Clan Effenycan would be stripped of -all its rights to sail windrollers and would probably be exiled to -its native hills. Or else would have to take to piracy. And that, -despite all the glamorous stories you hear, is not a very well-paying -profession." - -"You'd make a killing in Estorya." - -"True, but when I think of what the Duchess will do when she discovers -you've fled the country! Ow, ow, ow!" - -"There's no reason why you should be connected with my disappearance. A -dozen craft leave the harbor every day. Besides, for all she'll know, -I've gone the opposite way, over the hills and to the ocean. Or to the -hills themselves, where many runaway slaves are." - -"Yes, but I have to return to Tropat. And my clansmen, though -notoriously tight-lipped when sober, are also, I must confess, -notorious drunkards. Someone'd be sure to babble in the taverns." - -"I'll dye my hair black, cut it short, like a Tzatlam tribesman, and -sign on." - -"You forget that you have to belong to my clan in order to be a crew -member." - -"Hmmm. Well, what about this adoption-by-blood routine?" - -"What about it? I can't propose that unless you've done something -spectacular and for the profit of the clan. Wait! Can you play any -musical instrument?" - -Promptly, Green lied. "Oh, I am a wonderful harpist. When I play I can -soothe a hungry grass cat into lying down at my feet and licking my -toes with pure affection." - -"Excellent! Though it would not be an affection so pure, since it is -well known that the grass cat considers a man's toes a great delicacy -and always eats them first, even before the eyes. Listen well. Here is -what you must do in four weeks' time, for if all goes well, or all goes -ill, we set sail on the Week of the Oak, the Day of the Sky, the Hour -of the Lark, a most propitious time...." - - - - -5 - - -To Green, the next three weeks seemed to have shifted to low gear, -they crept by so slowly. Yet they should have raced by quickly enough, -so full of schemes and plots were they. He had to advise Miran on the -many technical details involved in building tanks for the fish. He -had to keep the Duchess happy, an increasingly difficult job because -it was impossible to pretend a one-hundred-per-cent absorption in her -while his mind desperately looked for flaws in his plans, found oh, so -many, and then as anxiously sought ways of repairing them. Nevertheless -he knew it was vital that he not displease or bore her. Prison would -forever ruin his chances. - -Worst of all, Amra was getting suspicious. - -"You're trying to conceal something from me," she told Green. "You -ought to know better. I can tell when a man is deceiving me. There's -something about the voice, the eyes, the way he makes love, though -you've been doing very little of that. What are you plotting?" - -"I assure you it's simply that I'm very tired," he said sharply. "All -I want is some peace and quiet, a little rest and a little privacy now -and then." - -"Don't try to tell me that's all!" - -She cocked her head to one side and squinted at him, managing somehow -even in this grotesque attitude to look ravishingly beautiful. - -Suddenly she said, "You wouldn't be thinking of running away, would -you?" - -For a second he became pale. Damn the woman anyway! - -"Don't be ridiculous," he said, trying hard to keep his voice from -cracking. "I'm too much aware of the penalties if I were caught. -Besides, why should I want to run away? You are the most desirable -woman I've ever known. (This was the truth.) Though you're not the -easiest one in the world to live with. (A master understatement.) I -would have gotten no place without you. (True; but he couldn't spend -the rest of his life on this barbarous world.) And it is unthinkable -that I would want to leave you." (Inexpressible, yes, but not -unthinkable. He couldn't take her with him, for the simple reason that -even if she would go she would never fit in his life on Earth. She'd be -absolutely unhappy. Moreover, she'd not go anyway, because she'd refuse -to abandon her children and would try to take them along, thus wrecking -all his escape plans. He might just as well hire a brass band and march -behind it out of the city and onto the windroller in the light of high -noon.) - -Nevertheless his conscience troubled him. If it was painful to -leave Amra it was hell to leave Paxi, his daughter. For days he had -considered taking her along with him, but eventually abandoned the -idea. Trying to steal her from under Amra's fiercely watchful gaze was -almost impossible. Moreover, Paxi would miss her mother terribly, and -he had no business exposing the baby to the risks of the voyage, which -were many. Amra would be doubly hurt. Losing him would be bad enough, -but to lose Paxi also...! No, he couldn't do that to her. - -The outcome of this conversation with her was that she apparently -dropped her suspicions. At least she never spoke of them again. He -was glad of that, for it was impossible to keep entirely hidden his -connection with the mysterious actions of Miran the Merchant. The -whole city knew something was up. There was undoubtedly a lot of money -tied up with this deal of the wagon caravan going to the seashore. -But what did it all mean? Neither Miran nor Green would say a word, -and while the Duke and Duchess might have used their authority to get -the information from their slave, the Duke made no move. Miran had -promised to let him in on a share of the profits, provided he gave -the merchant a free hand and asked no questions. The Duke was quite -content. He planned on spending the money to increase his collection -of glass birds. He had ten large rooms of the castle glittering with -his fantastic aviary: shining, silent and grotesquely beautiful, all -products of the glass-blowers of the fabulous city of Metzva Moosh, -far, far away across the grassy sea of the Xurdimur. - -Green was present when the Duke talked to Miran about it. - -"Now, Captain, you must understand just exactly what I do want," warned -the ruler, lifting a finger to emphasize the seriousness of his words. -His eyes, usually deep-sunk in their fat, had widened to reveal large, -brown and soulful orbs. The passion for his hobby shone forth. Nothing: -good Chalousma wine, his wife, the torture of a heretic or runaway -slave, could make him quiver and glitter with delight as much as the -thought of the exquisitely wrought image of a Metzva Moosh bird. - -"I want two or three, but no more because I can't afford more. All made -by Izan Yushwa, the greatest of the glass-blowers. I'd particularly -like any modeled after the bird-of-terror...." - -"But when I was last in Estorya I heard that Izan Yushwa was dying," -said Miran. - -"Excellent, excellent!" cried the Duke. "That will make everything -recently created by him even more valuable! If he is dead now it is -probable that the Estoryans, who control the export of the Mooshans, -will be putting a high price on anything of his that comes their way. -That means that bidding will be high during the festival and that you -must outbid any prospective buyers. By all means do so. Pay any price, -for I must have something created by him in his last days!" - -The Duke, Green realized, was so eager because of the belief that a -part of a dying artist's soul entered into his latest creations when he -died. These were called "soul-works" and brought ten times as much as -anything else, even if the conception and execution were inferior to -previous works. - -Sourly Miran said, "But you have given me no money to buy your birds." - -"Of course not. You will lend me the sum, buy them yourself, and when -you come back with them I will raise the money to repay you." - -Miran didn't seem too happy, but Green knew that the fat merchant was -already planning to charge the Duke double the purchase price. As -for Green, he liked to see a man interested in a hobby, but he was -disgusted because taxes would now be raised in order to allow the Duke -to add to his collection. - -The Duchess, bored as usual by her husband's conversation, suddenly -said, "Honey, let's go hunting next weekend. I've been so restless -lately, so unable to sleep nights. I think I've been cooped up too long -in this dismal old place. My digestion has been so sluggish lately. I -think I need the exercise and the fresh air." And she went into vivid -detail about certain aspects of her gastrointestinal troubles. The -Earthman, who'd thought he was hardened to this people's custom of -dwelling on such matters, turned green. - -At the suggestion of a hunt the Duke didn't exactly groan, but his eyes -rolled upward in supplication to the gods. Until he had reached the -age of thirty he had enjoyed a good hunt. But like most upper-class -men of his culture, he rapidly put on flesh after thirty and became as -sedentary as possible. The belief was that fat increased a man's life -span. Also, a big belly and double chin were signs of aristocratic -blood and a full purse. Unfortunately, along with this came an -inevitable decline in vigor, which, coupled with the December-May -marriages that their society expected of them, had given birth to -another institution: the slave male companion of the rich man's young -wife. - -It was toward Green that the Duke looked. "Why not let him conduct the -hunt?" he suggested hopefully. "I've so much business to take care of." - -"Like sitting on your fat cushion and contemplating your glass birds," -she said. "No!" - -"Very well," he said, resignedly. "I've a slave in the work-pens who's -to be executed for striking a foreman. We'll use him as the quarry. But -I think we ought to give him two weeks to build up his wind and legs. -Otherwise it would hardly be sporting, you know." - -The Duchess frowned. "No. I'm getting bored; I can't stand this -inaction any longer." - -She shot a glance at Green. He felt his stomach muscles contracting. -Evidently she'd noticed his lukewarm interest in her. This hunt was -partly to suggest to him that he'd be meeting a like fate unless he -perked up and began to be more entertaining. - -It wasn't that thought that made his heart sink. It was that next -weekend was when Miran's windroller raised sail and when he planned to -be aboard it. Now, he'd be gone conducting the hunting party up in the -hills. - -Green looked appealingly at Miran, but the merchant's shoulders rose -beneath the yellow robe as if to say, "What can I do?" - -He was right. Miran couldn't suggest that he too go along on the hunt, -and thus give Green a chance to slip aboard afterward. The day on -which the _Bird of Fortune_ was scheduled to leave the windbreak was -absolutely the last date on which it could set sail. He couldn't afford -to take the chance of being caught in the rains in the middle of the -vast plains. - - - - -6 - - -All the next day Green was too busy setting up the schedule of the -hunting party to have time to be gloomy. But when night came he seemed -to fold up inside himself. Could he pretend to be sick, too, and be -left behind when the party set out? - -No, for they would at once assume that he had been possessed by a -demon and would pack him off to the Temple of Apoquoz, God of Healing. -There he'd be under lock and key until he proved himself healthy. The -terrible part about going to the Temple of Apoquoz was that it made -death almost inevitable. If you didn't die of your own disease you -caught somebody else's. - -Green wasn't worried about catching any of the many diseases he'd be -exposed to in the Temple. Like all men of terrestrial descent, he -carried in his body a surgically implanted protoplasmic entity which -automatically analyzed any invading microscopic organisms and/or -viruses and manufactured antibodies to combat them. It lived in the -space created by the removal of his appendix; when working to fulfill -its mission it demanded food and radiated a heat that assured its host -of its heartening presence. An increased appetite plus a slight fever -indicated that it was killing off the disease and that within several -hours it would successfully repel any boarders. In the two years Green -had been on the planet it had had to attack at least forty times; Green -calculated that he would have been dead each and every time if it had -not been for his symbiote. - -Knowing this didn't help him. If he played sick he'd be locked up and -couldn't get on the 'roller. If he went on the hunting party he missed -the boat, too. - -Suppose he were to disappear the night before the party, to hide on the -windroller while the castle vainly looked for him? - -Not very likely. The first thing that would occur to Zuni would be to -order the windbreak closed and all 'rollers searched for a possible -stowaway. And if that happened Miran would be so delayed that it was -unlikely he'd sail. Even if he, Green, hid in Miran's cabin, where he -would probably be safe, there would still be the inevitable and totally -frustrating delay. - -Then why not disappear several days earlier, so that Miran could have -time to reload his cargo? He'd see the merchant tomorrow. If Miran fell -in with his plans, Green would disappear four nights from this very -night, which would leave three days for the windroller to be emptied -and reloaded. Fortunately the tanks wouldn't have to be taken off, -because any fool could see that the runaway wasn't hiding at the bottom -among the fish. - -Much relieved that he at least had a way open, if a very perilous one, -Green relaxed. He was sitting on a bench along a walk on top of one of -the castle walls. The sky was blazingly beautiful with stars larger -than any seen from Earth. The great moon and the small moon had risen. -The larger had just cleared the eastern horizon and the lesser one -was just past the zenith. Mingled moonwash and starwash softened the -grimness and ugliness of the city below him and laved it in a flood of -romance and glamour. Most of Quotz was unlighted, for the streets had -no lamps and the windows were shut up tight against thieves, vampires -and demons. Occasionally the torchflares of the servants of a drunken -noble or rich man moved down the dark canyons between the towering -overhanging houses. - -Beyond the city was the amphitheater formed by the hills curving out -to the north and the great brick wall built to continue the natural -windbreak. A wide opening had been left so that the 'rollers, their -sails furled, could be towed in or out. Past this the great plain -suddenly began, as if the hand of some immense landscaper had pressed -the hills flat and declared that from here on there would be no -unevennesses. - -Westward lay the incredibly level stretch of the grassy ground of the -Xurdimur. Ten thousand miles straight across, flat as a table top, -broken only here and there by clumps of forests, ruins of cities, -waterholes, the tents of the nomadic savages, herds of wild animals, -packs of grass cats and dire dogs, and the mysterious and undoubtedly -imaginary "roaming islands," great clumps of rock and dirt that legend -said slid of their own volition over the plains. How like this planet, -he thought, that the greatest peril to navigation should be one that -existed only in the heads of the inhabitants. - -The Xurdimur was a fabulous phenomenon, without parallel. On none -of the many planets that Earthmen had discovered was there anything -similar. How, he wondered, could the plain keep its smoothness, when -there was always dirt running on to it from the eroding hills and -mountains that ringed it? The rains, too, should have done much to -wear it away unevenly. Of course, the grass that grew all over it was -long and had very tough roots. And if what he had been told was true, -beneath the vegetation was one mass of inextricably tangled roots that -held the soil together. - -There was another thing to consider, though: the winds that blew all -the way across the Xurdimur and furnished propulsion for the wheeled -sailing craft. To have winds you must have pressure differentials, -which were usually caused by heat differentials. Although the Xurdimur -was ringed by mountains there were no large eminences on it for ten -thousand miles, nothing to replenish the currents of air. Or so it -seemed to his limited knowledge of meteorology, though he did wonder -how the trade winds that swept Earth's seas managed to keep going for -so many thousands of leagues, just on their original impetus. Or did -they get boosts? He didn't know. - -What he did know was that the Xurdimur was a thing that shouldn't -be. Yet, the very presence of men here was just as amazing, just -as preposterous. Homo sapiens was scattered throughout the Galaxy. -Everywhere that the space-traveling Earthmen had gone, they had -found that about every fourth inhabitable planet was populated by -men of their species. The proof lay not just in the outward physical -resemblance of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial; it lay in their -ability to breed. Earthman, Sirian, Albirean, Vegan, it made no -difference. Their men could have children by the women of other planets. - -Naturally there had been many theories to account for this fact. All -had as a common basis the assumption that Homo sapiens had sometime, -somewhere, in the very remote past, originated on one planet and then -had spread out over the Galaxy from it. And, somehow, space travel had -been lost and each race had gone back to savagery, only to begin again -the long hard struggle toward civilization and the re-discovery of -spaceships. Why, no one knew. One could only guess. - -There was the problem of language. It might seem that if man had come -from a common birthplace he would at least have kept a trace of his -home language and that the linguists could break down the development -of tongue and link one planet to another through it. But no. Every -world had its own Tower of Babel, its own ten thousand languages. The -terrestrial scientist might trace Russian and English and Swedish, and -Lithuanian and Persian and Hindustani back to a proto-Indo-European, -but he had never found on any other planet a language which he could -say had also derived from the Aryan Ursprache. - -Green's mind wandered to the two Earthmen now imprisoned in the city of -Estorya. He hoped they weren't being treated badly. They could be in -horrible pain at this very moment, if the priests felt like subjecting -them to a little demon-testing. - -Thinking of torture led him to sit up a little straighter and to -stretch his arms and legs. In an hour he was supposed to meet the -Duchess. To do that he had to go through the supposedly secret door -in the wall of the turret at the northern end of the walk, up a -stairway through a passage between the walls, and so to the Duchess's -apartments. There one of the maids-of-honor would usher him into Zuni's -presence and then would try to eavesdrop so she could report to the -Duke later on. Zuni and Green weren't supposed to know about this, but -were to pretend that she was their trusted confidante. - -When the great bell of the Temple of the God of Time, Grooza, struck, -Green would rise from his bench and go to what he now thought of as -a wearisome chore. If that woman could only be interested in talking -of something else besides her complexion or digestion, or idle palace -gossip, it wouldn't be so bad. But no, she chattered on and on, and -Green would get increasingly sleepy, yet would not dare drop off for -fear of irreparably offending her. And to do that.... - - - - -7 - - -The lesser moon had touched the western horizon and the greater was -nearing the zenith when Green awoke and jumped to his feet, swearing in -sheer terror. He'd fallen asleep and kept Zuni waiting. - -"My God, what'll she say?" he said aloud. "What'll I tell her?" - -"You needn't tell me anything," came her angry retort from very -close by. He started, and whirled around and saw that she'd been -standing behind him. She was wrapped in a robe, but her pale face -gleamed from beneath the overhanging hood and her mouth was opened. -White teeth flashed as she began accusing him of not loving her, of -being bored by her, of loving some other woman, probably a slave -girl, a good-for-nothing, lazy, brainless, emptily pretty wench. If -his situation hadn't been so serious Green would have smiled at her -self-portrayal. - -He tried to dam the flood, but to no avail. She screeched at him to -shut up, and when he put his fingers to his lips and said, "Shhh!" she -replied by raising her voice even more. - -"You know you're not supposed to be out of your rooms after dark -unless the Duke is along," he said, taking her elbow and attempting to -steer her down the walk toward the secret door. "If the guards see you -there'll be trouble, bad trouble. Let's go." - -Unfortunately the guards did see them. Torches appeared at the foot of -the steps below the walk, and iron helmets and cuirasses gleamed. Green -tried to urge her on faster, for there was still time to make it to the -door. She jerked her arm loose and shouted, "Take your filthy hands off -me, you Northern slave! The Duchess of Tropat doesn't allow herself to -be pushed around by a blond beast!" - -"Damn it," he snarled, and he shoved her. "You stupid _kizmaiaz_! Get -going! _You_ won't be tortured if they find us together!" - -Zuni jerked away. Her face twisted and her mouth worked soundlessly. -"_Kizmaiaz!_" she finally gasped. "_Kizmaiaz_ yourself!" - -Suddenly she began screaming. Before he could clamp his hand over her -mouth, she dashed past him and toward the steps. It was then that he -came out of his paralysis and ran, not after her, which he knew was -useless, but toward the secret door. All was up. It was absolutely no -use trying to explain to the guards. The situation had now entered a -conventional phase. She would tell the guards that he had come into her -room, through some unknown means--which would be "found out" later--and -had dragged her out onto the walk, apparently with the intention of -violating her. Why he should pick a public place when he already had -the privacy of her rooms would not be asked. And the guards, though -they would know what really had happened, would pretend to believe -her and would furiously seize him and drag him off to the dungeons. -The absurd thing about it was that within a few days the whole city, -including Zuni herself, would believe that her story was true. By the -time he'd been executed they would hate his guts, and the lot of all -the slaves would be miserable for a while because they would share his -blame. - -Green had no intention of being seized. Flight was an admission of -guilt, but it made no difference now. - -He ran through the secret door, shut and bolted it and raced up the -steps that led to her apartments. The guards would have to take the -long way around; he had at least two minutes before they could unlock -the two doors of the ante-rooms to her quarters, explain to the guards -just outside them what had happened and begin a search for him. As for -him, he was running like a rabbit, but he was thinking like a fox. -Having known that just such a situation might arise, he had long ago -planned in detail several possible courses of action. Now, he chose the -likeliest one and began acting efficiently--if not smoothly. - -The staircase was a narrow corkscrew with room for only one person -at a time to go up. He ran up it so fast that he got dizzy with the -ever-winding turns. He reeled and had trouble keeping from falling -to his left when he did arrive at its top. Nevertheless he did not -pause to catch breath or balance but pulled the lever that would make -the door swing out. He burst through it. No one there, thank God. He -stopped for a moment, listened to make sure nobody was in the next -room, then pushed on a boss set in a pattern of bronze protuberances, -which was connected with the mechanism that operated the secret door. -The section of wall swung back silently until it was flush with the -rest, and quite indistinguishable. He then twisted the knob so the door -couldn't be opened from the other side. Green took time to give fervent -thanks to the builders of the castle, who had prepared this device for -the owners to hide within in case of a successful invasion or revolt. -If it had not been there he could not have escaped. - -Escaped? He'd only put off his inevitable capture. But he intended to -run as long as he could and then fight until they were forced to kill -him. - -The first thing to do was to find a weapon. As a matter of fact, he -was so familiar with Zuni's rooms that he knew exactly where he could -get what he wanted. He walked through two large rooms, making his way -easily even through the feeble duskish light that the few oil lamps -and candles furnished. Hanging from the wall of the third room was a -saber made of the best steel obtainable on this planet and fashioned by -the greatest smiths, the swordwrights of faraway and almost legendary -Talamasko. The blade was a gift from Zuni's father on the occasion of -her wedding to the Duke. It was supposed to be given by Zuni to her -eldest son when he came of weapon-carrying age. The hilt had a guard on -which was inscribed in gold the motto: _Sooner hell than dishonor_. He -fastened sword and scabbard to an iron ring on his broad leather belt, -went to a luxurious dressing table, pulled open a drawer and took out a -stiletto. This he stuck through his belt, also a huge flintlock pistol -with a gold-and-ivory-chased butt. He loaded it with powder and an -iron ball he found in a compartment and put ammunition in a bag, which -he also hung from his belt. Then, well armed, he walked out onto the -balcony to take a quick view of the situation. - -Three stories below him was the walk which he had left a few minutes -before. Many soldiers, and Zuni, were standing there, all looking -up. As his face came into sight, visible in the moonlight and the -up-reaching flares of their torches, a shout arose. Several of the -musket men raised their long-barreled weapons, but Zuni cried out for -them to hold their fire, she wanted him alive. Green's skin prickled -at the vindictiveness in her voice and at the vision of what she was -probably planning for him. He'd been forced to see too many tortures -and public executions not to know exactly what she designed for him. -Suddenly overcome with rage that she could be so treacherous and -brutal, a rage perhaps flavored with self-disgust because he had made -love to her, he aimed his pistol at her. There was a click as the -hammer struck the flint, a spark, a whoosh as the powder burnt in the -pan, a loud bang and a cloud of black smoke. When the fumes cleared -away, he saw that everybody, including the Duchess, was running for -cover. Naturally, he'd missed, for he'd had almost no practice with the -pistols, being a slave. Even if he'd been well trained, he probably -would not have struck his mark, so inaccurate were the weapons. - -While Green was reloading he heard a shout from above. Looking up, he -saw the Duke's round face, pale in the moonlight, hanging over the -railing of the balcony above. He raised his empty pistol, and the Duke, -squalling with fear, ran back into his quarters. Green laughed and said -to himself that even if he was killed now he would at least have the -satisfaction of knowing that he had shamed the Duke, who was always -boasting about his bravery in battle. Of course, his action had also -made it absolutely necessary for the Duke to have him killed at once, -so that Green could not tell others that he'd put him to flight. - -He grinned crookedly. What would happen when the soldiers received the -Duke's orders, directly contradicting the Duchess's? The poor fellows -would scarcely know what to do. The man's commands would of course -supersede the woman's. But the woman would be furious and she would -later on find some means of punishing those who did succeed in killing -Green. - -It was at that moment that he lost his smile and paled with fright. A -loud deep-chested barking nearby. Not outside the apartment's door, but -_inside_! - -He cursed and whirled around just in time to see the large body -launched toward his throat, the white fangs flashing and the green -fire shining from its eyes as the moonlight struck them. - -Even in that moment of panic he realized that he'd forgotten the small -door set inside the larger one so that Alzo could have admittance at -any time. And if the big dog could get through, then soldiers could -also crawl through! - -Instinctively he thrust out the pistol and squeezed the trigger. It -did not go off, for there was no powder in the pan. But the barrel did -jam into the great mouth and deflect Alzo from his target, Green's -throat. Even so, Green was knocked backward by the impact, and he felt -the sharp teeth clamping down on his wrist. Those jaws were capable of -biting through his arm, and though he felt no pain, he was sickened by -the thought that he'd see a bloody stump when Alzo danced away from -him. However, his arm, though dripping blood from large gashes, was not -hurt badly. The dog had been deterred by the barrel shoved down his -throat, choking him so that he could think of nothing for the moment -but getting clear of it. - -The pistol clattered on the iron floor of the balcony. Alzo shook -his head, unaware in his frenzy that he was rid of the weapon. Green -leaped up from the sitting position into which Alzo's charge had flung -him against the railing. Snarling as viciously as the dog, he braced -his feet against the juncture of the floor and railing and launched -himself straight out. At the same time, the canine jumped. They met -head on, Green's skull driving into the open mouth and knocking the dog -backward because his impetus was greater. Though the huge jaws bit down -at his scalp, they snapped on air, and the animal fell to one side, -growling. Green seized hold of the long tail, rolled away from the -teeth now snapping at his ankles, and jerked at the tail so that the -dog would swing away from him. He rose to one knee, pushed the dog away -from him, though still keeping his frenzied grip with two hands, and -jumped to his feet. Frantically, the animal twisted around and bit at -the imprisoning hands. But he succeeded only in biting his own flank. -Howling in anguish, he tried to lunge away. Green, making a supreme -effort, raised the tail in the air. Naturally, the body came along with -it. At the same time he half-turned from the animal, bent forward and, -with a convulsive motion, using his bowed back as a lever, threw Alzo -over his head. - - - - -8 - - -The terrible growling suddenly changed to a high-pitched howl of -despair as Alzo flew over the railing and out into the air above the -walk. Green, leaning over to watch him, did not feel sorry for him. He -was exultant. He'd hated that dog and had dreamed of just such a moment. - -Alzo's yelping was cut off as he struck the parapet beside the walk, -bounced off, and then dropped from view into the depths beyond. Green's -strength had been greater than he'd suspected, for he had thought only -to toss the one hundred and fifty pound beast over the railing. - -There was no time for savoring triumph. If the dog could get through -that little door, so could soldiers. He ran out into the room, -expecting that at least a dozen men had crawled in. But there was no -one. Why? The only thing he could think of was that they were afraid, -knowing that if he at once dispatched the dog, he could leisurely knock -them over the head in their helpless on-all-fours position. - -The door shook beneath a mighty impact. They'd taken the wiser, if the -less courageous, course of battering rams. Green loaded his pistol, -spilling the powder at his first attempt to prime the pan because -his hands shook so. He fired, and a large hole appeared in the wood. -However, part of the ball also stuck out, for the door was planked -thickly against just such weapons. - -The battering ceased and he heard a thud as the ram was dropped on the -floor in hasty retreat. He smiled. As they were still operating under -the Duchess's instructions to take him alive--not yet countermanded by -the Duke's--they would not want to face pistol fire with only swords in -hand. And in the first reflex to the shot they'd undoubtedly forgotten -that a ball couldn't penetrate the wood. - -"This is living!" said Green out loud. And he wondered that his voice -shook as much as his legs did, and yet he felt a wild exultance -shooting through his fear and knew that he was tasting both with a -fine liking. Perhaps, he thought, he really liked this moment--even if -his death was around the corner--because he'd been repressed so long -and violence was a wonderful therapy for releasing his resentment and -clamped-down-on fury. Whatever the reason, he knew that this was one of -the high moments of his life and that if he survived he'd look back on -it with pleasure and pride. And that was the strangest thing of all, -since in his culture the young were taught to abhor violence. Luckily, -they weren't so conditioned against it that the very thought of it -paralyzed them. No hard neural paths had been set up against the action -of violence; it was just that, philosophically speaking, they loathed -the concept. Fortunately, there was a philosophy of the body, too, a -much older and deeper one. And while it was true that man could no -more live without philosophy of the mind than he could without bread, -it had no place in Green at present. The fiery breath that flooded his -body now and made him so sensitive to what a fine thing it was to be -alive while death was knocking at the door did not rise from any mental -abstraction or profound meditation. - -Green rolled back the carpets that led from the room to the balcony, -for he wanted a firm footing if it became necessary to make a running -broad jump from the balcony in an effort to clear the walk below -and drop into the moat. He'd have to have very good timing and do -everything just right the first time, like a parachute jump, otherwise -he'd end up with broken bones on the hard stones below. - -Not that he was going to make that leap unless he just had to. But he -was leaving an avenue open if his other measures didn't work. - -Again he ran to the bureau and drew out a large bag of gunpowder, -weighing at least five pounds. In the open end of this he inserted a -fuse, and tied the neck around it. While he was doing this, he heard -shouts and cheers as the soldiers returned to the door, picked up their -ram and hurled themselves at the thick planking. He did not bother -shooting again but instead lit the fuse with a candle. Then he walked -to the large door, pushed out the small dog's door and tossed the bag -through it. He jumped back and ran, though there was little chance -that the resultant explosion would harm the door. - -There was a silence as the soldiers were probably staring paralyzed -at the smoking fuse. Then--a roar! The room shook, the door fell in, -blasted off its hinges, and black smoke poured in. Green ran into the -cloud, got down on all fours, scuttled through the doorway, cursed -desperately when the hilt of his sword caught on the doorframe, tore -loose and lunged through into the dense smoke that filled the anteroom. -His groping hands felt the ram where it had dropped, and the wet warm -face of a soldier who'd fallen. He coughed sharply from the biting -fumes but went on until his head butted into the wall. Then he felt -to his right, where he imagined the door was, came to it, passed -through and on into the next room, also filled with a cloud. After he'd -scuttled like a bug across its floor, he dared to open his eyes for -a quick look. The smoke was thinner and was pouring out the door to -the hallway, just in front of him. He saw no feet in the clearer area -between the floor and the bottom of the clouds, so he rose and walked -through the door. To his left, he knew, the hall led to a stairway that -was probably now jammed with soldiers. To his right would be another -stairway that went up to the Duke's apartments. That was the only way -he could go. - -Luckily the smoke was still so dense in the corridor that those -assembled on the left staircase couldn't see him. They'd think he was -in the Duchess's rooms yet, and he hoped that when they did rush it and -didn't find him there the rolled-back carpets would give them the idea -that he'd taken a running broad jump from the balcony. In which case, -they'd at once search the moat for him. And if they didn't find him -swimming there, as they wouldn't, then they might presume he'd either -drowned or else got to the shore and was now somewhere in the darkness -of the city. - -He felt along the wall toward the staircase, his other hand gripping -the stiletto. When his fingers ran across the arm of a man leaning -against the wall, he withdrew them at once, bent his knees and in a -crouching position ran in the general direction of the stairs. The -smoke got even thinner here so that he saw the steps in time to avoid -falling over them. Unfortunately the Duke and another man were also -there. Both saw his figure emerge into the torchlight from the clouds, -but he had the advantage of knowing who he was, so that he had plunged -the thin stiletto into the soldier's throat before he could act. The -Duke tried to leap past Green, but the Earthman stuck a leg out and -tripped him. Then he grabbed the ruler's arm, twisted it behind his -back, forced him up and on his knees and, using the arm as a cruel -lever, raised him. He enjoyed hearing the Duke moan, though he'd never -consciously taken pleasure in pain before. He had time to think that -perhaps he liked this because of the torture the Duke had inflicted on -his many helpless victims. Of course, he, Green, a highly civilized -man, shouldn't be feeling this way. But the rightness or wrongness of -an emotion never kept anybody from experiencing it. - -"Up you go!" he said in a low, harsh voice, directing the Duke toward -his apartments, manipulating the twisted arm as a steering column. By -then the smoke had cleared away so that those at the other end of the -corridor could see that something was wrong. A shout arose, followed by -the slap of running feet on the stone flags. Green stopped, turned the -Duke so he faced the approaching crowd and said to him, "Tell them that -I will kill you unless they go away." - -To emphasize his point he stuck the end of the stiletto into the Duke's -back and pressed hard enough to draw blood. The Duke quivered, then -became rigid. Nevertheless he said, "I will not do so. That would be -dishonor." - -Green couldn't help admiring such courage, even if it did make his -predicament worse. He refused to kill the Duke just then because that -would throw away the only trump card he held at that moment. So he -stuck the stiletto in his teeth and, still holding with one hand to the -Duke's twisted arm, took the Duke's pistol from his belt and fired over -his shoulder. - -There was a whoosh of flame that burned the Duke's ear and made him -give a cry that was almost drowned out in the roar of the explosion. -The nearest man threw up his hands, dropping his spear, and fell on his -face. The others stopped. Doubtless, they were still operating under -the Duchess's orders not to kill Green, for the Duke must have arrived -at the foot of the staircase just in time to witness the explosion of -the gunpowder. And he was in no condition to issue contrary orders, -being deafened and stunned by the report almost going off in his ear. - -Green shouted out, "Go back, or I will kill the Duke! It is his wish -that you go back to the stairs and do not bother us until he sends word -to you!" - -By the flickering light of the torches he could see the puzzled -expression on the soldiers' faces. It was only then he realized that in -his extreme excitement he had shouted the orders in English. Hastily, -he translated his demands, and was relieved to see them turn and -retreat, though reluctantly. He then half-dragged the Duke up the steps -to his apartments, where he barred the door and primed his pistol again. - -"So far, so good!" he said, in English. "The question is what now, -little man?" - -The ruler's rooms were even more luxurious than his wife's, and were -larger because they had to contain not only the Duke's hundreds of -hunting trophies, including human heads, but his collection of glass -birds. Indeed, one might easily see where his heart really lay, for -the heads had collected dust, whereas each and every glittering winged -creature was immaculate. It would have gone hard on a servant who'd -neglected his cleaning duties in the great rooms dedicated to the -collection. - -On seeing them Green smiled slightly. - -When you're fighting for your life, hit a man where he's softest.... - - - - -9 - - -It was a matter of two minutes to tie the Duke in a chair with several -of the hunting whips hanging from the walls. - -Meanwhile the Duke came out of his daze. He began screaming every -invective he knew--and he knew quite a lot--and promising every refined -torture he could think of--and his knowledge was not poverty-stricken -in that area either. Green waited until the Duke had given himself a -bad case of laryngitis. Then he told him, in a firm but quiet voice, -what he intended to do unless the Duke got him out of the castle. -To emphasize his determination, he picked up a bludgeon studded with -iron spikes and swung it whistling through the air. The Duke's eyes -widened, and he paled. All of a sudden he changed from a defiant ruler -challenging his captor to inflict his worst upon him to a shrunken, -trembling old man. - -"And I will smash every last bird in these rooms," said Green. "And I -will open the chest that lies behind that pile of furs and take out of -it your most precious treasure, the bird you have not even shown to the -Emperor for fear he would get jealous and demand it as a gift from you, -the bird you take out at rare intervals and over which you gloat all -night." - -"My wife told you!" gasped the Duke. "Oh, what an _izzot_ she is!" - -"Granted," said Green. "She babbled to me many secrets, being a -featherbrained, idle, silly, stupid female, a fit consort for you. So I -know where the unique _exurotr_ statuette made by Izan Yushwa of Metzva -Moosh is hidden, the glass bird that cost the whole dukedom a great tax -and brought many bitter tears and hardships from your subjects. I will -have no compunction about destroying it even if it is the only one ever -made and if Izan Yushwa is now dead so that it can never be replaced." - -The Duke's eyes bulged in horror. - -"No, no!" he said in a quavering voice. "That would be unthinkable, -blasphemous, sacrilegious! Have you no sense of beauty, degenerate -slave that you are, that you would smash forever that most beautiful of -all things made by the hands of man?" - -"I would." - -The Duke's mouth drew down at the corners; suddenly, he was weeping. - -Green was embarrassed, for he knew how great must be the emotion that -could make this man, educated in a hard school, break down before an -enemy. And he reflected upon what a strange thing a human being was. -Here was a man who would literally allow his throat to be cut before he -would display cowardice by bargaining for it. But to have his precious -collection of glass birds threatened...! - -Green shrugged. Why try to understand it? The only thing to do was to -use whatever came his way. - -"Very well, if you wish to save them you must do this." And he detailed -exactly the Duke's moves and orders for the next ten minutes. He -thereupon made him swear by the most holy oaths and upon his family -name and by the honor of the founder of his family that he would not -betray Green. - -"To make sure," added the Earthman, "I shall take the _exurotr_ with -me. Once I know your word is good I'll take steps to see that it is -returned undamaged to you." - -"Can I depend on that?" breathed the Duke hoarsely, rolling his big -brown eyes. - -"Yes, I will contact Zingaro, Business Agent of the Thieves' Guild, and -he will return it to you, for a compensation, of course. But before we -conclude this bargain you must swear that you will not harm Amra, my -wife, nor any of her children, nor confiscate her business but will -behave toward her as if this had never happened." - -The Duke swallowed hard, but he swore. Green was happy, because, though -he was going to desert Amra, he was at least insuring her future. - -It was a long, long hour later that Green came out of his hiding place -inside a large closet in the Duke's apartment. Even though the Duke -had sworn the holiest of oaths, he was as treacherous as any of the -barbarians on this planet, and that was very treacherous indeed. Green -had stood behind the door, sweating and listening to the loud and -sometimes incoherent conversation taking place between the Duke, his -soldiers and the Duchess. The Duke was a good actor, for he convinced -everybody that he had escaped from the mad slave Green, had seized a -sword and forced him to make a running broad jump from the balcony -railing. Of course, several guardsmen had seen a large man-sized object -hurtle from the balcony and fall with a loud splash into the moat -below. There was no doubt that the slave must have broken his back when -he struck the water or else he had been knocked out and then drowned. -Whatever had happened, he had not come out. - -Green, his ear against the door, could not help smiling at this, -despite his tension. He and the Duke had combined forces to heave out a -wooden statue of the god Zuzupatr, weighted with iron dishes tied to -it so that it wouldn't float. In the moonlight and the excitement, the -idol must have looked enough like a falling man to deceive anybody. - -The only one seemingly not satisfied was Zuni. She raised every kind -of hell she knew, behaved in a most undignified manner, screeched -at her husband because his blood-thirstiness and lack of restraint -had robbed her of the exquisite tortures she'd planned for the slave -who had attempted to dishonor her. The Duke, his face getting redder -and redder, had suddenly bellowed out at her to quit acting like a -condemned _izzot_ and go at once to her apartments. To show that he -meant what he said he ordered several soldiers to escort her. Zuni, -however, was too stupid to see how perilous was her situation, how near -the headsman's ax. She raved on until the Duke gave a sign and two -soldiers seized her elbows--at least, Green supposed they did, for she -yelled at them to take their dirty hands off her--and propelled her out -of the rooms. Even then it took some time before the Duke could close -the doors on his last guest. - -The little ruler opened the door. In his hand he held a priest's green -robe, the sacerdotal hexagonal spectacles and a mask for the lower part -of the face. The mask was customarily worn when a monk was on a mission -for a high dignitary. During the time the face was covered the monk -was under a vow not to speak to anyone until he had reached the person -for whom he had a message. Thus, Green would not be bothered with any -embarrassing questions. - -He put on the robe, spectacles and mask, threw the hood over his head -and placed the glass _exurotr_ inside his shirt. His loaded pistol he -kept up one capacious sleeve, holding it with the other hand. - -"Remember," said the Duke anxiously as he opened the door and peered -out to see if anybody was on the staircase, "remember that you must -take every precaution against damaging the _exurotr_. Tell Zingaro that -he must at once pack it in a chest filled with silks and sawdust so -it won't break. I will die a thousand deaths until it comes back once -again to my collection." - -And I, thought Green, will die a thousand deaths until I get safely -out of your reach, out of the city and far away on a windroller. - -He promised again that he would keep his word as well as the Duke -kept his, but that he would also take every measure to insure against -treachery. Then he slipped out and closed the door. He was on his own -until he boarded the _Bird of Fortune_. - - - - -10 - - -He had no trouble at all, except for making his way through the thick -traffic. The explosions and shouting coming from the castle had aroused -the whole town, so that everybody who could stand on his two feet, or -could get somebody to carry him, was outside, milling around, asking -questions, talking excitedly and in general trying to make as much -chaos as possible and to enjoy every bit of this excuse to take part in -a general disturbance. Green strode through them, his head bent but his -eyes probing ahead. He made fairly good progress, only being held up -temporarily a few times by the human herd. - -Finally the flat plain of the windbreak lay before him, and the many -masts of the great wheeled vessels were a forest around him. He was -able to get to the _Bird of Fortune_ unchallenged by any of the dozens -of guardsmen that he passed. The 'roller herself lay snugly between two -docks, where a huge gang of slaves had towed her. There was a gangway -running up from one of the docks, and at both ends stood a sailor on -guard, clad in the family colors of yellow, violet and crimson. They -chewed _grixtr_ nut, something like betel except that it stained both -teeth and lips and gave them a green color. - -When Green stepped boldly upon the gangway the nearest guard looked -doubtful and put his hand on his knife. Evidently he'd had no orders -from Miran about a priest, but he knew what the mask indicated and that -awed him enough so that he did not dare oppose the stranger. Nor was -the second guard any quicker in making up his mind. Green slipped by -him, entered the mid-decks and walked up the gangway to the foredeck. -He knocked quietly on the door of the captain's cabin. A moment later -it swung violently open; light flooded out, then was blocked off by -Miran's huge round bulk. - -Green stepped inside, pressing the captain back, Miran reached for -his dagger but stopped when he saw the intruder take off the mask and -spectacles and throw back the hood. - -"Green! So you made it! I did not think it was possible." - -"With me all things are possible," replied Green modestly. He sat down -at the table, or rather crumpled at it, and began repeating in a dry -voice, halting with fatigue, the story of his escape. In a few minutes -the narrow cabin rang with the captain's laughter and his one eye -twinkled and beamed as he slapped Green on the back and said that by -all the gods here was a man he was proud to have aboard. - -"Have a drink of this Lespaxian wine, even better than Chalousma, and -one I bring out only for honored guests," said Miran, chortling. - -Green reached out a hand for the proffered glass, but his fingers never -closed upon the stem, for his head sank onto the tabletop, and his -snores were tremendous. - - * * * * * - -It was three days later that a much-rested Green, his skin comfortably, -even glowingly, tight with superb Lespaxian, sat at the table and -waited for the word to come that he could finally leave the cabin. -The first day of inactivity he'd slept and eaten and paced back and -forth, anxious for news of what was going on in the city. At nightfall -Miran had returned with the story that a furious search was organized -in the city itself and the outlying hills. Of course, the Duke would -insist that the 'rollers themselves be turned inside-out, and Miran -was cursing because that would mean a fatal delay. They could not wait -for more than three more days. The fish tanks had been installed; -the provisions were almost all in the hold; his roistering crewmen -were being dragged out of the taverns and sobered up; two days after -tomorrow the great vessel would have to be towed out of the windbreak -and sails set for the perilous and long voyage. - -"I wouldn't worry," said Green. "You will find that tomorrow word will -come from the hills that Green has been killed by a wild man of the -Clan Axaquexcan, who will demand money before handing the dead slave's -head over. The Duke will accept this as true and will conveniently -forget all about searching the 'rollers." - -Miran rubbed his fat oily palms, while one pale eye glowed. He loved a -good intrigue, the more elaborate the better. - -But the second day, even though what Green had predicted came true -Miran became nervous and began to find the big blond man's constant -presence in his cabin irksome. He wanted to send him down into the -hold, but Green firmly refused, reminding the captain of his promise -of haven within these very walls. He then calmly appropriated another -bottle of the merchant's Lespaxian, having located its hiding place, -and drank it. Miran glowered, and his face twitched with repressed -resentment, but he said nothing because of the custom that a guest -could do what he pleased--within reasonable limits. - -The third day Miran was positively a tub of nerves, jittery, sweating, -pacing back and forth. At last he left the cabin, only to begin pacing -back and forth on the deck. Green could hear his footsteps for hours. -The fourth day he was up at dawn and bellowing orders to his crewmen. A -little later Green felt the big vessel move and heard the shouts of the -foremen of the towing gangs and the chants of the slaves as they bent -their backs hauling at the huge ropes attached to the 'roller. - -Slowly, oh, so slowly it seemed to Green, the craft creaked forward. He -dared open a curtain to look out the square port-hole. Before him was -the rearing side of another 'roller, and just for a second it seemed to -him that it, not his vessel, was the one that was moving. Then he saw -that the 'roller was advancing at a pace of about fifteen or sixteen -feet a minute. It would take them an hour to get past the towering -brick walls of the windbreak. - -He sweated out that hour and unconsciously fell into his childhood -habit of biting his nails, expecting at any time to see the docks -suddenly boil with soldiers running after the _Bird of Fortune_, -shouting for it to stop because it had a runaway slave aboard. - -But no such thing occurred, and at last the tug gangs stopped and began -coiling up their ropes, and Green quit chewing his nails. Miran shouted -orders, the first mate repeated them, there was the slap of many feet -on the decks above, the sound of many voices chanting. A sound as of -a knife cutting cloth told that the sails had been released. Suddenly, -the vessel rocked as the wind caught it and a vibration through the -floors announced that the big axles were turning, the huge wheels with -their tires of _chacorotr_, a kind of rubber, were revolving. The -_Bird_ was on the wing! - -Green opened the door slightly and took one last look at the city of -Quotz. It was receding rapidly at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, -and at this distance it looked like a toy city nestled in the lap of -a hillock. Now that the danger from it was gone and the odors too far -away to offend his nose it looked quite romantic and enticing. - -"And so we say farewell to exotic Quotz," murmured Green in the -approved travelog fashion. "So long, you son of an _izzot_!" - -Then, though he was supposed to stay inside until Miran summoned him, -he opened the door and stepped out. - -And almost fainted dead away. - -"Hello, honey," said Amra. - -Green scarcely heard the children grouped around her also extend their -greetings. He was just coming out of the dizziness and blackness that -had threatened to overcome him. Perhaps it was the wine coupled with -the shock. Perhaps, he was to think later, it was just that he was -plain scared, scared as he'd not been in the castle. Ashamed, too, that -Amra had found out his plans to desert her, and deeply ashamed because -she loved him anyway and would not allow him to go without her. She had -a tremendous pride that must have cost her great effort to choke down. - -Probably, he was to say to himself later on, it was sheer fear of her -tongue that made him quail so. There was nothing that a man dreaded -so much as a woman's tonguelashing, especially if he deserved it. Oh, -especially! - -That was to come later. At the moment Amra was strangely quiet and -meek. All she would say was that she had many business connections and -that she knew well Zingaro, the Thieves' Guild Business Agent. They had -been childhood playmates, and they'd helped each other in various shady -transactions since. It was only natural that she should hear about the -_exurotr_ a slave hiding on the _Bird of Fortune_ had given Zingaro -to take back to the Duke. Cornering Zingaro, she had worked out of him -enough information to be sure that Green had escaped to the 'roller. -After all, Zingaro was under oath only to be reticent about certain -details of the whole matter. From there she had taken the business into -her own hands, had told Miran that she would inform the Duchess of -Green's whereabouts unless he permitted her and her family to go along -on the voyage. - -"Here I am, your faithful and loyal wife," she said, opening her arms -in an expansive gesture. - -"I am overwhelmed with emotion," replied Green, for once not -exaggerating. - -"Then come and embrace me," she cried, "and don't stand there as if -you'd seen the dead return from the grave!" - -"Before all these people?" he said, half-stunned, looking around at -the grinning captain and first mate on the foredeck beside him and at -the sailors and their families on the middeck below. The only ones not -watching him were the goggled helmsmen, whose backs were turned because -they were intent on wrestling with the great spoked wheel. - -"Why not?" she retorted. "You'll be sleeping on the open deck with -them, eating with them, breathing their breath, feeling their elbows at -every turn, cursing, laughing, fighting, getting drunk, making love, -all, all on the open deck. So why not embrace me? Or don't you want me -to be here?" - -"The thought never entered my head," he said, stepping up to her and -taking her in his arms. Or, if it had, he reflected, you can bet that -I'd not dare say it. - -After all, it was good to feel her soft, warm, firmly curved body again -and know that there was at least one person on this godforsaken planet -that cared for him. What could have made him think for one minute that -he could endure life without her? - -Well, he had. She just would not, could not, fit into his life if he -ever got back on Earth. - - - - -11 - - -Miran coughed and said, "You two and your children and maid must get -off the deck and go amidships. That is where you will live. Never again -must you set foot upon the steering deck unless you are summoned. I run -a tight ship and discipline is strictly adhered to." - -Green followed Amra and the children down the steps to the deck below, -noticing for the first time that Inzax, the pretty blond slave who took -care of the children, was also aboard. You had to give credit to Amra. -Wherever she went she traveled in style. - -He also thought that if this was a tight ship a loose one must be sheer -chaos. Cats and dogs were running here and there, playing with the many -infants, or else fighting with each other. Women sat and sewed or hung -up washing or dried dishes or nursed babies. Hens clucked defiantly -from behind the bars of their coops, scattered everywhere. On the -port side there was even a pigpen holding about thirty of the tiny -rabbit-eared porcines. - -Green followed Amra to a place where an awning had been stretched to -make a roof. - -"Isn't this nice?" she said. "It has sides which we can pull down when -it rains or when we want privacy, as I suppose we will, you being so -funny in some ways." - -"Oh, it's delightful," he hastened to assure her. "I see you even have -some feather mattresses. And a cookstove." - -He looked around. "But where are the fish tanks? I thought Miran was -going to bolt them to the deck?" - -"Oh, no, he said that they were too valuable to expose to gunfire if we -encountered pirates. So he had the deck cut open wide enough to lower -the tanks inside the hold. Then the deck planking was replaced. Most of -these people here would be sleeping below if it weren't for the tanks. -But there's no room now." - -Green decided to take a look around. He liked to have a thorough -knowledge of his immediate environment so that he would know how to -behave if an emergency arose. - -The windroller itself was about two hundred feet long. Its beam was -about thirty-four feet. The hull was boat-shaped, and the narrow keel -rested on fourteen axles. Twenty-eight enormous solid rubber-tired -wheels turned at the ends of these axles. Thick ropes of the tough -rubber-like substance were tied to the ends of the axles and to the -tops of the hull itself. These were to hold the body steady and keep it -from going over when the 'roller reeled under too strong a side wind -and also to provide some resiliency when the 'roller was making a turn. -Being aboard at such times was almost like being on a water-sailing -ship. As the front pair of wheels--the steering wheels--turned and the -longitudinal axis of the craft slowly changed direction, the body of -the vessel, thrust by the shifting impact of the winds, also tilted. -Not too far, never as far as a boat in similar case, but enough to give -one an uneasy feeling. The cables on the opposing side would stretch to -a degree and then would stop the sidewise motion of the keel and there -would be a slight and slow roll to the other direction. Then a shorter -and slower motion back again. It was enough to make a novice green. -'Roller sickness wasn't uncommon at the beginning of a voyage or during -a violent windstorm. Like its aqueous counterpart, it affected the -sufferer so that he could only hang over the rail and wish he _would_ -die. - -The _Bird of Fortune_ sported a curving bow and a high foredeck. On -this was fastened the many-spoked steering wheel. Two helmsmen always -attended it, two men wearing hexagonal goggles and close-fitting -leather helmets with high crests of curled wire. Behind them stood -the captain and first mate, giving their attention alternately to the -helmsmen and to the sailors on deck and aloft. The middeck was sunken, -and the poopdeck, though raised, was not as high as the foredeck. - -The four masts were tall, but not as tall as those of a marine craft -of similar size. High masts would have given the 'roller a tendency -to capsize in a very strong wind, despite the weight of the axles and -wheels. Therefore, the yardarms, reaching far out beyond the sides of -the hull, were comparatively longer than a seaship's. When the _Bird_ -carried a full weight of canvas she looked, to a mariner's eyes, squat -and ungainly. Moreover, yards had been fixed at right angles to the -top of the hull and to the keel itself. Extra canvas was hung between -these spars. The sight of all that sail sticking from between the -wheels was enough to drive an old sailor to drink. - -Three masts were square-rigged. The aft mast was fore-and-aft rigged -and was used to help the steering. There was no bowsprit. - -Altogether, it was a strange-looking craft. But once one was accustomed -to it, one saw it was as beautiful as a ship of the sea. - -It was as formidable, too, for the _Bird_ carried five large cannon on -the middeck, six cannon on the second deck, a lighter swivel cannon on -the steering deck, and two swivels on the poopdeck. - -Hung from davits were two long liferollers and a gig, all wheeled and -with folding masts. If the _Bird_ was wrecked it could be abandoned and -all the crew could scoot off in the little rollers. - -Green wasn't given much time for inspection. He became aware that -a tall, lean sailor was regarding him intently. This fellow was -dark-skinned but had the pale blue eyes of the Tropat hillsmen. He -moved like a cat and wore a long, thin dagger, sharp as a claw. A nasty -customer, thought Green. - -Presently, the nasty customer, seeing that Green was not going to -notice him, walked in front of him so that he could not help being -annoyed. At the same time, the babble around them died and everybody -turned his head to stare. - -"Friend," said Green, affably enough, "would you mind standing off to -one side? You are blocking my view." - -The fellow spat _grixtr_ juice at Green's feet. - -"No slave calls me friend. Yes, I am blocking your view, and I would -mind getting out of the way." - -"Evidently you object to my presence here," said Green. "What is the -matter? You don't like my face?" - -"No, I don't. And I don't like to have as a crewmate a stinking slave." - -"Speaking of odors," said Green, "would you please stand to leeward of -me? I've been through a lot lately and I've a delicate stomach." - -"Silence, you son of an _izzot_!" roared the sailor, red-faced. "Have -respect toward your betters, or I'll strike you down and throw your -body overboard." - -"It takes two to make a murder, just as it takes two to make a -bargain," said Green in a loud voice, hoping that Miran would hear -and be reminded of his promise of protection. But Miran shrugged his -shoulders. He had done as much as he could. It was up to Green to make -his way from now on. - -"It is true that I am a slave," he said. "But I was not born one. -Before being captured I was a freeman who knew liberty as none of you -here know it. I came from a country where there were no masters because -every man was his own master. - -"However, that is neither here nor there. The point is that I earned my -freedom, that I fought like a warrior, not a slave, to get aboard the -_Bird_. I wish to become a crew member, to become a blood-brother to -the Clan Effenycan." - -"Ah, indeed, and what can you contribute to the Clan that we should -consider you worthy of sharing our blood?" - -What indeed? Green thought. The sweat broke out all over his body, -though the morning wind was cool. - -At that moment he saw Miran speak to a sailor, who disappeared below -decks and come out almost at once carrying a small harp in his hand. -Oh, yes, now he remembered that he had told the captain what a -wonderful harpist and singer he was, just the man that the Clan, eager -for entertainment on the long voyages, would be likely to initiate. - -The unfortunate thing about that was that Green couldn't play a note. - -Nevertheless he took the instrument from the sailor and gravely plucked -its strings. He listened to the tones, frowned, adjusted the pegs, -plucked them again, then handed the harp back. - -"Sorry, this is an inferior instrument," he said haughtily. "Haven't -you anything better? I couldn't think of degrading my art on such a -cheap monstrosity." - -"Gods above!" screamed a man standing nearby. "That is my harp you -are talking about, the beloved harp of me, the bard Grazoot! Slave! -Tone-deaf son of a laryngiteal mother! You will answer to me for that -insult!" - -"No," said the sailor, "this is my affair. I, Ezkr, will test this -lubber's fitness to join the Clan and be called brother." - -"Over my dead body, brother!" - -"If you so wish it, brother!" - -There were more angry words until presently Miran himself came down -to the middeck. "By Mennirox, this is a disgrace!" he bellowed. "Two -Effenycan quarreling before a slave! Come, make a decision quietly, or -I will have you both thrown overboard. It is not too far to walk back -to Quotz." - -"We will cast dice to see who is the lucky man," said the sailor, -Ezkr. Grinning gap-toothedly, he reached into the pouch that hung from -his belt, and pulled out the hexagonal ivories. A few minutes later -he rose from his knees, having won four out of six throws. Green was -disappointed more than he cared to show, for he had hoped that if he -had to fight anybody it would be the pudgy, soft-looking harpist, not -the tough sailor. - -Ezkr seemed to agree with Green that he could not have had worse luck. -Chewing _grixtr_ so rapidly that the green-flecked slaver ran down his -long chin, Ezkr announced the terms that the blond slave would have to -meet to prove his fitness. - - - - -12 - - -For a moment Green thought of leaving the ship and making his way on -foot. - -Miran protested loudly. "This is ridiculous. Why can you not fight on -deck like two ordinary men and be satisfied if one gives the other a -flesh wound? That way I won't stand the chance of losing you, Ezkr, one -of my top topmen. If you should slip, who could take your place? This -green hand here?" - -Ezkr ignored his captain's indignation, knowing that the code of the -Clan protected him. He spit and said, "Anybody can wield a dagger. I -want to see what kind of a man this Green is aloft. Walking a yard is -the best way to see the color of his blood." - -Yes, thought Green, his skin goose-pimpling. You'll likely see my -blood all right, splashed from here to the horizon when I fall! - -He asked Miran if he could withdraw a moment to his tent to pray to his -gods for success. Miran nodded, and Green had Amra let down the sides -of his shelter while he dropped to his knees. As soon as his privacy -was assured, he handed her a long turban cloth and told her to go -outside. She looked surprised, but when he told her what else she was -to do, she smiled and kissed him. - -"You are a clever man, Alan. I was right to prefer you above any other -man I might have had, and I could have had the best." - -"Save the compliments for afterwards, when we'll know if it works," he -said. "Hurry to the stove and do what I say. If anybody asks you what -you are up to, tell them that the stuff is necessary for my religious -ritual. The gods," he said as she ducked through the tent opening, -"often come in handy. If they didn't exist it would be necessary to -invent them." - -Amra paused and turned with an adoring face. "Ah, Alan, that is one of -the many things for which I love you. You are always originating these -witty sayings. How clever, and how dangerously blasphemous!" - -He shrugged, airily dismissing her compliment as if it were nothing. - -In a minute she returned with the turban wrapped around something limp -but heavy. And within two minutes he stepped out from the tent, clad -in a loincloth, leather belt, dagger and turban. Silently, he began -climbing the rope ladder that rose to the tip of the nearest mast. -Behind him came Ezkr. - -He did get some encouragement from Amra and the children. The Duke's -two boys cried out to him to cut the so-and-so's throat, but if he was -killed instead, they would avenge him when they grew up, if not sooner. -Even the blond maid, Inzax, wept. He felt somewhat better, for it was -good to know that some people cared for him. And the knowledge that he -had to survive and make sure that these women and children didn't come -to grief was an added stimulus. - -Nevertheless he felt his momentarily gained courage oozing out of his -sweat pores with every step upward. It was so high up here, and so far -down below. The craft itself became smaller and smaller and the people -shrank to dolls, to upturned white faces that soon became less faces -than blanks. The wind howled through the rigging and the mast, which -had seemed so solid and steady when he was at its base, now became -fragile and swaying. - -"It takes guts to be a sailor and a blood-brother of the Clan -Effenycan," said Ezkr. "Do you have them, Green?" - -"Yes, but if I get any sicker I'll lose them, and you'll be sorry, -being below me," muttered Green to himself. - -Finally, after what seemed endless clambering into the very clouds -themselves, he arrived at the topmost yard. If he had thought the mast -thin and flexible, the arm seemed like a toothpick poised over an -abyss. And he was supposed to inch his way out to the whipping tip, -then turn and come back fighting! - -"If you were not a coward you would stand up and walk out," called Ezkr. - -"Sticks and stones will break my bones," replied Green, but did not -enlighten the puzzled sailor as to what he meant. Sitting down on the -yard, he put his legs around it and began working his way out. Halfway -to the arm he stopped and dared to look down. Once was enough. There -was nothing but hard, grassy ground directly beneath him, seemingly a -mile below, and the flat plain rushing by, and the huge wheels turning, -turning. - -"Go on!" shouted Ezkr. - -Green turned his head and told him in indelicate language what he could -do with the yard and the whole ship for that matter if he could manage -it. - -Ezkr's dark face reddened and he stood up and began walking out on the -yard. Green's eyes widened. This man could actually do it! - -But when he was a few feet away the sailor stopped and said, "No, you -are trying to anger me so I will grapple with you here and perhaps be -pushed off, since you have a firmer hold. No, I will not be such a -fool. It is you who must try to get past me." - -He turned and walked almost carelessly back to the mast, against which -he leaned while he waited. - -"You have to go out to the very end," he repeated. "Else you won't -pass the test even if you should get by me, which, of course, you -won't." - -Green gritted his teeth and humped out to what he considered close -enough to the end, about two feet away. Any more might break the arm, -as it was already bending far down. Or so it seemed to him. - -He then backed away, managed to turn, and to work back to within -several feet of Ezkr. Here he paused to regain his breath, his strength -and his courage. - -The sailor waited, one hand on a rope to steady himself, the other with -its dagger held point-out at Green. - -The Earthman began unwinding his turban. - -"What are you doing?" said Ezkr, frowning with sudden anxiety. - -Up to this point he had been master, because he knew what to expect. -But if something unconventional happened.... - -Green shrugged his shoulders and continued his very careful and slow -unwrapping of his headpiece. - -"I don't want to spill this," he said. - -"Spill what?" - -"This!" shouted Green, and he whipped the turban upward towards Ezkr's -face. - -The turban itself was too far from the sailor to touch him. But the -sand contained within it flew into his eyes before the wind could -dissipate it. Amra, following her husband's directions, had collected a -large amount from the fireplace's sand pile to wrap in it, and though -it had made his head feel heavy it had been worth it. - -Ezkr screamed and clutched at his eyes, releasing his dagger. At the -same time, Green slid forward and rammed his fist into the man's groin. -Then, as Ezkr crumpled toward him, he caught him and eased him down. He -followed his first blow with a chopping of the edge of his palm against -the fellow's neck. Ezkr quit screaming and passed out. Green rolled him -over so that he lay on his stomach across the yard, supported on one -side by the mast, with his legs, arms and head dangling. That was all -he wanted to do for him. He had no intention of carrying him down. His -only wish was to get to the deck, where he'd be safe. If Ezkr fell off -now, too bad. - -Amra and Inzax were waiting at the foot of the shrouds when Green -slowly climbed off. When he set foot on the deck, he thought his legs -would give way, they were trembling so. Amra, noticing this, quickly -put her arms around him as if to embrace the conquering hero but -actually to help support him. - -"Thanks," he muttered. "I need your strength, Amra." - -"Anybody would who had done what you've done," she said. "But my -strength and all of me is at your disposal, Alan." - -The children were looking at him with wide, admiring eyes and yelling, -"That's our daddy! Big blond Green! He's quick as a grass cat, bites -like a dire dog and'll spit poison in your eye, like a flying snake!" - -Then, in the next moment, he was submerged under the men and women of -the Clan, all anxious to congratulate him for his feat and to call him -brother. The only ones who did not crowd around, trying to kiss him on -the lips, were the officers of the _Bird_ and the wife and children of -the unfortunate sailor, Ezkr. These were climbing up the rigging to -fasten a rope around his waist and lower him. - -There _was_ one other who remained aloof. That was the harpist, -Grazoot. He was still sulking at the foot of the mast. - -Green decided that he'd better keep an eye on him, especially at night -when a knife could be slipped between a sleeper's ribs and the body -thrown overboard. He wished now that he'd not gone out of his way to -insult the fellow's instrument, but at the time that had seemed the -only thing to do. Now he had better try to find some way to pacify him. - - - - -13 - - -Two weeks of very hard work and little sleep passed as Green learned -the duties of a topsailman. He hated to go aloft, but he found that -being up so high had its advantages. It gave him a chance to catch a -few winks now and then. There were many crow's nests where musketmen -were stationed during a fight. Green would slip down into one of these -and go to sleep at once. His foster son Grizquetr would stand watch for -him, waking him if the foretop captain was coming through the rigging -toward them. One afternoon Griz's whistle startled Green out of a sound -sleep. - -However, the captain stopped to give another sailor a lecture. Unable -to go back to sleep, Green watched a herd of _hoobers_ take to their -hoofs at the approach of the _Bird_. These diminutive equines, -beautiful with their orange bodies and black or white manes and -fetlocks, sometimes formed immense herds that must have numbered in -the hundreds of thousands. So thick were they that they looked like a -bobbing sea of flashing heads and gleaming hoofs stretching clear to -the horizon. - -To stretch to the horizon was something on this planet. The plain was -the flattest Green had ever seen. He could scarcely believe that it ran -unbroken for thousands of miles. But it did, and from his high point of -view he could see in a vast circle. It was a beautiful sight. The grass -itself was tall and thick-bodied, about two feet high and a sixteenth -of an inch through. It was a bright green, brighter than earthly grass, -almost shiny. During the rainy season, he was told, it would blossom -with many tiny white and red flowers and give a pleasing perfume. - -Now, as Green watched, something happened that startled him. - -Abruptly, as if a monster mowing machine had come along the day before, -the high grass ended and a lawn began. The new grass seemed to be only -an inch high. And the lawn stretched at least a mile wide and as far -ahead of the _Bird_ as he could see. - -"What do you think of that?" he asked Amra's son. - -Grizquetr shrugged. "I don't know. The sailors say that it is done by -the _wuru_, an animal the size of a ship, that only comes out at night. -It eats grass, but it has the nasty temper of a dire dog, and will -attack and smash a 'roller as if it were made of cardboard." - -"Do you believe that?" Green said, watching him closely. Grizquetr was -an intelligent lad in whom he hoped to plant a few seeds of skepticism. -Perhaps some day those seeds might flower into the beginnings of -science. - -"I do not know if the story is true or not. It is possible, but I've -met nobody who has ever seen a _wuru_. And if it comes out only at -night, where does it hide during the daytime? There is no hole in the -ground large enough to conceal it." - -"Very good," said Green, smiling. Happily, Grizquetr smiled back. -He worshiped his foster-father and nursed every bit of affection or -compliment he got from him. - -"Keep that open mind," said Green. "Neither believe nor disbelieve -until you have solid evidence one way or another. And keep on -remembering that new evidence may come up that will disprove the old -and firmly established." - -He smiled wryly. "I could use some of my own advice. I, for instance, -had at one time absolutely refused to put any credence in what I have -just seen with my own eyes. I put the story down as merely another idle -story of those who sail the grassy seas. But I'm beginning to wonder if -perhaps there couldn't be an animal of some kind like the _wuru_." - -Both were silent for a while as they watched the animals race off like -living orange rivers. Overhead, the birds wheeled in their hundreds of -thousands of numbers. They, too, were beautiful, and even more colorful -than the _hoobers_. Occasionally one lit in the rigging in a burst of -dazzling feathers and a fury of melodious song or raucous screeches. - -"Look!" said the boy, eagerly pointing. "A grass cat! He's been hiding, -waiting to catch a _hoober_, and now he's afraid he'll be trampled to -death by them." - -Green's gaze followed the other's finger. He saw the long-legged, -tiger-striped body loping desperately ahead of the thundering hoofs. -It was completely closed in a pocket of the orange-maned beasts. Even -as Green saw him, the sides of the pocket collapsed and the big cat -disappeared from sight. If he remained alive he would do so through a -miracle. - -Suddenly, Grizquetr cried, "Gods!" - -"What's the matter?" cried Green. - -"On the horizon! A sail! It's shaped like a Ving sail!" - -Others saw it too. The ship rang with shouts. A trumpeter blew battle -stations; Miran's voice rose above those of others as he bellowed -through a megaphone; chaos dissolved into order and purpose as -everybody went to his appointed place. The animals, children and -pregnant women were marshaled into the hold. The gun crews began -unloading barrels of powder with a crane from a hatch. Musketmen -swarmed up the rigging. The entire topmast crew tumbled aloft and -took their places. As Green was already in his, he had some leisure to -observe the whole outlay of preparations for fight. He watched Amra -hurriedly give her children a kiss, make sure they'd all gone below, -then begin tearing strips of cloth for bandages and of wadding for the -muskets. Once she looked up and waved at him before turning back to her -task. He waved back and got a severe reprimand from the top-captain for -breaking discipline. - -"An extra watch for you, Green, after this is over!" - -The Earthman groaned and wished that the martinet would fall off and -break every bone in his body. If he lost any more sleep...! - -The day wore on as the strange ship came closer. Another sail appeared -behind it, and the crew grew even tenser. From all appearances, they -were being pursued by Vings. Vings usually went in pairs. Then there -was the shape of the sails, which were narrower at bottom than at top. -And there was the long, low, streamlined hull and the over-large wheels. - -Nevertheless discipline was somewhat relaxed for a time. The pets and -children were allowed to come up, and meals were prepared by the women. -Even when the swifter craft came close enough so that the color of -the sails was seen to be scarlet, thereby confirming their suspicions -of the strangers' identity, battle stations weren't recalled. Miran -estimated that by the time the Vings were within cannon range night -would fall. - -"That is what they hate and what we love," he said, pacing back and -forth, fingering his nose ring and blinking nervously his one good -eye. "It'll be an hour before the big moon comes up. Not only that, it -looks as though clouds may arise. See!" he cried to the first mate. "By -Mennirox, is that not a wisp I detect in the northeast quarter?" - -"By all the gods, I believe it is!" said the mate, peering upward, -seeing nothing but clear sky, but hoping that wishing would make the -clouds come true. - -"Ah, Mennirox is good to his favorite worshiper!" said Miran. "_He that -loves thee shall profit_, Book of the True Gods, Chapter Ten, Verse -Eight. And Mennirox knows I love him with compound interest!" - -"Yes, that he does," said the mate. "But what is your plan?" - -"As soon as the last glow of the sun disappears completely from the -horizon, so our silhouette won't be revealed, we'll swing and cut -across their direct path of advance. We know that they'll be traveling -fairly close together, hoping to catch up with us and blast us with -cross-fire. Well, we'll give them a chance, but we'll be gone before -they can seize it. We'll go right between them in the dark and fire on -both. By the time they're ready to reply we'll have slipped on by. - -"And then," he whooped, slapping his fat thigh, "they'll probably -cannonade each other to flinders, each thinking the other is us! Hoo, -hoo, hoo!" - -"Mennirox had better be with us," said the mate, paling. "It'll take -damn tight calculating and more than a bit of luck. We'll be going by -dead reckoning; not until we're almost on them will we see them; and if -we're headed straight at them it'll be too late to avoid a collision. -Wharoom! Smash! Boom! We're done for!" - -"That's very true, but we're done for if we don't pull some trick like -that. They'll have caught us by dawn--they can outmaneuver us--and -they've more combined gunfire. And though we'll fight like grass cats -we'll go down, and you know what'll happen then. The Vings don't take -prisoners unless they're at the end of a cruise and going into port." - -"We should have accepted the Duke's offer of a convoy of frigates," -muttered the mate. "Even one would have been enough to make the odds -favor us." - -"What? And lose half the profits of this voyage because we have to pay -that robber Duke for the use of his warships? Have you lost your mind, -mate?" - -"If I have I'm not the only one," said the mate, turning into the wind -so his words were lost. But the helmsmen heard him and reported the -conversation later. In five minutes it was all over the ship. - -"Sure, he's Greedyguts himself," the crew said. "But then, we're his -relatives; we know the value of a penny. And isn't the fat old darling -the daring one, though? Who but a captain of the Clan Effenycan would -think of such a trick, and carry it through, too? And if he's such a -money-grabber, why, then; wouldn't he be afraid to risk his vessel and -cargo, not to mention his own precious blood, not to mention the even -more precious blood of his relatives? No, Miran may be one-eyed and -big-bellied and short of temper and wind, but he's the man to hold down -the foredeck. Brother, dip me another glass from that barrel and let's -toast again the cool courage and hot avariciousness of Captain Miran, -Master Merchant." - -Grazoot, the plump little harpist with the effeminate manners, took his -harp and began singing the song the Clan loved most, the story of how -they, a hill tribe, had come down to the plains a generation ago. And -how there they had crept into the windbreak of the city of Chutlzaj -and stolen a great windroller. And how they had ever since been men -of the grassy seas, of the vast flat Xurdimur, and had sailed their -stolen craft until it was destroyed in a great battle with a whole -Krinkansprunger fleet. And how they had boarded a ship of the fleet and -slain all the men and taken the women prisoners and sailed off with -the ship right through the astounded fleet. And how they had taken the -women as slaves and bred children and how the Effenycan blood was now -half Krinkansprunger and that was where they got their blue eyes. And -how the Clan now owned three big merchant ships--or had until two years -ago when the other two rolled over the green horizon during the Month -of the Oak and were never heard of again, but they'd come back some day -with strange tales and a hold brimming with jewels. And how the Clan -now sailed under that mighty, grasping, shrewd, lucky, religious man, -Miran. - -Whatever else you could say about Grazoot, you could not deny that -he had a fine baritone. Green, listening to his voice rise from the -deck far below, could vision the rise and fall and rise again of these -people and could appreciate why they were so arrogant and close-fisted -and suspicious and brave. Indeed, if he had been born on this planet, -he could have wanted no finer, more romantic, gypsyish life than that -of a sailor on a windroller. Provided, that is, that he could get -plenty of sleep. - -The boom of a cannon disturbed his reverie. He looked up just in time -to see the ball appear at the end of its arc and flash by him. It was -not enough to scare him, but watching it plow into the ground about -twenty feet away from the starboard steering wheel made him realize -what damage one lucky shot could do. - -However, the Ving did not try again. He was a canny pirate who knew -better than to throw away ammunition. Doubtless he was hoping to panic -the merchantman into a frenzy of replies, powder-wasting and useless. -Useless because the sun set just then and in a few minutes dusk was -gone and darkness was all around them. Miran didn't even bother to -tell his men to hold their fire, since they wouldn't have dreamed of -touching off the cannon until he gave the word. Instead he repeated -that no light should be shown and that the children must go below decks -and must be kept quiet. No one was to make a noise. - -Then, casting one last glance at the positions of the pursuing craft, -now rapidly dissolving into the night, he estimated the direction and -strength of the wind. It was as it had been the day they set sail, an -east wind dead astern, a good wind, pushing them along at eighteen -miles an hour. - -Miran spoke in a soft voice to the first mate and the other officers, -and they disappeared into the darkness shrouding the decks. They were -giving prearranged orders, not by the customary bellowing through a -megaphone but by low voices and touches. While they directed the crew, -Miran stood with bare feet upon the foredeck. He held a half-crouching -posture, and acted as if he were detecting the moves of the invisible -sailors by the vibrations of their activities running through the wood -of the decks and the spars and the masts and up to his feet. Miran was -a fat nerve center that gathered in all the unspoken messages scattered -everywhere through the body of the _Bird_. He seemed to know exactly -what he was doing, and if he hesitated or doubted because of the solid -blackness around him, he gave the helmsmen no sign. His voice was firm. - -"Hold it steady." - -"... six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Now! Swing her hard aport! Hold her, -hold her!" - -To Green, high up on the topmost spar of the foremast, the turning -about seemed an awful and unnatural deed. He could _feel_ the hull, and -with it his mast, of course, leaning over and over, until his senses -told him that they must inevitably capsize and send him crashing to -the ground. But his senses lied, for though he seemed to fall forever, -the time came when the journey back toward an upright position began. -Then he was sure he would keep falling the other way, forever. - -Suddenly the sails fluttered. The vessel had come into the dead spot -where there was no wind acting upon her canvas. Then, as her original -impetus kept her going, the canvas boomed, seeming to his straining and -oversensitive ears like cannon firing. This time the wind was catching -her from what was for her a completely unnatural direction, from dead -ahead. As a result, the sails filled out backwards, and their middle -portions pressed against the masts. - -The 'roller came almost to a stop at once. The rigging groaned, and -the masts themselves creaked loudly. Then they were bending backwards, -while the sailors clinging to them in the darkness swore under their -breaths and clamped down desperately on their handholds. - -"Gods!" said Green. "What _is_ he doing?" - -"Quiet!" said a nearby man, the foretop-captain. "Miran is going to run -her backwards." - -Green gasped. But he made no further comment, trying to visualize what -a strange sight the _Bird of Fortune_ must be, and wishing it were -daylight so he could see her. He sympathized with the helmsmen, who -had to act against their entire training. It was a bad enough strain -for them to try to sail blindly between two vessels. But to roll in -reverse! They would have to put the helm to port when their reflexes -cried out to them to put it to starboard, and vice versa! And no doubt -Miran was aware of this and was warning them about it every few seconds. - -Green began to see what was happening. By now the _Bird_ was rolling on -her former course, but at a reduced rate because the sails, bellying -against their masts, would not offer as much surface to the wind. -Therefore, the Ving vessels would by now be almost upon them, since the -merchant ship had also lost much ground in her maneuver. In one or two -minutes the Ving would overtake them, would for a short while ride side -by side with them, then would pass. - -Provided, of course, that Miran had estimated correctly his speed and -rate of curve in turning. Otherwise they might even now expect a crash -from the foredeck as the bow of the Ving caught them. - -"Oh, Booxotr," prayed the foretop-captain. "Steer us right, else you -lose your most devout worshiper, Miran." - -Booxotr, Green recalled, was the God of Madness. - -Suddenly a hand gripped Green's shoulder. It was the captain of the -foretop. - -"Don't you see them!" he said softly. "They're a blacker black than the -night." - -Green strained his eyes. Was it his imagination, or did he actually see -something moving to his right? And another something, the hint of a -hint, moving to his left? - -Whatever it was, 'roller or illusion, Miran must have seen it also. -His voice shattered the night into a thousand pieces, and it was never -again the same. - -"Cannoneers, fire!" - -Suddenly it was as if fireflies had been in hiding and had swarmed out -at his command. All along the rails little lights appeared. Green was -startled, even though he knew that the punks had been concealed beneath -baskets so that the Vings would have no warning at all. - -Then the fireflies became long glowing worms, as the fuses took flame. - -There was a great roar, and the ship rocked. Iron demons belched flame. - -No sooner done than musketry broke out like a hot rash all over the -ship. Green himself was part of this, blazing away at the vessel -momentarily and dimly revealed by the light of the cannon fire. - -Darkness fell, but silence was gone. The men cheered; the decks -trembled as the big wooden trains holding the cannon were run back to -the ports from which they'd recoiled. As for the pirates, there was no -answering fire. Not at first They must have been taken completely by -surprise. - -Miran shouted again; again the big guns roared. - -Green, reloading his musket, found that he was bracing himself against -a tendency to lean to the right. It was a few seconds before he could -comprehend that the _Bird_ was turning in that direction even though it -was still going backwards. - -"Why is he doing that?" he shouted. - -"Fool, we can't roll up the sails, stop, then set sail again. We'd be -right where we started, sailing backwards. We have to turn while we -have momentum, and how better to do that than reverse our maneuver? -We'll swing around until we're headed in our original direction." - -Green understood now. The Vings had passed them, therefore they were in -no danger of collision with them. And they couldn't continue sailing -backwards all night. The thing to do now would be to cut off at an -angle so that at daybreak they'd be far from the pirates. - -At that moment cannonfire broke out to their left. The men aboard the -_Bird_ refrained from cheering only because of Miran's threats to -maroon them on the plain if they did anything to reveal their position. -Nevertheless they all bared their teeth in silent laughter. Crafty old -Miran had sprung his best trap. As he'd hoped, the two pirates, unaware -that their attacker was now behind them, were shooting each other. - -"Let them bang away until they blow each other sky-high," chortled -the foretop-master. "Ah, Miran, what a tale we'll have to tell in the -taverns when we get to port." - - - - -14 - - -For five minutes the intermittent flashes and bellows told that the -Vings were still hammering away. Then the dark took hold again. -Apparently the two had either recognized each other or else had decided -that night fighting was a bad business and had steered away from each -other. If this last was true, then they wouldn't be much to fear, for -one Ving wouldn't attack the merchant by itself. - -The clouds broke, and the big and the little moons spread brightness -everywhere. The pirate vessels were not in sight. Nor were they seen -when dawn broke. There was sail half a mile away, but this alarmed no -one, except the untutored Green, because they recognized its shape as a -sister. It was a merchant from the nearby city of Dem, of the Dukedom -of Potzihili. - -Green was glad. They could sail with it. Safety in numbers. - -But no. Miran, after hailing it and finding that it also was going to -Estorya, ordered every bit of canvas crowded on in an effort to race -away from it. - -"Is he crazy?" groaned Green to a sailor. - -"Like a _zilmar_," replied the sailor, referring to a foxlike animal -that dwelt in the hills. "We must get to Estorya first if we would -realize the full value of our cargo." - -"Utter featherbrained folly," snarled Green. "That ship doesn't carry -live fish. It can't possibly compete with us." - -"No, but we've other things to sell. Besides, it's in Miran's blood. If -he saw another merchant pass him he'd come down sick." - -Green threw his hands into the air and rolled his eyes in despair. Then -he went back to work. There was much to do yet before he'd be allowed -to sleep. - -The days and nights passed in the hard routine of his labor and the -alarms and excursions that occasionally broke up the routine. Now and -then the gig was launched, while the 'roller was in full speed, and -it sped away under the power of its white fore-and-aft sail. It would -be loaded with hunters, who would chase a _hoober_ or deer or pygmy -hog until it became exhausted; then would shoot the tired animal. They -always brought back plenty of fresh meat. As for water, the catch-tanks -on the decks were full because it rained at least half an hour at every -noon and dusk. - -Green wondered at the regularity and promptness of these showers. -The clouds would appear at twelve, it would rain for thirty to sixty -minutes, then the sky would clear again. It was all very nice, but it -was also very puzzling. - -Sometimes he was allowed to try target practice from the crow's nest -on the grass cats or the huge dire dogs. These latter ran in packs of -half a dozen to twenty, and would often pace the _Bird_, howling and -growling and sometimes running between the wheels. The sailors had -quite a few tales of what they did to people who fell overboard or were -wrecked on the plains. - -Green shuddered and went back to his target practice. Though he -ordinarily was against shooting animals just for the fun of it, he -had no compunction about putting a ball through these wolfish-looking -creatures. Ever since he'd been tormented by Alzo he'd hated dogs with -a passion unbecoming to a civilized man. Of course, the fact that every -canine on the planet instinctively loathed him because of his Earthman -odor and did his best to sink his teeth into him, strengthened Green's -reaction. His legs were always healing from bites of the pets aboard. - -Often the 'roller would cruise through grass tall as a man's knee. Then -suddenly it would pass onto one of those tremendous lawns which seemed -so well kept. Green had never ceased puzzling about them, but all he -could get from anyone was one or more variations of the fable of the -_wuru_, the herbivore bigger than two ships put together. - -One day they passed a wreck. Its burned hulk lay sideways on the -ground, and here and there bones gleamed in the sun. Green expressed -surprise that the masts, wheels and cannon were gone. He was told that -those had been taken away by the savages who roamed the plains. - -"They use the wheels for their own craft, which are really nothing but -large sailing platforms, land-rafts, you might say," Amra told him. "On -these they pitch their tents and their fireplaces, and from them they -go forth to hunt. Some of them, however, disdain platforms and make -their homes upon the 'roaming islands.'" - -Green smiled but said nothing about that fairy story because disbelief -excited these people, even Amra. - -"You'll not see many wrecks," she continued. "Not because there aren't -many, for there are. Out of every ten 'rollers that leave for distant -breaks, you can expect only six to get back." - -"That few? I'm amazed that with such a casualty ratio you could get -anybody to risk his fortune and life." - -"You forget that he who comes back is many times richer than when he -sailed away. Look at Miran. He is taxed heavily at every port of call. -He is taxed even more heavily in his home port. And he has to split -with the Clansmen, though he does get a tenth of the profit of every -cargo. Despite this, he is the richest man in Quotz, richer even than -the Duke." - -"Yes, but a man is a fool to take risks like these just for the -remote chance of a fortune," he protested. Then he stopped. After all, -for what other reason had the Norsemen gone to America, and Columbus -to the West Indies? Or why were so many hundreds of thousands of -Earthmen daring the perils of interstellar space? What about himself, -for instance? He'd left a stable and well-paying job on Earth as a -specialist in raising sea crops to go to Pushover, a planet of Albireo. -He'd expected to make his fortune there after two years of not-too-hard -work and then retire. If only that accident hadn't happened...! - -Of course, some of the pioneers weren't driven by the profit motive. -There was such a thing as love of adventure. Not a pure love, however. -Even the most adventurous saw Eldorado gleaming somewhere in the wilds. -Greed conquered more frontiers than curiosity. - -"You'd think the ruins of 'rollers would not be rare, even if these -plains are vast," said Amra, breaking in on his reflections. "But the -savages and pirates must salvage them as fast as they're made." - -"Your pardon, Mother, for interrupting," said Grizquetr. "I heard -a sailor, Zoob, remark on that very thing just the other day. He -said that he once saw a 'roller that had been gutted, by pirates, he -supposed. It was three days' journey out of Yeshkayavach, the city of -quartz in the far North. He said their 'roller was a week there, then -returned on the same route. But when they came to where the wreck had -been it was gone, every bit of it. Even the bones of the dead sailors -were missing." - -"And he said that that reminded him of a story his father had told -him when he was young. He said his father told him that his ship had -once almost run into a huge uncharted hole in the plain. It was big, -at least two hundred feet across, and earth had been piled up outside, -like the crater of a volcano. At first that was what they thought it -was, a volcano just beginning, even though they'd never heard of such a -thing on the Xurdimur. Then they met a ship whose men had seen the hole -made. It was caused, they said by a mighty falling star...." - -"A meteor," commented Green. - -"... and it had dug that great hole. Well, that was as good an -explanation as any. But the amazing thing was that when they came by -that very spot a month later, the hole was gone. It was filled up -and smoothed out, and grass was growing over it as if nothing had -ever broken the skin of the earth. Now, how do you explain that, -Foster-father?" - -"There are more things in heaven and earth than ever your philosophies -dreamed of, Horatio," Green nonchalantly replied, though he felt as -though he wasn't quoting exactly right. - -Amra and her son blinked. "Horatio?" - -"Never mind." - -"This sailor said that it was probably the work of the gods, who labor -secretly at night that the plain may stay flat and clean of obstacles -so their true worshipers may sail upon it and profit thereby." - -"Will the wonders of rationalization never cease?" said Green. - -He rose from his pile of furs. "Almost time for my watch." He kissed -Amra, the maid, the children, and stepped out from the tent. He walked -rather carelessly across the deck absorbed in wondering what the effect -would be upon Amra if he told her his true origin. Could she comprehend -the concept of other worlds existing by the hundreds of thousands, yet -so distant from each other that a man could walk steadily for a million -years and still not get halfway from Earth to this planet of hers? Or -would she react automatically, as most of her fellows would do, and -think that he must surely be a demon in human disguise? It would be -more natural for her to prefer the latter idea. If you looked at it -objectively, it _was_ more plausible, given her lack of scientific -knowledge. Much more believable, too. - -Somebody bumped him. Jarred out of his reverie, he automatically -apologized in English. - -"Don't curse at me in your foreign tongue!" snarled Grazoot, the plump -little harpist. - -Ezkr was standing behind Grazoot. He spoke out of the side of his -mouth, urging the bard on. "He thinks he can walk all over you, -Grazoot, because he insulted your harp once and you let him get away -with it." - -Grazoot puffed out his cheeks, reddened in the face and glared. "It -is only because Miran has forbidden duels that I have not plunged my -dagger into this son of an _izzot_!" - -Green looked from one to the other. Obviously this scene was -prearranged with no good end for him in view. - -"Stand aside," he said haughtily. "You are interfering with the -discipline of the 'roller. Miran will not like that." - -"Indeed!" said Grazoot. "Do you think Miran cares at all about what -happens to you? You're a lousy sailor and it hurts me to have to call -you brother. In fact, I spit every time I say it to you, brother!" - -Grazoot did just that. Green, who was downwind, felt the fine mist wet -his legs. He began to get angry. - -"Out of my way or I'll report you to the first mate," he said firmly -and walked by them. They gave way, but he had an uneasy feeling in -the small of his back, as if a knife would plunge into it. Of course, -they shouldn't be so foolish, because they would be hamstrung and then -dropped off the 'roller for the crime of cowardice. But these people -were so hot-headed they were just as likely as not to stab him in a -moment of fury. - -Once on the rope ladder that ran up to the crow's nest, he began to -lose the prickly feeling in his back. At that moment Grazoot called -out, "Oh, Green, I had a vision last night, a true vision, because my -patron god sent it, and he himself appeared in it. He announced that he -would snuff up his nostrils the welcome scent of your blood, spilled -all over the deck from your fall!" - -Green paused with one foot on the rail. "You tell your god to stay away -from me, or I'll punch him in the nose!" he called back. - -There was a gasp from the many people who'd gathered around to listen. -"Sacrilege!" yelled Grazoot. "Blasphemy!" He turned to those around -him. "Did you hear that?" - -"Yes," said Ezkr, stepping out from the crowd. "I heard him and I am -shocked. Men have burned for less." - -"Oh, my patron god, Tonuscala, punish this pride-swollen man! Make your -dreams come true. Cast him headlong from the mast and dash him to the -deck and break every bone in his body so that men may learn that one -does not mock the true gods." - -"_Tahkhai_," murmured the crowd. "Amen." - -Green smiled grimly. He had fallen into their trap and now must be on -guard. Plainly, one or both of them would be aloft tonight during the -dark hour after sunset, and they'd be content with nothing less than -pitching him out over the deck. His death would be considered to have -come from the hands of an outraged god. And if Amra should accuse Ezkr -and Grazoot she'd get little justice. As for Miran, the fellow would -probably heave a sigh of relief, because he'd be rid of a troublesome -fellow who could carry damaging stories of a certain conspiracy to the -Duke of Tropat. - -He climbed up to the crow's nest, and settled gloomily to staring off -at the horizon. Just before sunset Grizquetr came up with a bottle of -wine and food in a covered basket. - -Between bites Green told the boy of his suspicions. - -"Mother has already guessed as much," said the lad. "She is a very -clever woman indeed, my mother. She has put a curse upon the two if you -should come to harm." - -"Very clever. That will do a great deal of good. Thank her for her -splendid work while you're picking up my pieces from the deck, will -you?" - -"To be sure," replied Grizquetr, trying hard to keep his sober face -from breaking into a grin. "And Mother also sent you this." - -He rolled the kerchief all the way off the top of the basket. Green's -eyes widened. - - - - -15 - - -"A rocket flare!" - -"Yes. Mother says that you are to release it when you hear the bos'n's -whistle from the deck." - -"Now, why in the world would I do that? Won't I get into tremendous -trouble by doing that? I'll be run through the gauntlet a dozen times -for that. No sir, not me. I've seen those poor fellows after the whips -were through with them." - -"Mother said for me to tell you that nobody will be able to prove who -sent up the flare." - -"Perhaps. It sounds reasonable. But why should I do it?" - -"It will light up the whole ship for a minute, and everybody will be -able to see that Ezkr and Grazoot are in the rigging. The whole ship -will be in an uproar. Of course, when it is discovered that somebody -has stolen two flares from the store-room, and when a search is -conducted, and one flare is found hidden in Ezkr's trunk, then ... -well, you see...." - -"Oh, beamish boy!" chortled Green. "Calloo, callay! Go tell your mother -she's the most marvelous woman on this planet--though that's really not -much of a compliment, now I think of it. Oh, wait a minute! About this -bos'n's whistle. Now, why should he be warning me to send up a flare?" - -"He won't. Mother will be blowing it. She'll be waiting for a signal -from me or Azaxu," Grizquetr said, referring to his younger brother. -"We'll be watching Ezkr and Grazoot, and when they start to climb aloft -we'll notify her. She'll wait until she thinks they're about halfway -up, then she'll whistle." - -"That woman has saved my life at least half a dozen times. What would I -do without her?" - -"That's what Mother said. She said that she doesn't know why she went -after you when you tried to run away from her--from us--because she has -great pride. And she doesn't have to chase a man to get one; princes -have begged her to come live with them. But she did because she loves -you, and a good thing, too. Otherwise your stupidity would have killed -you ten times over by now." - -"Oh, she did, did she? Well, hah, hum. Yes, well...!" - -Thoroughly ashamed of himself, yet angry at Amra for her estimate of -him, Green miserably watched Grizquetr climb down the ratlines. - -During the next half-hour, time seemed to coagulate, to thicken and -harden around him so that he felt as if he were encased in it. The -clouds that always came up after sunset formed, and a light drizzle -began. It would last for about an hour, he knew, then the clouds would -disappear so swiftly that they would give the impression of being -yanked away like a tablecloth by some magician over the horizon. But -he'd cram a highly nervous lifetime into those minutes, wondering -if perhaps there wouldn't be some unforeseen frustration of Amra's -schedule. - -The first webby drops struck his face, and he wondered if perhaps that -wouldn't be what the two would wait for. They'd probably taken the -first step up the rigging, but he mustn't expect her whistle for some -time yet. If they were clever they wouldn't climb up directly beneath -him, but would go aft, ascend to the top, then climb over to him. It -was true that they'd have to pass others who, like Green, were also -stationed aloft on watch. But Ezkr and Grazoot knew the locations of -these. So dark was it they could pass within touching distance and not -be seen or heard. The wind in the rigging, the creak of masts, the -rumble of the great wheels would drown out any slight noise they might -make. - -The 'roller did not stop sailing just because the helmsmen could not -see. The _Bird_ followed a well-charted route; every permanent obstacle -along here had been memorized by helmsmen and officers alike. If -anything formidable was expected in their path during the dark period, -a course would be set to avoid it. The officers on duty would advise -the helmsmen on their steering by means of an ingenious dial on a -notched plate. His sensitive fingers, following its flickerings back -and forth, and comparing them with the directional notches, would tell -him how close to the course they were keeping. The dial itself was -fixed to the needle of a compass beneath it. - -Green hunched his shoulders beneath his coat and walked around the -walls of his nest. He strained his eyes to make out something in the -blackness that wrapped him around like a shroud. There was nothing, -nothing at all.... No, wait! What was that? A vague outline of a white -face? - -He stared hard until it disappeared, then he sighed and realized how -rigidly he'd been standing there. And of course he'd been open to -attack from behind all that time. - -No, not really. If he couldn't see an arm's length away, neither could -the other two. - -But they didn't have to see. They knew the ropes so well that they -could grope blindfolded to his nest and there feel him out. A touch of -a finger, followed by a thrust of steel. That would be all it would -take. - -He was thinking of that when he felt the finger. It poked into his back -and held him like a statue for just a second, quivering, paralyzed. -Then he gave a hoarse cry and jumped away. He snatched out his dagger -and crouched down close to the floor, straining his eyes and ears, -trying to detect them. Surely, if they were breathing as hard as he, he -couldn't fail to hear them. - -On the other hand, he realized with a sudden sickishness, they could -hear him just as well. - -"Come on! Come on!" he said soundlessly, through clenched teeth. "Do -something! Make a move so I can pin you, you sons of _izzots_!" - -Perhaps they were doing the same, waiting for him to betray himself. -The best thing was to hug the floor where he was and hope they'd -stumble over him. - -He kept reaching out in front of him, feeling for the warm flesh of a -face. His other hand held his dagger. - -It was during one of his tentative explorations that he felt the basket -where Grizquetr had left it. At once, seized with what he thought was -an inspiration, he pulled out the flare. Why wait for them to close in -on him and butcher him like a hog? He'd send up the flare now, and in -the first shock of its glare he'd attack them. - -The only trouble was, he'd have to put down his dagger in order to take -his flint and steel and tinderbox from his pocket. He hated not to have -it ready for thrusting. - -Solving this problem by putting the dagger between his teeth, he took -out his firebox, paused, and swiftly put them back. Now, how was he -supposed to get the tinder going when it was drizzling? That was one -thing Amra, with all her cleverness, hadn't thought of. - -"Fool!" he whispered to himself. "I'm the fool!" And in the next -moment, he was removing his coat and putting the flint and steel and -box under its protecting cover. He couldn't see what he was doing, but -if he held the tinder close enough a spark should fall on it. Then he'd -have a flame hot enough to touch off the fuse of the flare. - -Again, he froze. His enemies were waiting for him to reveal himself -through noise. What better giveaway than flint scraping against steel? -And what about the sound of the rocket flare's spiked support being -driven into the wooden floor? - -He suppressed a groan. No matter what he did he was leaving himself -wide open. - -It was then that the shrillness of a whistle below startled him. He -rose, wondering frenziedly what he should do next. So convinced was he -that Ezkr and Grazoot were poised just outside the nest, he could not -believe that Amra had not misjudged the time it had taken them to climb -to him or that she had not been held up for some reason and now was -frantically trying to warn him. - -But, he realized, he couldn't just stand there like a scared sheep. -Whether Amra was right or not, whether they were within dagger's thrust -or not, he had to take action. - -"Do your damndest!" he growled at whatever might be in the dark, and he -struck steel against flint. The materials were under his coat, blocking -his view, but he lay down again so he could see between his arms and -under the coat held over them. The tinder caught at once and blazed -up, then began a small but steady glow in the harder wood of the box. -Without waiting to look around, Green rammed the flare's spike into -the deck of the nest. Swiftly he brought the punk up, still holding -the coat over it for protection from the drizzle and also from any -watching eyes. He held it against the fuse, saw the cord catch flame -and sizzle like a frying worm. Then he had ducked around the other side -of the mast that supported the nest, for he knew how unpredictable -these primitive rockets were. Like as not it would go off in his face. -Hardly had he rounded the big pillar of the mast when he heard a soft -whooshing sound. He looked up just in time to see the rocket explode in -a white glare. The moment it dispelled the darkness he jerked his head -to the right and the left in an effort to see if Ezkr and Grazoot were -on him, as he'd _known_ they must be. - -But they weren't. They were still half a ship's length away from him, -caught by the light in the rigging, like flies in a spider's web. What -he had thought was a finger poking him in the back must have been the -bolt that held the support for the muskets which were to be fired from -the nest during combat. - -So relieved was he, he would have broken into loud laughter, but at -that moment a great cry broke from the decks below. The mate and the -helmsmen were shouting in alarm. - -Green looked down, saw them pointing, and his gaze followed the -direction of their extended fingers. - -A hundred yards ahead, rushing at them on a collision course, was a -towering clump of trees! - - - - -16 - - -Then the flare had died and had left nothing but its after-image on the -eye--and panic on the brain. - -Green did not know what to make of it. In the first instant he had -thought that it was the 'roller alone that was speeding toward an -uncharted forest-grown hill. Immediately after, he'd seen that his -senses were deceiving him and that the mass was also moving. It had -looked like a hill, or several hills, sliding across the grass toward -them. But even as the darkness came back he'd seen that there were -other hills behind it, and that the whole thing was actually a sort of -iceberg of rocks and of soil from which grew trees. - -That was all he could make out in that confusing moment. Even then he -couldn't believe it, because a mountain just didn't run along of its -own volition on flat land. - -Credible or not, it was not being ignored by the helmsmen. They must -have turned the wheel almost at once, for Green could feel the leaning -of the mast to port and the shift of wind upon his face. The _Bird_ was -swinging to the southwest in an effort to avoid the "roaming island." -Unfortunately it was too dark for the men to have worked swiftly in -trimming the sails even if a full crew had been aloft. And there were -far too few on the top, as it was not thought necessary to have them on -duty when the 'roller was running in the post-sunset drizzle. - -Green had time for one short prayer--no nonsense about punching a god -in the nose, now--and then he was hurled against the wall of the nest. -There was the loudest noise he'd ever heard--the loudest because it was -the crack of doom for him. Rope split like a giant's whip cracking; -spars, suddenly released from the rigging, strummed like monster -violins; the masts, falling down, thundered; intermingled with all -that were the screams of the people below on the deck and in the holds. -Green himself was screaming as he felt the foremast lean over, and -he slid from the floor of the nest, which had suddenly threatened to -become a wall, and fought to hold himself on the wall, which had now -become a floor. His fingers closed upon the musket-support with the -desperation of one who clings to the only solid thing in the world. - -For a minute, the mast stopped its forward movement, held taut by the -tangled mass of ropes. Green hoped that he was safe, that all the -damage had been done. - -But no, even as he dared think he might come out alive, the mighty -grinding noise began again. The island of rock and trees was continuing -its course and was smashing the hull of the ship beneath it, gobbling -up wheels, axles, keel, timber, cargo, cannon and people. - -The next he knew, he was flying through the air, torn from his hold, -catapulted far away from the 'roller. It seemed as if he actually -soared, gained altitude, though this must have been an illusion. Then -the hard return to earth, the impact on his face, his body, his legs. -The outstretched arms to soften the blow that must surely splinter -his bones and pulp his flesh. The pitiful arms, the last warding-off -gesture before annihilation. The series of hard blows, like many fists. -The sudden realization that he was among tree branches and that his -fall was being broken by them. His trying to grab one to hang on and -its slipping away and his continued rapid and punishing descent. - -Then, oblivion. - -He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but when he sat up he -saw through the trunks of the trees the shattered hull of the _Bird_ -about a hundred feet away. It was lying on its side on a lower level -than he was, so he supposed that he was sitting on the slope of a -hill. Only half of the craft was in sight; it must have been broken in -two, and most of the middeck and stern ground into rubble beneath the -advancing juggernaut of the island. - -Dully, he realized that the drizzle had stopped, the clouds had cleared -and the big and little moons were up. The seeing was good, too good. - -There were people left alive in the wreck, men, women and children who -were trying to climb through the tangle of ropes, spars and broken, -jagged, projecting planks. Screams, moans, shouts and calls for help -made a chaos. - -Groaning, he managed to rise to his feet. He had a very painful -headache. One eye was so swollen he couldn't see with it. He tasted -blood in his mouth and felt several broken teeth with his lacerated -tongue. His sides hurt when he breathed. The skin seemed to have -been torn off the palms of his hands. His right knee must have been -wrenched, and his left heel was a ball of fire. Nevertheless he got up. -Amra and Paxi and her other children were in there; that is, unless -they'd been caught in the other half. He had to find out. Even if they -were beyond his help there were others who weren't. - -He started to hobble through the trees. Then he saw a man step out from -behind a bush. Thinking that he must be a survivor who had wandered off -in a dazed condition, Green opened his mouth to speak to him. But there -was something odd about him that imposed silence. He looked closer. -Yes, the fellow wore a headdress of feathers and held a long spear in -his hand. And the moonlight, where it slipped through the branches and -shone upon an exposed shoulder, gleamed red, white, blue-black, yellow -and green. The man was painted all over with stripes of different -colors! - -Green slowly sank down upon his hands and knees behind a bush. It was -then that he became aware of others who stood behind trees and watched -the wreck. Then these emerged from the darkness under the branches. -Presently, at least fifty plumed, painted, armed men were gathered -together, all silent, all intently inspecting the wreck and the -survivors. - -One raised a spear as a signal and gave a loud, whooping war cry. The -others echoed him, and when he ran out from beneath the branches they -followed him. - -Green could watch only for a minute before he had to close his eyes. - -"No, no!" he moaned. "The children, too!" - -When he forced himself to look again, he saw that he had been mistaken -in thinking that everybody had been put to spear. After the first -vicious onslaught, in which they'd killed indiscriminately and -hysterically, like all undisciplined primitives, they'd spared the -younger women and the little girls. Those able to walk were lined up -and marched off under the guard of half a dozen spearsmen. The too -badly injured were run through on the spot. - -Even in the midst of this scene, Green felt some of his intense anguish -eased a little. Amra was still alive! - -She held Paxi in one arm and with the other pulled Soon, her daughter -by the temple sculptor. Though she must have been terribly frightened, -she faced her captors with the same proud bearing she'd always had, -whether in the presence of peasant or prince. Inzax, her maid, stood -behind her. - -Green decided that he'd better try to follow her and her captors at a -discreet distance. But before he could get away he saw the women and -older children of the savages appear, bearing torches. Fortunately none -came his way. Some of these mutilated the dead, dancing around the -hacked corpses and howling in imitation of the adult men. Then began -the work in earnest, the carving up of the flesh. These painted people -were cannibals and made no bones about it. Fires were being lit for a -midnight snack before the bulk of the meat was brought back to wherever -their homes were. - - - - -17 - - -Green stayed far enough behind the prisoners and savages to keep out -of sight if any man should turn. The path was narrow, winding between -crowding trunks and under low branches. The soil underfoot was rich -and springy, as if composed of generations of leaves. Green estimated -he must have gone at least a mile and a half, not as the crow flies, -but more like a drunk trying to find his way home. Then, without -warning, the forest stopped and a clearing was before him. In the midst -of this stood a village of about ten log houses with thatched roofs. -Six were rather small outhouses serving one purpose or another. The -four large ones were, he guessed, long houses for community living. -They were grouped about a central spot in which were the remains of -several large fires beneath big iron pots and spits. Clay tanks were -scattered here and there; these held rain water. Before each house was -a twenty-foot-high totem pole, brightly painted, and around it many -slender poles holding skulls. - -The prisoners were led into one of the outhouses and the door barred. -A man stationed himself at the front, squatting with his back to the -wall and holding a spear in one hand. The others greeted the old women -and younger children who had been left behind. Though they spoke in a -language Green didn't understand, they were obviously describing what -they'd found at the wreck. Some of the old crones then began piling -brushwood and small logs under one of the huge iron kettles; presently -they had a fire blazing brightly. Others brought out glasses and cups -of precious metals--loot from wrecks. These they filled with some sort -of liquor, probably a native beer, judging from the foam that spilled -over the sides. One of the young boys began idly tapping upon a drum -and soon was beating out a monotonous simple rhythm. It looked as if -they were going to make a night of it. - -But after a few drinks the warriors arose, picked up jugs of liquor and -walked into the woods, leaving one man to guard the prisoners' hut. All -the children over the age of four left with them, trailing along in -the dark, though the warriors made no effort to slow their pace so the -children could keep up. - -Green waited until he was sure the spearsmen were some distance away, -then rose. His muscles protested at any movement, and pains shot -through his head, knee and ankle. But he ignored them and limped around -the edge of the clearing until he came to the back of one of the long -houses. - -He slipped inside and stood by the side of the doorway. It was more -illuminated than he'd thought at first, because of the several large -and open windows which admitted moonbeams. Hens sleepily clucked -at him, and one of the midget pigs grunted questioningly. Suddenly -something soft brushed across his ankles. Startled, he jumped to one -side. His heart, which had been beating fast enough before, threatened -to hammer a hole in his ribs. He crouched, straining to see what it -was. Then a soft meowing nearby told him. He relaxed a little and -stretched out a hand, saying, "Here, kitty, kitty, come here." - -But the cat walked by, his tail raised and a look of disdain on his -face as he disappeared through the door. Seeing the animal reminded -Green of something about which he was anxious. That was whether the -natives kept dogs or not. He hadn't seen any and thought that surely if -there were some he'd have long ago heard the noisy beasts. Undoubtedly, -by now, he should have a whole pack of the obnoxious monsters snarling -at his heels. - -Silently, he walked into the long single room with its high ceiling. -From thick rafters hung rolled-up curtains, which he supposed would -be let down to make a semi-private room for any families that wished -it. From them also hung vegetables, fruit and meat; chickens, rabbits, -piglets, squirrels, _hoober_ and venison. There were no human parts, so -he guessed that the flesh of man was not so much a staple diet to these -people as a food for religious purposes. - -All he did know was that he would have to take some meat with him. He -gathered strips of dried _hoober_, rolled them into a ball and stuffed -them in a bag. Then he took down an iron-headed spear and a sharp steel -knife from their rack on the wall. Knife in belt and spear in hand, he -went out the back door. - -Outside, he stopped to listen to the far-off beating of drums and the -chanting of voices. There must be quite a celebration around the wreck. - -"Good," he muttered to himself. "If they get drunk and pass out I'll -have time for what I want to do." - -Staying well within the shadows of the trees, he picked his way to the -back of the hut in which the prisoners were. From where he stood he -could see that there were only six old women--about all the island's -economy could afford, he supposed--and some ten infants, all toddlers. -Most of these, once the excitement caused by the noisy warriors had -subsided with their leavetaking, had lain down close to the fire and -gone to sleep. The only one who might give real trouble, aside from -the guard, was a boy of ten, the one who was now tapping softly on the -drum. At first Green could not understand why he hadn't gone with the -others of his age to the wreck. But the empty stare and the unblinking -way he looked into the fire showed why. Green had no doubt that if -he were to come close enough to the lad, he'd see that the eyeballs -were filmed over with white. Blindness was nothing rare on this filthy -planet. - -Satisfied as to everybody's location, he crept to the back of the hut -and examined the walls. They were made of thick poles driven into the -ground and bound together with rope taken from a 'roller's rigging. -There were plenty of openings for him to look through, but it was so -dark that he could see only the vague outlines moving about. - -He put his mouth to one of the holes and said softly, "Amra!" - -Somebody gasped. A little girl began to cry but was quickly hushed up. -Amra answered, faint with joy. - -"Alan! It can't be _you_!" - -"I am not thy father's ghost!" he replied, and wondered at the same -time how he could manage to inject any levity at all into the midst of -this desperate situation. He was always doing it. Perhaps it was not -the product of a true humor but more like the giggle of a person who -was embarrassed or under some other stress, more the result of hysteria -than anything else, his particular type of safety valve. - -"Here's what I'm going to do," he said. "Listen carefully, then repeat -it after me so I'll know you have it down." - -She had to hear it only once to give it back to him letter-perfect. He -nodded. "Good girl. I'm going now." - -"Alan!" - -"Yes?" he replied impatiently. - -"If this doesn't work ... if anything should happen to you ... or -me ... remember that I love you." - -He sighed. Even in the midst of this the eternal feminine emerged. - -"I love you, too. But that hasn't got much to do with this situation." - -Before she could answer and waste more valuable time he slid away, -crawling on all fours around the corner of the hut. When he was where -one more pace would have brought him into view of the guard and the -old crones, he stopped. All this while he'd been counting the seconds. -As soon as he'd clocked five minutes--which he thought would never -pass--he rose and stepped swiftly around the corner, spear held in -front of him. - -The guard was drinking out of his mug with his eyes closed and his -throat exposed. He fell over with Green's spear plunged through his -windpipe, just above the breastbone. The mug fell onto his lap and -gushed its amber and foam over his legs. - -Green withdrew the blade and whirled, ready to run upon anybody who -started to flee. But the old women were huddled on their knees around a -large board on which they were rolling some flour, cackling and talking -shrilly. The blind boy continued tapping, his open eyes glaring into -the fire. Only one saw Green, a boy of about three. Thumb in mouth, -he stared with great round eyes at this stranger. But he was either -too horrified to utter a sound or else he did not understand what had -happened and was waiting to find out his elders' reactions before he -offered his own. - -Green lifted one finger to his lips in the universal sign of silence, -then turned and lifted up the bar over the door. Amra rushed out and -took the guard's spear from her husband. The dead man's knife went -to Inzax and his other knife to Aga, a tall, muscular woman who was -captain of the female deck hands and who had once killed a sailor while -defending her somewhat dubious honor. - -At the same time, the chattering of the hags stopped. Green whirled -around, and the silence was broken by shrieks. Frantically, the hags -tried to scramble up from their stiffened knees and run away. But Green -and the women were upon them before they could take more than a few -steps. Not one of them reached the forest. It was grim work, one in -which the Effenycan woman took fierce joy. - -Without wasting a look on the poor old carcasses, Green rounded up -the children and the blind boy and put them in the prisoners' hut. He -had to hold Aga back from slaughtering them. Amra, he was pleased to -see, had made no motion to help them in their intended butchery. She, -understanding his brief look, replied, "I could not kill a child, even -the spawn of these fiends. It would be like stabbing Paxi." - -Green saw one of the women holding his daughter. He ran to her, took -Paxi out of her arms and kissed the baby. Soon, Amra's ten-year-old -child by the sculptor, came shyly and stood by his side, waiting to be -noticed. He kissed her, too. "You're getting to be a big girl, Soon," -he said. "Do you suppose you could tag along behind your mother and -carry Paxi for her? She has to carry her spear." - -The girl, a big-eyed, redheaded beauty, nodded and took the baby. - -Green eyed the long houses with the idea of setting them afire. He -decided not to when it became apparent that the wind would carry sparks -to the hut in which the savages' children were. Moreover, though a fire -would undoubtedly create consternation among the roisterers at the -wreck and keep them busy for some time, it would also cause them to -start tracking down the refugees just that much sooner. Besides, there -was the possibility of setting fire to the forest, wet though it was. -He didn't want to destroy his only hiding-place. - -He directed some women to go into the long house and load themselves -with as much food and weapons as they could carry. In a few minutes he -had the party ready to leave. - -"We'll take this path that leads out of the village away from the path -that goes to the wreck," he said. "Let's hope it goes to the other edge -of the island, where we may find some small 'rollers on which we can -escape. I presume these savages have some kind of sailing craft." - -This path was as narrow and winding as the other one. It worked in the -general direction of the western shore, and the savages were on the -eastern shore. - -Their way at first led upward, sometimes through passes formed by -two large rocks. Several times they had to skirt little lakes, catch -basins for rain. Once a fish flopped out of the water, scaring them. -The island was fairly self-sufficient, what with its fish, rabbits, -squirrels, wild fowl, pigs and various vegetables and fruit. He -estimated that if the village was in the center of the island, then the -mass should have a surface area of about one and a half square miles. -Rough though the land was and thickly covered with grass, the place -should offer cover for one refugee. - -For one, yes, but not for six women and eight children. - - - - -18 - - -After much puffing and panting, muttered encouragements to each other, -and occasional cursing, they finally reached the summit of the tallest -hill. Abruptly, they found themselves facing a clearing which ran -around its crown. Directly ahead of them was a forest of totem poles, -all gleaming palely in the moonlight. Beyond it was the dark yawning of -a large cave. - -Green walked out from the shadows of the branches to take a closer -look. When he came back he said, "There's a little hut by the side of -the cave. I looked in the window. An old woman's asleep in it. But her -cats are wide-awake and likely to wake her up." - -"All those totem poles bear the heads of cats," said Aga. "This place -must be their holy of holies. It's probably taboo to all but the old -priestess." - -"Maybe so," replied Green. "But they must hold religious services of -some sort here. There's a big pile of human skulls on the other side of -the cave mouth, and also a stake covered with bloodstains. - -"We can do two things. Go on down the other side of this hill, jump off -onto the plain and take our chances there. Or else hide inside the cave -and hope that because it's taboo nobody will explore it to look for us." - -"It seems to me that's the first place they'd look into," said Aga. - -"Not if we don't wake the old woman. Then if the savages come along -later and ask her if anybody's come by they'll get no for an answer." - -"What about the cats?" - -Green shrugged his shoulders. "We'll have to take that chance. Perhaps, -if once we get by them and into the cave, they may quiet down." - -He was referring to their caterwauling, which was beginning to sound -dreadful. - -"No," said Aga, "that noise will be a signal to the islanders. They'll -know something's up." - -"Well," replied Green, "I don't know what you intend doing, but I'm -going into that cave. I'm too tired to run any further." - -"So are we," affirmed the other women. "We've reached the end of our -strength." - -There was a silence, and into that silence came a voice, a man's. - -It whispered, "Please do not be startled. Be quiet. It is I...." - -Miran stepped out of the shadows behind them, holding his finger to -his lips, his one eye round and pale in the moonlight. He was a ragged -captain, not at all the elegantly uniformed commander of the _Bird of -Fortune_ and the wealthy-appearing patriarch of the Clan Effenycan. But -he carried in his other hand a canvas bag. Green, seeing it, knew that -Miran had managed somehow not only to escape with his skin but had also -carried off a treasure in jewels. - -"Behold," he announced, waving the bag, "all is not lost." - -Green thought that he was referring to the jewels. However, Miran had -turned and beckoned to someone in the darkness behind him. - -Out of it slipped Grizquetr. Tears shone in his eyes as he ran to his -mother and fell into her arms. - -Amra began weeping softly. Until now she had repressed her grief over -the children she thought forever lost to her. All thought had been -directed to saving her own life and the lives of the two girls who had -survived with her. Now, seeing her eldest son emerge from the shadows -as if from the grave had thawed the frozen well of sorrow. - -She sobbed, "I thank the gods that they have given me back my son." - -"If the gods are so wonderful why did they kill your other two -children?" asked Miran sourly. "And why did they kill my Clansmen, and -why did they smash my _Bird_? Why...?" - -"Shut up!" said Green. "This is no time to cry about anything. We have -to get out with whole hides. The philosophizing and tears can come -later." - -"Mennirox is an ungrateful god," muttered Miran. "After all I did for -him, too." - -Amra dried her tears and said, "How did you escape? I thought all the -males who hadn't been killed in the wreck were speared?" - -"Almost everybody was," replied Grizquetr. "But I crawled down into -the hold and slipped through to a hiding place beneath one of the fish -tanks, which had overturned. It was wet there, and there were dead fish -nestling beside me. The savages did not find me, though doubtless they -would have when they began salvaging. It was thinking about that that -decided me to crawl back out on the other side of the 'roller away from -the savages. I did so, and I found that I could belly my way through -the grass growing on the edge. I almost died of fright, though, because -I crawled head on into Miran. He was hiding there, too." - -"I was thrown off the foredeck by the impact," interrupted the -captain. "I should have broken every bone in my body, but I landed on -a hull sail, which had come down and was lying on the starboard side, -supported by the fallen mast. It was like falling into a hammock. From -there I dropped into the grass and snaked along the very edge of the -island. Several times I almost fell off, and I would have if I'd been a -pound fatter, an inch wider. As it was...." - -"Listen," said Grizquetr, breaking in. "This island is the _wuru_!" - -"What do you mean?" said Green. - -"While I was clinging to the edge of the island I thought I'd hang down -over it and see if there was any place there to hide. There wasn't, -because the underside of the island is one smooth sheet. I know, -because I could see in the moonlight clear to the other side. It was -smooth, smooth, like a slab of iron. - -"And that's not all! You know how the grass on the plains hereabouts -has been tall, uncut? Well, the grass just ahead of the edge was uncut. -But the grass underneath the island was being cut off. Rather, it was -vanishing! The top of the grass was just disappearing into air! Only a -lawn of grass about an inch high was left!" - -"Then this island _is_ one big lawnmower," said Green. "More than just -interesting. But we'll have to investigate that later. Right now...." - -And he walked toward the little hut by the cave mouth. As he -approached it several large house cats streaked out of the doorway. A -moment later Green came out. He grinned broadly. - -"The priestess has passed out. The place smells like a brewery. The -cats are in their cups, too. All drinking from bowls set on the ground -for them, staggering around, yowling, fighting. If they don't wake her -up, nothing can." - -"I have heard that these old priestesses are often drunkards," said -Amra. "They lead a lonely life because they're taboo, and nobody even -goes near them except during certain religious customs. They have only -their bottle and their cats to keep them company." - -"Ah," said Miran, "you are thinking of the Tale of Samdroo, the Tailor -Who Turned Sailor. Yes, that is supposed to be a story to entertain -children, but I'm beginning to think there is a great deal to it. -Remember, the story describes just such a hill and just such a cave. It -is said that every roaming island has just such a place. And...." - -"You talk too much," broke in Aga harshly. "Let's get on into the cave." - -Green could appreciate what Aga's comment meant. Miran had lost face -because he'd allowed his vessel to be wrecked and his Clansmen murdered -en masse. To Aga and the other women he was no longer Captain Miran, -the rich patriarch. He was Miran, the shipwrecked sailor. A fat old -sailor. Just that. Nothing more. - -He could have redeemed himself if he had committed suicide. But his -eagerness to live had resulted in his placing himself on an even lower -level in their estimation. - -Miran must have realized this, for he did not reply. Instead he stood -to one side. - -Green walked thirty paces into the cave, then looked back over his -shoulder. The entrance was still visible, an arch outlined in the -bright moonshine. - -Someone coughed. Green was about to caution them to keep quiet, when -he felt his nostrils tickling and had to fight to down a loud sneeze -himself. - -"Dust." - -"Good," said Green. "Maybe they never come down here." - -Suddenly the tunnel turned at right angles, to the left. The little -light that penetrated from the entrance disappeared in total blackness. -The party halted. - -"What if there are traps set for intruders?" wailed Inzax. - -"That's a chance well have to take," Green growled. "We'll go in the -dark until we come to another turn. Then we'll light up a torch or two. -The natives won't be able to see the glow." - -He walked ahead feeling the wall with his left hand. Suddenly he -stopped. Amra bumped into him. - -"What is it?" she asked anxiously. - -"The rock wall has now become metal. Feel here." - -He guided her hand. - -"You're right," she whispered. "There's a definite seam, and I can tell -the difference between the two!" - -"The floor's metal, too," added Soon. "My feet are bare, and I can feel -it. What's more, the dust is all gone." - -Green went ahead, and after thirty more paces he came to another -ninety-degree turn, to the right. The walls and floor were composed of -the smooth, cool metal. After making sure that the entire party was -around the corner, he told a woman carrying some torches taken from -a long house to light one. Its bright flare showed the group staring -round-eyed at the large chamber in which they stood. - -Everywhere were bare gray metal walls and floors. No furniture of any -kind. - -Nor a speck of dust. - -"There's a doorway to another room," he said. "We might as well go on -in." - -He took the torch from the woman and, holding a cutlass in the other, -he led the way. Once across the threshold he halted. - -This room was even larger than the other. But it had furnishings of a -sort. And its further wall was not metal but earth. - -At the same time the room began to brighten with light coming from an -invisible source. - -Soon screamed and threw herself against her mother, clinging -desperately to her waist. The babies began howling, and the other -adults acted in the various ways that panic affected them. - -Green alone remained unmoved. He knew what was happening, but he -couldn't blame the rest for their behavior. They had never heard of an -electronic eye, so they couldn't be expected to maintain coolness. - -The only thing that Green feared at that moment was that the outcries -would be heard by the savages outside the cave. So he hastened to -assure the women that this phenomenon was nothing to be frightened -about. It was common in his home country. A mere matter of white magic -that anyone could practice. - -They quieted down but were still uneasy. Wide-eyed, they bunched up -about him. - -"The natives themselves aren't scared of this," he said. "They must -come here at times. See? There's an altar built against that dirt wall. -And from the bones piled beneath it I'd say that sacrifices were held -here." - -He looked for another door. There seemed to be none. He found it hard -to believe that there couldn't be. Somehow he'd had the feeling that -great things lay ahead of him. These rooms, and this lighting, were -evidences of an earlier civilization that quite possibly had been -on a level with his own. He'd known that the island itself must be -powered with an automatically working anti-gravity plant, fueled either -atomically or from the planet's magneto-gravitic field. Why the whole -unit should be covered with rocks and soil and trees he didn't know. -But he had been sure that somewhere in the bowels of this mass of land -was just such a place as this. And more. Where was the power plant? Was -it sealed up so that no one could get to it? Or, as was likely, was -there a door to the plant which could not be opened unless one had a -key of some sort? - -First he had to find the door. - -He examined the altar, which was made of iron. It was a platform about -three feet high and ten feet square. Upon it stood a chair, fashioned -from pieces of iron. From its back rose a steel rod about half an inch -in diameter and ten feet long, its lower end held secure between two -uprights by a thick iron fork. Once the fork was withdrawn, the rod -would obviously fall over against the earth wall behind it, though the -lower end would still remain on the uprights and would, in fact, stick -against whoever was sitting in the chair at the moment. - -"Odd," said Green. "If it weren't for those catheaded idols on the -ends of the platform, and the bones at its foot, I'd not know this -_was_ an altar. Bones! They're black, burned black." - -He looked again at the rod. "Now," he said, half to himself, "if I were -to withdraw the fork, and the rod fell, it would strike the wall. That -is evident. But what is it all about?" - -Amra brought him some long pieces of rope. - -"These were stacked against the wall," she said. - -"Yes? Ah! Now, if I were to tie one end of this rope about the apex of -that rod, and someone else were to stand upon the altar and take out -the fork, then I could control which direction the rod would fall by -pulling it toward me. Or allowing it to go away from me. And the person -who had taken the fork out would then have plenty of time to get down -from the altar and back to the region of safety, where the rope-wielder -and his friends would be stationed. Alas, the poor fellow sitting in -the chair! Yes, I see it all now." - -He looked up from the rope he held in his hand. "Aga!" he said sharply. -"Get away from that wall!" - -The tall, lean woman was walking past the altar, holding her bare -cutlass in her hand. When she heard Green she paused in her stride, -gave him an astonished look, then continued. - -"You don't understand," she called back over her shoulder. "This wall -isn't solid earth. It's fluffy, like a young chick's feathers. It's -dust, dust. I think we can knock it down, cut our way through. There -must be something on the other side...." - -"Aga!" he yelled. "Don't! Stop where you are!" - -But she had lifted her blade and brought it down in a hard stroke that -was to show him how easy the stuff would be to slash away. - -Green grabbed Amra and Paxi and dived to the floor, pulling them with -him. - -Thunder roared and lightning filled the room, dazzling and deafening -him! Even in its midst he could see the dark figure of Aga, transfixed, -crucified in white fire. - - - - -19 - - -Then Aga was blotted out by the dense cloud of dust that billowed out -over her and filled the whole room. With it came an intense heat. Green -opened his mouth to cry out to Amra and Paxi to cover their faces and -especially their noses. Before he could do so his own open mouth was -packed with dust and his nostrils were full. He began sneezing and -coughing explosively, while his eyes ran tears in their efforts to wash -out the dirt that caked and burned them. Clods of dirt struck him, -hurled by the blast. They didn't hurt because they were so small and -so fluffy. But they fell so swiftly and in such numbers that he was -half-buried under them. Even in the midst of his shock he couldn't help -being thankful that he'd been breathing out when the heat struck him. -Otherwise he'd have sucked in air that would have seared his lungs, -and he'd have dropped dead. As it was, wherever his skin had not been -covered by cloth he felt as if he were suffering a bad case of sunburn. - -Painfully, he rose on all fours and began crawling toward the other -room, where he thought the dust would not be so thick. At the same -time he tugged at Amra's arm--at least he supposed it was her arm, -since she'd been so close to him when the explosion took place. His -gesture was intended to tell her that she should follow him. She rose -and followed him, touching him from time to time. Once she stopped, and -he turned to find out what was bothering her, even if he felt that he -couldn't stand much more of the almost solid dust in his lungs and had -to get out to open air or strangle. Then he knew that the woman was -Amra, for she was carrying a child in her arms. The child had a scarf -around her head and, as he remembered, Paxi was the only infant so -dressed. - -Coughing violently, he rose to his feet, pulling Amra to hers, and -swiftly walked toward where he hoped the exit was. He knew he'd fallen -on his face in the general direction of the doorway; if he kept in a -straight line he might make it without wandering off to one side. - -He found soon enough that he was going just opposite, for he fell -headlong over a body on the floor. When he got up again, he ran his -hands over the body. The skin was crusty, scaly. Aga's burned corpse. -The cutlass was lying by her side, assuring him of her identity. - -Re-oriented, he turned back, still pulling Amra by the hand. This time -he ran into a wall, but he had his free hand stretched out in front of -him for just such an event. Frantically, he groped to his left until -he came to the corner of the room. Then, knowing that the doorway lay -back to his right, he turned and felt along the metal until he came to -the opening. He plunged through it, almost fell into the other room, -which was as dark and dusty as the one he'd just left. He trotted on -ahead, bumped into another wall, groped to his right, found the next -exit and ran through that. Here the air was much more free of dust. He -could actually make out outlines of his companions as the light was -penetrating the fainter haze. - -Nevertheless he and the others were coughing and weeping as if they -were trying to eject lungs and eyeballs alike. Spasm after spasm shook -them. - -Green decided that this room wasn't really much better than the others, -so he led Amra and Paxi around the right-angled corner and into the -dark tunnel. Here his violent rackings began to quiet down and by rapid -blinking, which forced tears, he cleaned his eyes of much of the dust. -Anxiously, he peered down the passageway toward its end, where the cave -mouth formed a dim arch in the moonlight outside. - -It was as he'd feared. Somebody stood there, outlined in the beams, -bent forward, peering in. - -He thought that it must be the priestess, for the figure was slight and -the hair was pulled up on top of the head in a great Psyche knot with a -feather stuck through it. Moreover, around her feet were four or five -cats. - -His coughing betrayed him, for the priestess suddenly whirled and -trotted off on her sticklike legs. Green dropped Amra's hand and ran, -at the same time drawing his stiletto from his belt, as he'd lost his -cutlass during the explosion. He had to stop the priestess, though he -didn't know what good it would do. The savages sooner or later would -come to the sanctuary to ask if she'd seen any of the refugees. And if -they couldn't find her they would at once suspect what had happened. -The chances were that they already knew. Surely, the noise of the blast -must have penetrated even to their ears. - -Or had it? The air waves had to round several perpendicular turns -before reaching the cave mouth, and it might be that the noise had -seemed much greater to Green than it actually was because he'd been so -close to it. Perhaps there was some hope. - -He ran into the clearing before the cave mouth. The sun was just coming -over the horizon, so he could see things clearly. The old woman was -nowhere in sight. The only live things were several drunken cats. One -of these began to rub its back against Green's leg and purred loudly. -Automatically, he stooped down and caressed it, though his gaze -flickered everywhere for a sign of the priestess. The door of her hut -was open and since it was so small he could be certain that she had no -room in there to hide from him. She must have run off down the path. - -If so, she wasn't making any noise about it. There were no outcries -from her to call her companions to her help. - -He found her lying face down on the path, halfway down the hill. At -first he thought she was playing possum, so he turned her over, his -stiletto ready to shut off any outcry. A glance at her hanging jaw and -ashen color convinced him that her possum-playing days were over. At -first, he thought she'd tripped and broken her neck, but an examination -disproved this. The only thing he could think of was that her old heart -had given away under the sudden fright and the stress of running. - -Something brushed his ankles. So startled was he, so convinced that a -spear had just missed him, he leaped into the air and whirled around. -Then he saw that it was only the cat that had rubbed itself against -him when he'd first come out of the tunnel. It was a large female cat -with a beautiful long black silky coat and with golden eyes. It exactly -resembled the Earth cat and was probably descended from the same -ancestors as its terrestrial counterpart. Wherever Homo sapiens of the -unthinkably long ago had penetrated he seemed to have taken his canine -and feline pets. - -"You like me, huh?" said Green. "Well, I like you, too, but I'm not -going to if you keep on scaring me. I've been through enough tonight -for a lifetime." - -The cat, purring, paced delicately toward him. - -"Maybe you can do me some good," he said and lifted the cat to his -shoulder, where she crouched, vibrating with contentment. - -"I don't know what you see in me," he confided softly to her. "I must -be a frightful-looking object, what with being covered with dust, and -my eyes red and raw and running. But then, you're not so delightful -yourself, what with your beery breath blowing in my face. I like you -very much, What's-your-name. What _is_ your name? Let's call you Lady -Luck. After all, when I rubbed you I found the priestess dead. If she -hadn't died she'd have got away to warn the cannibals. And obviously, -you, her luck, had deserted her for me. So Lady Luck it will be. Let's -go back up the hill and see what's happened to the rest of my friends." - -He found Amra sitting down at the cave's mouth, cuddling Paxi in an -effort to quiet her. Nine others were there, too, Grizquetr, Soon, -Miran, Inzax, three women, two little girls. The rest, he presumed, -were lying dead or unconscious in the altar room. They made a -dirty-looking, red-eyed, weary group, not good for much except lying -down and passing out. - -"Look," he said, "we have to have sleep, whatever else happens. We'll -go back into the first chamber and get some there, and...." - -As one, the others protested that nothing would get them to return -anywhere near that horrible fiend-haunted room. Green was at a loss. -He thought he knew exactly what had happened, but he just could not -explain to these people in terms they'd understand. And they probably -would have a dark distrust of him from then on. - -He decided to take the simple, if untrue, explanation. - -"Undoubtedly Aga provoked a host of demons by striking at the wall -behind the altar," he said. "I tried to warn her. You all heard me. But -those demons won't bother us again, for we are now under the protection -of the cat, the cannibals' totem. Moreover it is the nature of such -beings that, once they've released their fury and taken some victims, -they are harmless, quiescent, for a long time after. It takes time for -them to build up strength enough to hurt human beings again." - -They swallowed this offering as they would never have his other -explanation. - -"If you will lead the way," they said, "we will return. We put our -lives in your hands." - -Before going into the cave he paused to take another survey. From his -spot in the clearing, which was almost on the top of the hill, he could -look over the tree tops and see most of the island, except where other -hills barred his view. The island had stopped moving and had settled -down against the plain itself. Now, to the untutored eye, the entire -mass looked like a clump of dirt, rocks and vegetation for some reason -rising from the grassy seas. It would remain so until dusk, when it -would again launch itself upon its five-mile-an-hour journey to the -east. And once having reached a certain point there, it would reverse -itself and begin its nocturnal pilgrimage toward the west. Back and -forth, shuttling for how many thousands of years? What was its purpose, -and whom had its builders been? Surely they could not have conceived in -their wildest dreams of its present use, a mobile fortress for a tribe -of cannibals? - -Nor could they have seen to what uses their dust-collectors would be -put. They couldn't have guessed that, millennia thence, men ignorant of -their originally intended purpose would be using the devices as part of -their religious ritual and of human sacrifice. - -Green left the others in the room next to the one where the explosion -had taken place. They lay down on the hard floor and at once went to -sleep. He, however, felt that there were certain things that had to be -done and that he was the only one physically capable of doing them. - - - - -20 - - -Though he hated to go back into the altar room, he forced himself. The -scene of carnage was bad enough, but not as repulsive as he'd expected. -Dust had thrown a gray veil of mercy over the bodies. They looked like -peaceful gray statues; most of them had not burned on the outside but -had died because they'd breathed the first lung-scorching wave of air -directly. Nevertheless, despite the look of peace and antiquity, the -odor of burned flesh from Aga hung heavy. Lady Luck bristled and arched -her back, and for a moment Green thought she was going to leap from his -shoulder and run away. - -He said, "Take it easy," then decided that she must have smelled -this often before. Her present reaction was based on past episodes; -probably, there had been great excitement then. The cats, being taboo -animals, must have been figures of some importance in the sacrificial -ceremonies. - -Cautiously, the man approached the wall of dirt behind the altar, even -though he did not think there would be any danger for some time to -come. The altar itself was comparatively undamaged. Surprised at this, -he ran his hand over it and found out that it was composed of baked -clay, hard as rock. The chair and metal rod had not been torn loose. -Both were tightly bolted down with huge studs which he supposed had -been taken off wrecked 'rollers. - -The victims that were tied in the chair by the savages must have been -sitting looking at the audience, so that their backs were to the wall -itself. That meant that when the rod was dropped to make contact -between the wall and victim, the discharge only burned the sacrifice's -head. Evidence of that was the fact that only skulls were stacked -around the altar. The charred head was severed and the body carted -outside to one destination or another. - -What puzzled Green was how the audience managed to escape the fury of -the blast and of the dust, even if they stood at the farthest end of -the big room. Determined to find out what happened at those times, he -returned to the doorway. Just around its corner, in the second room, he -discovered what he'd not noticed before, probably because it was placed -so upright and so firmly against one side of the wall. And because its -back, which was turned away from the wall, was also made of gray metal. -When he switched it around so he could see its other side, he was -staring into a mirror about six feet high and four feet wide. - -Now he could visualize the ceremony. The victim was strapped into the -chair and a rope was tied around the rod. Everybody but the priestess, -or whoever conducted the rites, retreated from the altar room. The -conductor himself, or herself, then stood in the doorway and released -the cord. Before the rod could make contact, the conductor had stepped -around the corner. And there the audience saw in the mirror, placed -in the doorway so it reflected the interior of the altar room, the -ravening discharge of a tremendous electrostatic blast. And immediately -afterward, no doubt, they saw nothing because of the dust that would -fill the two rooms. - -Strange and strong magic to the savages. What myths they must have -built about this room, what tales of horrible and powerful gods or -demons imprisoned in that wall of dirt! Surely their old women must -whisper to the wide-eyed children stories of how the Great Cat-Spirit -had been caught by their legendary strong man and savior, some analog -to Hercules or Gilgamesh or Thor, and how the Cat-Spirit was the -tribe's to keep prisoner with their magic and to appease from time to -time with human kills from other tribes lest it become so angry it -burst through the wall of earth and devour everybody upon the floating -island! - -Green knew that it was hopeless to try to dig through that wall, even -if it would be safe for days. It might only be several feet thick, or -it might be twenty or more. - -But however thick it was, he bet that anybody who had the tools, time -and strength to excavate would find, embedded somewhere in that mass, -several large dust-collectors. He didn't know what shape they'd take, -because that would depend on the culture that had built them, and their -tastes in decorations would differ from Green's multimillennia-later -society. But if they had architectural ideas similar to present-day -Terrans they would have constructed the collectors in the shape of -busts or of animals' heads or even of bookcases with false backs of -books filling them, books that would in reality have been both chargers -and filters. The busts or books would have been pierced with many tiny -holes, and through these holes the charged particles of dust would have -drifted. Once inside the collectors, they would have been burned. - -Looking at the blank dirt before him, Green could see what had happened -through the ages. Some part of the burning mechanism had gone -wrong--as was the custom of mechanisms everywhere. But the charging -effect had continued. And though the dust had piled up around the -collectors, the extraordinarily powerful fields had continued to work -even through the thick blanket. In the beginning, of course, their -field could not have caused any human being harm. But these batteries -must have been built to adjust to whatever demand was made of them, -though their builders, of course, could have had no idea of how great -that demand would some day be. Nevertheless it had come, and the -batteries had been equal to it. By the time the savages had found this -room they were blocked off by this imposing wall. - -Through the death of their fellows they had discovered that touching -the wall caused a terrible discharge of electrostatic electricity. The -rest of the apparatus for execution and the ritual that went with it -was foregone and logical, religiously speaking. - -Green swore with frustration. How he would love to get through that -dirt before another charge built up! On the other side must be another -doorway, and it must lead to the fuel and control rooms for this whole -island. If he could get inside and there figure out the controls, he'd -turn this island upside down and shake off the man-eating monsters. -There'd be no holding him then! - -He remembered the story of Samdroo, the Tailor Who Turned Sailor. The -legend went that Samdroo, his 'roller wrecked upon just such a roaming -island as this one, had wandered into just such a cave and through -rooms like these. But he'd found no barrier of electrically charged -dirt and had walked into a room which contained many strange things. -One of them was a great eye that allowed Samdroo to see in it what was -happening outside the cave. Another was a board which contained many -round faces over which raced little squiggles and lines. Of course, the -story had its own explanations for what these things were, but Green -could hardly fail to recognize TV, oscilloscopes and other instruments. - -Unfortunately his knowledge was going to do him no good. He wasn't -going to get through the dirt. Nor was he to be allowed time for -excavation and exploration. Every minute on this island meant that he -was traveling back to Quotz and its revengeful Duchess and getting -farther from Estorya, where the two spacemen and their ship were. He -had to find a way of getting off this place and onto some means of -transportation. - -He left the death chamber and went into the next room. After slumping -down against the wall, between Amra with Paxi in her arms, and Inzax -with Grizquetr in hers, he chewed some dried meat. Lady Luck meowed for -some and he gladly gave her all she wanted. When he'd swallowed all he -could hold without bursting and had washed that down with great drafts -of the warm and sweet beer taken from the priestess's hut, he closed -his eyes. Now, it was up to his Vigilante to take the food and rebuild -his wasted tissue, throw off the effects of autointoxication, tone -his tired muscles, relax his too-taut nerves, readjust his hormonal -balance.... - - - - -21 - - -Green dreamed that his mouth and nose were clogged with dirt and that -he was suffocating. He woke to find that, while there was no earth upon -him, he was having a difficult time getting his breath. Remedying that -by removing the cat from his face, he rose. - -"What do you want?" he asked her. She was mewing and striking gently at -him. - -She padded toward the doorway to the outside, so he imagined that she -wished him to follow her. Grasping his cutlass, he walked after her and -out to the tunnel that led to the cave mouth. Not until then did he -hear the booming of cannon, far away. - -The cat meowed plaintively. Evidently, she'd heard cannonfire before -and had not liked the results. - -Once out of the cave he stopped to look up at the sun. It was on its -downward path from the zenith. About four o'clock in the afternoon. -He'd slept about ten hours. - -Unable to see much from where he stood, he climbed up the rocks outside -the cave and soon stood upon the very top of the hill, a little -tableland about ten feet square. From there he commanded as good a -view of the island as anyone could get. - -Tacking around the periphery of the island were three long, low, -black-hulled 'rollers with over-large wheels and scarlet sails. -Occasionally a lance of red spurted from one of the vessel's ports, a -boom reached Green's ears a few seconds later and he would see the iron -ball climb up and up, then fall toward the village. A tree around the -clearing would lose a limb, or a spurt of dust would show where a ball -landed in the clearing itself. Two of the long houses had big holes in -their roofs. The village itself was deserted, as no one with good sense -would have remained there. None of the cannibals were visible, but that -wasn't surprising, considering how thick the woods were. - -Green hoped the Vings would land soon and clean out the savages. -That would leave him and his party a clear field, unless the pirates -investigated the cave in the same day. If they didn't, then the -refugees could leave the island and take to the plains under cover of -the night. - -Anxiously, Green traced the path that led from the hilltop where he -stood and wound down to the village. It was a narrow trail and he often -lost sight of it. But always there was a difference in the shading of -the tree tops along the trail and the rest of the forest. With his eye -he could follow the shading to the village and beyond, toward the back -or western part of the island. - -It was here that he came across the first sign of hope he had had -since the wreck of the _Bird of Fortune_. It was a small break in the -vegetation, which ran uninterrupted to the very edge of the island, a -shelf of seemingly smooth earth, almost hidden from him by the slope of -the terrain. Indeed, he could barely make it out and might have missed -it altogether, but he saw the masts of three small 'rollers projecting -from above the slope and followed them down toward the hulls. All three -were yachts, obviously not of islander make. Beyond the stolen craft -were the uprights of davits. These were behind a wall of branches, -camouflage for anybody outside the island but visible to those on the -inside. - -It was all Green could do to keep from whooping with joy. Now he and -his party wouldn't have to cast themselves on foot on the dangerous -plains. They could sail in comparative safety. Now, while the cannibals -were cowering helplessly under the bombardment Green could lead his -people through the woods to the yachts. When dusk came and the island -began moving again they could lower a yacht from the davits and set -sail. - -He went back to the cave entrance, where he found everybody awake, -waiting for him. - -He told them what he'd seen and added, "If the Vings come aboard we'll -take advantage of the confusion and escape." - -Miran looked at the sun and shook his head. "The Vings won't attack -now. It's too close to dusk. They'll want a full day for fighting. -They'll follow the island tonight. When dawn comes and the island stops -they'll board." - -"I bow to your superior experience," Green said. "Only I'd like to ask -you one thing. Why don't the Vings launch their small craft at night -and land boarding parties from them?" - -Miran looked surprised. "No one does that! It's unthinkable! Don't you -know that at night the plains abound in spirits and demons? The Vings -wouldn't think of taking a chance on what the magic of the savages -might unloose against them in the darkness." - -"I knew of the general attitude, but it had slipped my mind," admitted -Green. "But if this is so, why did you all wander about this place the -night the _Bird_ was wrecked?" - -"That was a situation where we preferred the somewhat uncertain -possibility of stumbling across demons to the certainty of being killed -by the cannibals," said Miran. - -"To be honest," said Amra, "I was too scared to think of ghosts. If I -had I might have stayed where I was.... No, I wouldn't either. I've -never seen a ghost, but I had seen those savages." - -"Well," said Green, "all of you might as well make up your mind that, -come ghosts, demons, or men, we're walking through the dark tonight. -All those too scared will have to stay behind." - -He began issuing orders, and in a short time he had the sleepy-eyed, -bedraggled and dirty-looking party ready. After that, he turned to -watch the bombardment. - -By then it had largely ceased. Only occasionally did one of the vessels -loose a single cannon shot. The rest of the time they spent in tacking -back and forth and in running up close to the very edge of the island. - -"I think they are trying the temper of the island's inhabitants," Green -said. "They don't know whether the woods conceal a hundred savages or -a thousand, or whether they're armed with cannons and muskets or just -with spears. They want to draw fire, so they can get an estimate of -what they're facing." - -He turned to Miran. "Which reminds me, why is it that the natives don't -use guns? They must have a chance to get their hands on many from the -wrecks." - -The fat merchant shrugged and rolled his one good eye to indicate that -he didn't really know but was making a guess. - -"Probably they've a taboo against using firearms. Whatever the reason, -they're evidently suffering because they neglect them. Look how few -they are. Only fifty men! They must have lost quite a few through -raids from other savage tribes, both from those who live upon the -plain itself and from those who live on other roaming islands. They're -down to the point now where they must die out within a generation, -even without help from such as those," he said, pointing to the Ving -'rollers. - -"Yes, and I suppose that during the daytime, when the island is -stopped, grass cats and dire dogs board it. These must take their toll -of the humans." - -He gazed again at the red sails and wheels of the Vings. "I'd think -that those pirates would take every island they could and would use -them as bases from which to operate." - -"They do," said Amra. "For a generation now the Vings have been -scouring the plains, locating the islands and exterminating the savages -on them. Then they've fortified the islands, so that you might say that -today the Xurdimur is dominated by them. But there's a drawback to an -island as a harbor. No large 'roller may get very close except in the -daylight. They have to put out to grass every night and follow their -base at a safe distance until dawn. However, though the Vings are well -established on many roamers, they're often attacked by the navies of -various nations and sometimes driven off. Then the nation that takes -possession of the island has a nice little base. And, of course, quite -often they use it to launch their own piratical ventures against the -craft of countries at peace with them. - -"Oh, the Xurdimur is a land where every man's hand is against the -other, and the devil take the ones with short sail! A man may make his -fortune or break his heart, all in a night's work. But, then, you know -that only too well." - -Green interrupted, "We'll leave them, and the natives, too, when -moonlight gets here. I only hope that there aren't other Ving craft in -the neighborhood." - -"What the gods will, happens," replied Miran. His sad face reflected -the belief that if he, the favorite of Mennirox, could come to grief, -then Green could expect even worse. - -When dusk came, Green walked from the cave into the dark and hard rain. -Behind him came Amra, one hand upon his shoulder, the other supporting -Paxi. The rest were stretched out in a line behind her, each person's -hand on the shoulder of the one ahead. - -The black cat was underneath Green's coat, riding in a large pocket of -his shirt. She had made it plain to him that where he went, she went. -And Green, to avoid a big fuss and also because he was beginning to -feel very affectionate toward her, allowed her to come along. - -The descent from the hilltop was an anxious and stumbling trip. Green, -after ten minutes of groping along the path, had to acknowledge he did -not know where he was. So many windings had the path taken that he -did not know whether he was going east, north, south, or in the right -direction, west. - -Actually, it didn't really matter, as long as it brought him to the -edge of the island. He could skirt the edge until he arrived at the -fleet craft that would give them a chance for flight. - -The trouble was in finding that rim. He was afraid that it would be -possible to wander in circles and figure eights until moonlight. Then, -though they'd be able to orient themselves, they'd also be exposed to -the view of the cannibals. And if they found themselves, say, at the -eastern edge, their journey around would be perilous indeed. - -Occasional lightning flashed, and then he could make out his immediate -environment. These brief revelations weren't much help. All he could -see were the solid-seeming walls of tree trunks and bushes. - -Suddenly Amra spoke. "Do you think we're getting close?" - -He stopped so suddenly that the entire line lurched into him. Lightning -burst again, quite close by. The cat, curled in his coat pocket, spat -and tried to shrink into an even smaller ball. Absently, Green patted -her from outside the coat. He said, "Your name _is_ Lady Luck. I just -saw the village. Now we're getting some place. I really needed that -referent." - -He wasn't worried about the inhabitants of the village. All were -undoubtedly cowering under the roofs of their long houses, praying to -whatever gods they worshiped that they would not send the lightning -their way. There would be little danger if the whole party were to walk -through the center of the village. He planned to take no chances at -all, however, and ordered everybody to follow him around the clearing. - -"It won't be long now!" he said to Amra. "Pass the word back and cheer -everybody up." - -Half an hour later he wished he'd kept his mouth shut. It was true that -he'd followed the wandering path to the cove where their boats were -kept. But he'd at once drawn his breath in pain of surprise. - -A lightning bolt had illuminated the gray rock walls of the cove, its -broad shelf, and the high black iron davits. - -But the yachts were gone! - - - - -22 - - -Later Green thought that if ever the time came when he should have -cracked up, that instant of loss, white and sudden as the lightning -itself, should have been the one. - -The others cried out loudly in their grief and shock, but he was as -silent as the empty stone shelf. He could not move nor utter a word; -all seemed hopeless, so what was the use of motion or talk? - -Nevertheless, he was human, and human beings hope even when there is no -justification for it. Nor could he remain frozen until the next stroke -of lightning would reveal to the others the state of their leader. He -_had_ to act. What if his actions _were_ meaningless? Mere movement -answered for the demands of the body, and at that moment it was his -body that could move. His mind was congealed. - -Shouting to the others to scatter and look about in the brush, but not -to scatter too far, he began climbing up the slope of the hill. When -he had reached its top he left the path and plunged into the forest to -his right on the theory that if the yachts were anywhere they must be -there. He had two ideas about where they might be. One was that the -Vings had spotted them and had sent in a party aboard a gig to push -them over the side of the island. Thus, when the island had begun its -nightly voyage it had left the 'rollers sitting upon the plain. The -other theory was also inspired by the presence of the Vings. Perhaps -the savages had hidden their craft because of just such an event as -his first theory put forth. To do that they would have had to haul the -'rollers up the less steep slant of the cove. - -At the point where he would have looped a rope around a tree and used -it to pull a yacht uphill, he saw all three of the missing craft. They -were nestling side by side just over the lip of the slope, their hulls -hidden by brush piled up before them. Their tall masts, of course, -would be taken for tree trunks by anybody but a very close observer. - -Green yelled with joy, then whirled to run back and tell the others. -And slammed into a tree trunk. He picked himself up, swearing because -he'd hurt his nose. And tripped over something and fell again. -Thereafter, he seemed to be in a night-mare of frustration, of -conspiracy between tree and night to catch and delay him. Where his -trip up had been easy, his trip back was a continued barking of shins, -bumping of nose, and tearing loose from clutching bushes and thorns. -His confusion wasn't at all helped when the lightning ceased, because -he'd been guiding himself by its frequent flashes. And Lady Luck, -alarmed at all the hard knocks she was getting, struggled out of his -shirt pocket and slipped into the forest. He called to her to come -back, but she had had enough of him, for the time being, anyway. - -For a brief moment he thought of the fantastic device of grabbing -hold of her tail and following her through the dark. But she was gone, -and the idea wouldn't have worked, anyway. More than likely she'd have -turned and bitten his hands until he released her. - -There was nothing to do but make his own way back. - -After ten minutes of frantic struggling, during which he suddenly -realized he'd turned the wrong way and was wandering away from the edge -of the island, he saw the clouds disappear. With the bright moon came -vision and sanity. He turned around and in a short time was back at the -cove. - -"What happened to you?" asked Amra. "We thought maybe you'd fallen off -the edge." - -"That's about all that didn't happen," he said, irritated now that he -had been so easily lost. He told them where the yachts were and added, -"We'll have to let one down by a rope before we can connect it to the -davits. It'll take a lot of pushing and pulling, a lot of muscle. -Everybody up on the hill, including the children!" - -Wearily, they climbed up the slope to the top and shoved one of the -'rollers up the slight incline of the depression to the lip of the -hill. Green picked up one of the wet ropes lying on the ground and -passed it around the tree. Its trunk had a groove where many ropes had -worn a path during similar operations. One end he gave to half of the -party, putting Miran in charge of them. The other end he tied in a -bowknot to a huge iron eye which projected from the stern of the craft. -Then, ordering the other half of the women to help him push, he got the -'roller over the lip and down the slope, while the rope gang slowly -released the double loop around the tree in short jerks. - -When the craft had halted by the davits, Green untied the rope. His -next step would be to back the yacht in between the davits so that he -could hook up its ropes and lift it. Fortunately, there was a winch and -cable for this. Unfortunately, the winch was hand-operated and had been -allowed to get rusty. It would work only with great resistance and with -loud squeaking. Not that more noise mattered, for the party had made so -much that only the fact that the wind was from the east could have kept -the savages in ignorance of the survivors' whereabouts. - -It was as if his thinking of them had brought them upon the scene. -Grizquetr, who'd been stationed in a tree as a sentinel, called down, -"I see a torch! It's somewhere in the woods, about half a mile away. -Oh! There's another one! And another one!" - -Green said, "Do you think they're on the path that leads here?" - -"I don't know. But they're coming this way, winding here and there, -wandering like Samdroo when he was lost in the Mirrored Mazes of -Gil-Ka-Ku, The Black One! Yes, they must be on the path!" - -Green began feverishly tying the davit-ropes to the axles of the craft. -He sweated with anxiety and cursed when his fumbling fingers got in the -way of his haste. But the tying of the four bowknots actually took less -than a minute, in spite of the way time seemed to race past him. - -That done he had to order off the yacht some of the women who had -climbed aboard. Only the women who had to take care of very small -infants and the older children were to be on that boat. - -"Just who do you think is going to work the winch?" he barked at the -too-eager. "Now, jump to it!" - -One of the women on the 'roller wailed, "Are you going to stay on the -island and leave us all alone on this 'roller in the midst of the -Xurdimur?" - -"No," he answered, as calmly as possible. "We're going to lower you -to the ground. Then we're going back up the hill and shove the other -'rollers over the edge so that they can't be used by the savages to -come after us. We'll jump off and walk back to you." - -Seeing that the women were still not convinced and softened by their -pitiable looks, he called to Grizquetr. - -"Come down! And get on the boat!" - -And when the boy had run down the slope and halted by his side, -breathing hard and looking up at him for his orders, Green said, "I'm -delegating you to guard these women and babies until we arrive. Okay?" - -"Okay," said Grizquetr, grinning, his chest swelling because of the -importance of the duty. "I'm captain until you climb aboard, is that -it?" - -"You're a captain and a good one too," said Green, slapping him lightly -on the shoulder. Then he ordered the winches turned until the 'roller -was hoisted into the air a few inches. As soon as the rusty machines -had groaningly fulfilled their functions he had the craft lowered over -the edge and down to the plain. The transition was smoothly made; the -yacht's wheels began turning; the nose lifted only slightly because -of the superior pull on the ropes tied to the bow; the stem ropes -were paid out a little to equalize the strain; then, obeying Green's -gesture, the women aboard it pulled at the bowknots, which untied -simultaneously. Not until then did he breathe a little easier, for if -one or more had refused to slip loose as swiftly as another, the craft -might have been pulled up on one side or dragged around by either end -and thus capsized. - -For a few seconds he watched the 'roller slip away, coasting on its -momentum but headed at right angles to the direction of the island. -Then it had stopped, and it began to grow smaller as the island left it -behind. From it came the thin wailing of his daughter Paxi. It broke -the spell that momentarily held him. He began running up the slope, -shouting, "Follow me!" - -Reaching the crest of the hill ahead of the others, he took time for a -glance through the woods. Sure enough, torches bobbed up and down and -flickered in and out as they passed between tree trunks. And there were -drums beating somewhere on the island. - -Lady Luck shot out of the woods, leaped upon Green's knee, scaled his -shirt front and came to rest upon his shoulder. "Ah, you wandering -wench, you," he said, "I knew you couldn't stay away from my -irresistible charm, now could you?" - -Lady Luck didn't reply but gazed anxiously at the forest. - -"Never fear, my pretty little one," he said. "They'll not touch a hair -of my fine blond head. Nor a silky black one of yours." - -By then the others, puffing and panting, had gained the top of the -hill. He set them to pushing on the stern of a yacht, and in a minute -they had sent it headlong down the hill. When it rushed over the edge -and disappeared with a crash on the plain below they had all they could -do to restrain their cheers. Small revenge for the suffering they'd -had to undergo. But it was something. - -"Now for the other," said Green. "Then everybody run as if the demons -of Gil-Ka-Ku were on your tails!" - -Grunting, they pushed the last 'roller up the little incline, then -gathered their strength for the final heave that would launch it, too, -upon its last voyage. - -And at that moment some savages who'd been running ahead of the -torch-bearers burst out of the woods. - -Green took one look and realized that they would get between the edge -of the island and his party. There were about ten of them; they not -only outnumbered his own force but were strong men against women. And -they had spears, whereas his people were armed mainly with cutlasses. - -Green didn't waste any time in meditation. "Everybody aboard except -Miran and me!" he said loudly. "Don't argue! Get in! We're riding -through them! Lie flat on the deck!" - -Screaming, the women scrambled over the low rail and onto the deck. -As soon as the last one was on, the Earthman and Miran put their -shoulders to the stern and pushed. For a second it looked as though -their combined strength would not be enough, as if the party should -have shoved the craft a little further over the lip of the hill before -stopping. - -"There's not time to get them out again to help us!" panted Green. "Dig -in, Miran, get that fat into gear, shove, damn you, shove!" - -It seemed to him that he was breaking his own collarbone under the -pressure and that he'd never felt such hard and cutting wood in all his -life. And it seemed that the 'roller was stubbornly refusing to move -until the cannibals arrived in time to save it, like the Marines. His -legs quivered, and his intestines, he was sure, were writhing about -like snakes, striking here and there against the wall of his belly, -seeking a weak place where they might erupt through into the open air -and leave this man who subjected them to such toil. - -There was a shout from the warriors assembled below and a thud of their -feet as they charged up. - -"Now or never!" shouted Green. - -His face felt like one big blood vessel, and he was sure that he was -going to blow his top, literally. But the 'roller moved forward, -crept slowly, groaned--or was that he?--and began moving swiftly, too -swiftly, down the slope. Too swiftly, because he had to run after it, -grab the taffrail and haul himself over. And while he was doing that he -had to extend a hand to Miran, who wasn't as fast on his feet. - -Fortunately Amra had presence of mind enough to grab Miran by the -shoulder of his shirt and help pull. Over the rail he came, crying out -in pain as his big stomach burned against the hard mahogany, but not -forgetting the bag of jewels clutched in his hand. - -Lady Luck had already deserted her post on Green's shoulder when he -began pushing. Now she meowed softly and pressed against him, scared -at the shaking of the deck and the rumbling of the wheels as the craft -sped downhill. - -He pulled her to him in the protection of the crook of his arm, and -reared up on his elbow to see what he could see. What he saw was a -spear flying straight at him. It shot by so close he fancied he could -feel the sharp edge of its blade graze him, and there was nothing -of his imagination about the woman's scream that rose immediately -afterward. It sounded so much like Amra that he was sure she'd been -hit; however, he had no time to turn and find out. An islander had -appeared by the side of the yacht, and as the deck was on a level with -his chest, the fellow could see them all easily enough. His arm flew -back, then leaped forward, and the spear he held darted straight at -Green. - -No, not at him, but at Lady Luck. Another warrior, a little further -down the slope, screaming something, also thrust at the cat. Evidently -felines were no longer taboo upon this island. The former worshipers -considered that their totem had deserted them and therefore deserved -death. - -Lady Luck, however, had the traditional nine lives. None of the razor -sharp blades came very close to her. And in the next few seconds the -savages were left howling upon the slope or lying unconscious on the -spot where the 'roller had struck them. The vessel sped down the steep -incline, bumped hard as it roared out upon the stone shelf, and flew -into the air. Green flattened himself out against the deck, hoping thus -to dampen the effect of the three-foot drop onto the plain. - -Somehow he became separated from the deck, was floating in the air, and -saw the planks rushing up at him. - -There was a brief interlude of darkness before Green awoke and realized -that the meeting of the deck and his face had done the latter no good -at all and might have resulted in considerable damage. He was sure -of it when he spit out his two front teeth. However, his pain was -overwhelmed in the rush of joy at having escaped. For the island was -retreating across the flat, moonlit Xurdimur while its inhabitants -screamed and jumped with fury and frustration on the rim, unable to -bring themselves to leap after the refugees. Home was where the island -was, and they weren't going to get left behind for the sake of revenge. - -"I hope the Vings exterminate you tomorrow," muttered Green. Wearily -and painfully, he rose to his feet and surveyed what was left of the -Clan Effenycan. Amra was unhurt. If it was she who'd screamed when -the spear had passed over Green, she'd done it from fright. The spear -itself was sticking out from the base of the mast, its head half-buried -in the wood. - -He climbed over the side and inspected the damage done by the -three-foot drop. One of the wheels had fallen off, and an axle was -bent. Shaking his head, he spoke to the others, "This roller is done -for. Let's start walking. We've a boat to catch." - - - - -23 - - -Two weeks later the yacht was scudding along under a -twenty-mile-an-hour wind. It was high noon, and everybody except the -helmsmen, Amra and Miran was eating. They were lunching on steaks -carved from a _hoober_ which Green had shot from the deck and which had -been cooked on the fireplace placed under a hood immediately aft of the -small foredeck. There was no lack of food despite the fact that the -yacht had not been stocked. Fortunately the savages who'd owned it had -not bothered to remove the several pistols and the keg of powder and -sack of balls from its locker. With this Green killed enough deer and -_hoobers_ to keep everybody well fed. Amra supplemented their protein -diet with grass which her culinary art turned into a halfway decent -salad. At times, when they neared a grove of trees, Green would stop -the yacht. They would go foraging for berries and for a large plant -which could be beaten until soft, mixed with water, kneaded and baked -into a kind of bread. - -Once, a grass cat dashed out from behind a tree, making straight for -Inzax. Green and Miran, both firing at the same time, crumpled it -within ten yards of the little blonde. - -The grass cats, big cheetah-like creatures with long slim legs built -for running, were only a peril when the party left the yacht. Though -fully capable of leaping aboard when the 'roller was in movement, they -never did. Sometimes they might pace it for a mile or so, then they -would contemptuously walk away. - -Green wished he could say the same for the dire dogs. These were almost -as large as the grass cats and ran in packs of from six to twelve. -Sinister-looking with their gray-and-black spotted coats, pointed -wolfish ears and massive jaws, they would run up to the very wheels, -howling and snapping with their monstrous yellow fangs. Then one would -be inspired with the idea of leaping aboard and finding out how the -occupants tasted. Up he would come, easily sailing over the railing. -Usually the occupants would discourage him with a well-placed thrust -from a spear or an amputating swing of a cutlass. Sometimes they -missed, and he would land on the deck, which enabled the sailors to try -again, with better success. Back over the rail his body would go, back -to his fellows, many of whom would stop the chase to devour their dead -comrade. Those who persisted in the hunt would then try their luck, -bounding upon the yacht, snarling hideously, trying to scare their -quarry into a complete paralysis and sometimes succeeding. - -No lives were lost to the dire dogs, but almost everybody bore scars. -Only Lady Luck managed to stay unscathed. Every time she heard their -distant howling she scaled the mast and would not come down until the -danger was over. - -Today they'd not been bothered. Everybody relaxed, chattering and -munching happily the unexciting but nutritious meat of the _hoober_. -Miran stood upon the foredeck, sighting at the sun through his -sextant. This also had been found in the locker, along with some charts -of the Xurdimur. Though the charts had had their locations marked in -an alphabet unknown to anybody aboard, Miran had been able to compare -them in his mind to the charts he'd left on the _Bird of Fortune_. He -had crossed out the foreign names and put in names in the Kilkrzan -alphabet. He'd done this only at the insistence of Green, who didn't -trust Miran to translate for him and wanted to be able to read the maps -himself. Not only that, he'd forced the fat merchant to teach both him -and Amra how to use the clumsy and complicated but fairly accurate -sextant. - -A few days later, after Green and his wife had begun to study the -navigation instrument, there occurred the accident that forced Green -to take further measures to safeguard himself. He and Miran had been -standing at the stern, ready with their pistols while Amra steered -the yacht toward a group of _hoobers_. They were going through their -usual maneuver of running down a herd until the exhausted animals -could be overtaken. Just as they neared an orange-colored stallion, -galloping furiously, Green raised his pistol. At the same time he was -vaguely aware that Miran had also sighted but had stepped back, behind -and to one side of him. Sensitive about wasting any of the valuable -ammunition, Green had turned his head to warn Miran not to shoot -unless he, Green, missed. It was then that he saw the muzzle swerving -toward the back of his head. He ducked, fully expecting to get his -brains blown out before he could shout a warning. But Miran, seeing -his reaction, lowered the muzzle and puzzledly asked Green what he was -doing. - -Green didn't answer. Instead he took the gun away from Miran's limp -grip and silently put it away in the locker. Neither he nor the -merchant ever referred to the incident, nor did Miran ask why he was -not permitted to take part in any shooting thereafter. That convinced -Green that the fellow had fully intended to shoot him. And then claim -to the others that it had been an accident. - -To forestall any more attempts at "accidents" Green told Amra that if -he were to disappear some dark night, she was to see that a certain -person was shot and thrown overboard. He did not name the certain -person, but he mentioned his sex and as Miran was the only other man -on the yacht, there was no doubt about to whom he referred. Thereafter, -Miran was most cooperative, always smiling and joking. However, -Green caught him now and then with frowning brows and a thoughtful -expression. He was either fingering his stiletto or the bag of jewels -he carried inside his shirt. Green could imagine that he was planning -something for the day they reached Estorya. - -Now, on this day two weeks after they'd left the island, Miran was -shooting the sun, and Green was waiting until he was through, so he -could check on him. If his calculations were correct the yacht should -be directly east of Estorya two hundred miles. If they maintained their -average rate of twenty-five miles an hour they'd reach the windbreak in -a little over eight hours. - -The fat merchant quit looking through the eyepiece of his instrument -and walked to the cockpit where his charts and papers were. Green took -the sextant from him and made his own observations, then checked with -Miran in the narrow and crowded cockpit. - -"We agree," said Green, indicating with the pencil tip a round scarlet -spot on the chart. "We should be sighting this island within four -hours." - -"Yes," replied Miran. "That is an old landmark. It has been there a -hundred miles due east of Estorya since before my grandfather's time. -It was once a roaming island, but it long ago quit moving and has -stayed in that one spot. That is nothing unusual. Every captain knows -of these fixed islands scattered all over the Xurdimur, and every now -and then we have to add a new red mark to our charts because one of the -roamers has settled down." - -He paused, then added a statement that set Green's heart to beating -fast. - -"The unusual thing about this island is that it did not stop of its own -accord. It was halted by the magic of the Estoryans, and it has been -kept in that one place ever since by their magic." - -"What do you mean?" asked Green, eagerly. - -Miran's round, pale-blue eye stared at him blankly. - -"What do you mean what do I mean? I mean just what I said, nothing -more." - -"I mean, what magic did they contrive to halt this roamer?" - -"Why, they put up certain peculiar towers in its path, and when the -island began going backwards to get out of the trap and go around it, -they moved other towers to block its retreat. These towers moved fast -on many well-greased wheels. Once the circle was completed the island -couldn't move. Nor has it been able to move since." - -"These towers intrigue me. How did the Estoryans know how to halt these -islands? And if they've succeeded with one, why not with the others?" - -"I do not know. Perhaps because the towers are huge and costly and -don't move too fast. Perhaps it is not worthwhile to the Estoryans to -capture many. As for their knowledge, I think they got it from their -ancestors. It was their great-great-great-and-then-some-grandfathers -who originally built Estorya in the middle of the plain and protected -it from being crushed by these islands by placing these many towers all -around their city. But it cost them much wood and time, and perhaps -they lost interest after that." - -Miran indicated a castle inked in beside the red spot. - -"That castle means that a military or naval fortification has been -built there on the island. It is the furtherest eastern garrison of the -Estoryans. When we come within sighting distance of it we are supposed -to report. Of course, if you wish to avoid it, we may sail to the north -or south and swing around it. But then we will have to report to the -windbreak master of the city itself, and they are rather hostile to -captains who have failed to have their papers checked at the fort of -Shimdoog. Even if the craft is such a small and weak one as this. The -Estoryans are a suspicious people." - -Yes, thought Green, and I'll bet that you intend to inflate their -distrust with certain information about me. - -He rose from the cockpit, and at the same time he heard Amra hail him -from her station at the helm. - -"Island on the horizon," she said. "And many glittering white objects -placed before it." - -Green refrained from comment. But he had a hard time concealing his -excitement, which grew with every turn of the wheels. He paced back and -forth, stopping now and then to shade his eyes and look long at the -white towers. Finally, as they got so near that he could no longer be -mistaken about their size or the details of their peculiar structure, -he could contain himself no longer. - -He whooped with joy and kissed Amra on the cheek and danced around -and around the foredeck while the women stared with embarrassment and -concern and the children giggled, all wondering if he'd gone mad. - -"Spaceships! Spaceships!" he howled in English. "Dozens of them! It -must be an expedition! I'm saved, saved! Spaceships, spaceships!" - - - - -24 - - -They were a magnificent sight, those many cones pointing their -skyscraping noses upward and their spreading landing struts sinking -into the soft earth! Their white eternum metal gleamed in the sun, -dazzling the spectator who happened to catch their radiance full in the -eyes. They were glorious, embodying all the vast wisdom and skill of -the greatest civilization of the Galaxy. - -No wonder, thought Green, that I dance and howl while these people look -at me as if I'm mad, and Amra, tears in her eyes, shakes her head and -says something to herself. What can they know of the meaning of those -splendors? - -What, indeed? - -"Hey," shouted Green, "Hey! Here I am! An Earthman! Maybe I look like -one of these barbarians, with my long hair and bushy beard and dirty -skin, but I'm not. I'm Alan Green, an Earthman!" - -Of course, they couldn't have heard him at that distance, even if -somebody had been standing beneath the spaceships to hear him. But he -howled with sheer exuberance, not worrying about wasting his breath and -making himself hoarse. - -Finally Amra interrupted him. - -"What is the matter, Alan? Have you been bitten by the Green Bird of -Happiness, which sometimes flies over these plains? Or has the White -Bird of Terror nipped you while you slept last night upon the open -deck?" - -Green paused and looked steadily at her. Could he tell her the truth, -now he was so near salvation? It was not that he was worried about her -or the others stopping him from making contact with the expedition. -Nothing could stop him now, he was sure of that. - -It was just that he hesitated to tell her that he would be leaving her. -The idea of hurting her was agony to him. - -He started to speak in English, caught himself, and switched to her -language. "Those vessels--they have brought my people from across the -space between the stars. I came to this world in just such a vessel, -a spaceroller, you might say. My ship crashed, and I was forced to -descend upon this--your--world. Then, I heard that another ship had -landed near Estorya and that King Raussmig had put the crew in prison -and was going to sacrifice them during the Festival of the Sun's Eye. -I had little time to get to Estorya before that happened, so I talked -Miran into taking me. That was why I left you, that...." - -He trailed off because he did not understand the expression upon her -face. It was not the great hurt he'd expected, nor the wild fury he -thought might result from his explanation. If anything, she looked -pitying. - -"Why, Alan, whatever are you talking about?" - -He pointed at the line of spaceships. - -"They're from Terra, my home planet." - -"I don't understand what you mean by your home planet," she replied -still pityingly. "But those are not spaceships. Those are the towers -built by the Estoryans a thousand years ago." - -"Wha-what do you mean?" - -Stunned, he looked at them again. If those weren't starships he'd eat -the yacht's canvas. Yes, and the wheels, too. - -Under the swift wind, the 'roller swept closer and closer while he -stood behind Amra and thought that he'd break into little pieces if his -tension didn't find some release. - -Finally it did find an outlet. Tears welled in his eyes, and he choked. -His breast seemed as if it would swell up and burst. - -How cleverly the ancient builders had fashioned those towers! The -landing struts, the big fins, the long sweeping lines ending in the -pointed nose, all must have been built with a spaceship as a model. -There was no escaping such a conclusion; coincidence couldn't explain -it. - -Amra said, "Don't cry, Alan. Your people will think you weak. Captains -don't weep." - -"This captain does," he replied, and he turned and walked the length of -the yacht to the stern and leaned over the taffrail where no one could -see him as he shook with sobs. - -Presently he felt a hand upon his. - -"Alan," she said gently. "Tell me the truth. If those had been ships on -which you could leave this world and travel into the skies, would you -have taken me along? Were you still thinking that I was not--not good -enough for you?" - -"Let's not talk about it now," he said. "I can't. Besides, there are -too many people listening. Later, when everybody's asleep." - -"All right, Alan." - -She released his hand and left him alone, knowing that that was what -he wanted. Mentally, he thanked her for it, because he knew what it -was costing her to exercise restraint. At any other time, in a like -situation, she would have thrown something at him. - -After he had calmed down somewhat he returned to the helm and took -over from Miran. From then on he was too busy to think much about his -disappointment. He had to report to the port officer and tell his -story, which took hours, for the officer called in the others to hear -his amazing tale. And they questioned Miran and Amra. Green anxiously -listened to the merchant's account, fearful that the fellow would -disclose his suspicions that Green was not what he claimed to be. If -Miran had any such intentions, however, he was saving them for their -arrival in Estorya itself. - -The officers all agreed that they had heard many wonderful stories -from sailors but never anything to match this. They insisted upon -giving a banquet for Miran and Green. The result was that Green got -a much-needed and desired bath, hair cut and shave. But he also had -to endure a long feast in which he had to stuff himself to keep from -offending his hosts and also was forced to enter a drinking contest -with some of the younger blades of the post. His Vigilante could handle -enormous amounts of food and alcohol, so that Green appeared to the -soldiers to be something of a superman. At midnight the last officer -had dropped his head upon the table, dead drunk, and Green was able to -get up and go to his yacht. - -Unfortunately he had to carry the fat merchant out on his shoulders. -Outside the banquet room he found a few rickshaw boys standing around -a fire, huddled together, waiting for a customer so drunk he wouldn't -fear thieves or ghosts. He gave one of them a coin and told him to -deliver Miran to the yacht. - -"What about yourself, honored sir? Don't you wish to ride home, too?" - -"Later," said Green, looking up past the fort and at the hills behind -it. "I intend to take a walk to clear my head." - -Before the rickshaw men could question him further he plunged into the -darkness and began striding swiftly toward the highest peak upon the -island. - -Two hours later he suddenly appeared in the moonlight-drenched -windbreak, walked past the many vessels tied down for the night and -crawled aboard his own yacht. A glance around the deck convinced him -that everybody was sleeping. He stepped softly past the prostrate forms -and lay down by Amra. Face up, his hands behind his head, he stared at -the moon, a thoughtful expression upon his face. - -Amra whispered, "Alan, I thought you were going to talk to me tonight." - -He stiffened but did not turn his head to look at her. - -"I was, but the officers kept us up late. Didn't Miran get here?" - -"Yes, about five minutes before you did." - -He rose on one elbow and looked searchingly at her. "_What?_" - -"Is there anything strange about that?" - -"Only that he was so drunk he'd passed out and was snoring like a -pig. The fat son of an _izzot_! He must have been faking! And he must -have...." - -"Must have what?" - -Green shrugged. "I don't know." - -He couldn't tell her that Miran must have followed him up into -the hills. And that if he had the fellow must have seen some very -disturbing things. - -He stood up and gazed intently at the dark forms stretched out here -and there. Miran was sleeping upon a blanket behind the helm. Or was -pretending to do so. - -Should he kill him? If Miran turned him in to the authorities in -Estorya.... - -He sat down again and fingered his dagger. - -Amra must have guessed his thoughts, for she said, "Why do you want to -kill him?" - -"You know why. Because he could have me burned." - -She sucked her breath in with a hiss. - -"Alan, it can't be true! You can't be a demon!" - -To him the accusation was so ridiculous that he didn't bother to -answer. He should have known better, because he was well aware of how -seriously these people took such things. However, he was thinking so -furiously about what he could do to forestall Miran, that he completely -forgot about her. Not until he heard her muffled sobs did he come out -of his reverie. Surprised, he said, "Don't worry. They're not going to -burn me." - -"No, they're not," she said, choking on every other word. "I don't care -if you _are_ a demon. I love you, and I'd go to hell for you or with -you!" - -It took him a few seconds to understand that she did believe he _was_ -a demon and that it made no difference to her. Or, rather, she was -determined to ignore the difference. What a sacrifice of her natural -feelings she must have made for him! She, like everybody upon this -world, had been trained from childhood to develop a fierce disgust -and horror of devils and to be always upon her guard for them when -they appeared in human form. What an abyss she had to cross in order -to conquer her deep revulsion! In a way, her feat was greater than -crossing the chasm between the stars. - -"Amra," he said, deeply touched, and he bent down to kiss her. - -To his surprise she turned her face away. - -"You know my lips don't belch fire, like the devils' in the legends," -he said, half-jestingly, half-pityingly. "Nor will I suck your soul -into my mouth." - -"You have already done that," she said, still not facing him. - -"Oh, Amra!" - -"Yes, you have! Else why should I follow you when you deserted me -to run away on the _Bird_? And why should I still want to follow -you, to be with you, even if those towers had turned out to be your -what-do-you-call-'em? and you had sailed away into the skies on them? -Why would any decent human woman want to do that? Tell me!" - -She, too, rose on an elbow, her face now turned to him. He scarcely -recognized her, her features were so twisted and her skin was so livid. - -"A hundred times during this voyage I've wished you would die. Why? -Because then I wouldn't have to think about the time to come when you -would leave this world forever, leave _me_ forever! But when you were -in danger, then I almost died, too, and I knew I didn't really wish -your death. It was just wounded pride on my part. And I couldn't face -the moment of your departure! Or the fact that you must come from a -superior race, a people more like gods than demons! - -"Oh, I didn't know what to think! Whether you were a devil, or a god, -or just a man who was somehow more of a man than any I knew. I could -ignore such things as your wounds healing up faster than they should -and scar tissues disappearing. But I couldn't ignore your knowledge -that Aga would be killed if she touched that wall in the room on the -cannibals' island. Nor the fact that your teeth grew back in after -they were knocked out during the escape from the island. Nor your too -obvious interest in those two demons held prisoner in Estorya. Or...." - -"Not so loud, Amra," he interrupted. "You'll wake everybody up." - -"All right, all right. Better to keep quiet and pretend to be stupid. -But I can't, I'm not built that way. So ... what are you going to do, -Alan?" - -"Do? Do?" he repeated miserably. "Why, somehow or other I'm going to -free those two poor devils and escape in their spaceship." - -"Devils? Then they _are_ demons!" - -"Oh, no, that was just a manner of speaking. I said poor devils because -of what they must have gone through in that barbarous prison. They -might as well have been in the hands of the cannibals as at the mercy -of the priests of this wretched planet." - -"Yes, that's what you really think of us, isn't it? That we're all -murderous, dirty and stinking savages." - -"Oh, not all of you," he replied. "You're not, Amra. By any standards, -you're a wonderful woman." - -"Then why can't...?" - -She bit her lip and turned away from him. She would not humble herself -by asking him to take her with him. It was up to him to make the offer. - -Green did not know what to say, though he knew that it was necessary to -say something at once. - -He just could not make up his mind as to how she would fit into Earth -civilization. - -How could he teach her that if somebody whom you didn't like differed -with you, you just didn't try to tear them apart? Or that if the person -you hated was too powerful for you to settle matters with personally -you didn't resort to professional assassins? - -How could he teach her to love the same things he did, the music and -literature of his own culture? Her roots were in an entirely different -culture. She couldn't possibly understand what he understood, thrill to -that which thrilled him, catch the subtleties that he caught, see what -lay behind the nuances of his civilization. She'd be a stranger in a -world not made for her. - -Of course, he thought, there were plenty of women upon Earth and her -star-colonies who didn't share his culture, even if they'd been brought -up in it. But their case was simply a matter of taste. And they could -still share a certain amount with him, just because they'd breathed the -same atmosphere and talked the same words as he. Not that he would have -cared to live with them, because he wouldn't. But Amra, desirable in so -many ways, just would not understand what was taking place around her -or in the minds of those she would have to live with. - -He looked down at Amra. Her back was turned, and she seemed to be -breathing the easy breath of deep sleep. Though he doubted very much -that she could be sleeping, he decided to accept things as they looked. -He wouldn't answer her now, though he knew that when morning came her -eyes would be asking the same question, even if she didn't voice it. - -At least, he thought, she'd been diverted from her curiosity about what -he'd been doing that night. That was something. He didn't want anybody -to know about that. Not until the time for action came. - -Provided, that is, that he could do anything even then. He'd discovered -certain things tonight that could mean his salvation if he could -utilize them. - -That was the rub, as some poet or other had once said. - -Wondering just who had originated that saying, he fell asleep. -Woolgathering had always been a favorite occupation of his when people -left him alone to do it. That was the rub. They didn't. - - - - -25 - - -Shortly after dawn the yacht set sail and sped toward Estorya, a -hundred miles west. The breeze was a strong thirty-five miles an -hour, precursor of the violent winds that roared across the Xurdimur -during the rainy season. Green set every inch of sail he had and took -over the helm himself. Steering was not as simple as it had been, -for traffic was getting heavy. In an hour he saw no less than forty -'rollers, ranging in size from small merchants not much larger than -his own craft to tremendous three-decker 'rollers-of-the-line from -far-off Batrim, convoying even larger merchant vessels, high-pooped and -richly decorated. Then, as they came to within fifty miles of their -destination, small pleasure yachts appeared in increasing numbers. And -by the time they saw the white rocket-shaped towers that stretched from -horizon to horizon, Green was sweating at the manner in which craft -were shooting back and forth in front of him. - -Miran said, "The entire nation is surrounded by these white towers and -by many fortresses interspersed between them. Inside the great circle -of towers the Estoryans have many rich farms on the plains. The city -proper, however, is built on three roaming islands that were captured -by their magic many centuries ago." - -Green raised his eyebrows at this information. "Indeed? And where is -the vessel that brought the two demons down from the skies?" - -Miran looked blankly at the Earthman, though he knew well enough that -he was keenly interested in the so-called demons. - -"Oh, it is located close to the palace of the king himself, but not on -the hills. It landed on the plain." - -"Hmm. And the strangers will be burned during the Festival of the Eye -of the Sun?" - -"If they have lived, they will be." - -Green didn't like to think about their dying. If they had, then his -problem was solved. He stayed upon this planet and did the best he -could here. - -There was one thing he had to admit. That was that having Amra as his -wife made such an event not so calamitous as it might have been. She'd -keep him so interested that time would pass swiftly, even on this -barbarous place. - -In that case, he thought, why was he hesitating about taking her to -Earth, if he got the chance? No matter where he was she'd see that life -was a whirlpool of action. And she'd only begun to disclose the deeps -within her. Give her an education, and what a creature might evolve! - -What's the matter with you, Green? he said to himself. Don't you know -your own mind? Are you so capable at handling physical events but a -complete muckup when it comes to psychical? Why...? - -"Look out!" cried Miran, and Green threw the helm hard aport to avoid -crashing into a small freighter. The captain, standing on the foredeck -behind his own helmsman, leaned over the rail and shook his fist at -Green and cursed. Green cursed back but after that he didn't allow -himself to begin thinking about Amra until he had steered the 'roller -into the 'break. - -The rest of the day he was busy getting cleared with the port -authorities. Fortunately he had a letter from the officer of the -island-fortress. It explained why he happened to be in possession of -a foreign craft and also recommended that Green be given a chance to -sign up in the Estoryan 'roller-fleet if he wished. Even so, he had to -tell his story so many times to an admiring and amazingly credulous -audience that it was dusk before he could get free. Outside the customs -building he found Grizquetr waiting for him. - -"Where's your mother?" he asked. - -"Oh, she knew you'd be tied up for a long time, so she went ahead and -got a room in an inn. They're very hard to get during the Festival, -almost impossible. But you know Mother," said Grizquetr, winking. "She -gets what she goes after, every time." - -"Yes, I'm afraid so. Well, where's this inn?" - -"It's clear across town, but it's within sight of the wall that's built -around the demons' skyship." - -"Wonderful! Rooms must be twice as difficult to get there as on the -edge of town. How did Amra do it?" - -"She gave the innkeeper three times his asking price, which was high -enough. And he found a pretext to quarrel with a man who had long ago -reserved a room, threw him out and gave it to us!" - -"Ah? And where did she get this money?" - -"She sold a ruby to a jeweler who kept shop close to the 'break. He's -sort of shady, I guess, and he didn't give Mother what the ruby was -worth." - -"Now, where would she get a ruby or any kind of jewel?" - -Grizquetr grinned crookedly but delightedly. "Oh, I imagine that a -certain fat one-eyed merchant-captain who shall remain nameless must -have had one or two rubies within that bag he keeps inside his shirt." - -"Yes, I can imagine. The question that alarms me is how did she get it -off Miran? He'd sooner lose a quart of blood than one of his precious -jewels. And he'd notice its loss quicker than he would the blood." - -Grizquetr looked thoughtful. "I really don't know. Mother didn't say." - -He brightened with a smile and said, "But I'd _like_ to know how she -did it! Maybe she'll teach me some day." - -"She seems to have a lot to teach both of us," said Green. - -He sighed. "Well, I'm eternally indebted to her. No getting out of it. -Let's call a rickshaw and see what kind of a place she has selected." - -Once both had settled in the high-backed chair of their vehicle, and -the two men who pulled it had begun their slow trotting through the -crowded streets, Green said, "Have you any idea where Miran is?" - -"Some. He was detained by the port-officers, too, because he had to -explain what had happened to his 'roller. Then he called a rickshaw and -left in a big hurry. He had an officer with him. Not a naval officer. A -soldier from the palace, one of the King's Own." - -Green felt a sinking sensation. "Already? Tell me, does he know where -we are staying?" - -"Oh, no. When I saw him coming out of the customshouse, I hid behind -a bale of cotton. Mother had told me to stay out of his sight. She -explained how treacherous he is, and how he hates you because he thinks -you brought all his bad luck upon him." - -"That's only the half of it," Green replied. He was silent for a -while, thinking, his gaze roving idly over the crowds. There were many -foreigners in town, sailors from every nation that had a border on -the Xurdimur, pilgrims who belonged to the far-flung cult of the Fish -Goddess and had come here for the Festival. The majority, however, -were Estoryans, a fairly tall people, brown or red-haired, green or -blue-eyed, with big noses, thick lips and a slight epicanthic fold. -They spoke a guttural polysyllabic semi-analytic language. They wore -broad-rimmed hats shaped like open umbrellas, tight-necked shirts with -long stringties and pants that were skin-tight from crotch to knee, -then ballooned out into many ruffles. Little bells tinkled on their -ankles, and the women carried canes. All had a fish, a star, or a -rocket-shaped tower tattooed on their cheeks. - -Along the narrow winding street were many little shops, flowering with -a variety of articles. Green was intrigued by the magical charms being -hawked everywhere. Many of these were little towers, replicas of the -large ones that encircled the country. On Earth they could have passed -for toy spaceships. He bought one. It was made of white-painted wood -and was about seven inches long. The big flaring fins and landing -struts were well reproduced, but there weren't any of the fine details -that he could have found in such a toy on Earth. There were no holes -in the stern or nose for the drive-exhaust or any indications of doors -or detector apparatus. - -He gave it to Grizquetr and leaned back to do some more thinking. -The charm hadn't disappointed him, because he had not expected any -more than what he'd seen. If, in the beginning, those models had been -furnished with every little detail, the passage of many thousands of -years would have seen them blunted and reduced to their present state -of fuzzy symbolic images. Time ate down to the skeleton of things. - -He wondered how the charm could have survived up to the present, -because it surely must have been over twenty thousand years ago that -the prototype, the real spaceship, disappeared and man sank back to -savagery again. Then, why had this lasted here, whereas it had not done -so on other planets, Earth included? - -Abruptly, he noticed that his rickshaw had stopped. - -"A procession of priests, going to the palace of the King, where -they will spend all night preaching to the demon," said one of their -rickshaw boys. He yawned and stretched. "I suppose that it will be a -fine burning, since the priests have predicted that the sun will shine -at high noon. They are safe doing that, as it has not failed to shine -on Festival Day for a thousand years." - -Green leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of his chair, and -said, "Demon? You meant demons, didn't you? Weren't there two of them?" - -"Oh yes, there were. But one died two days ago. Hung himself, I heard, -though I can't swear to it since the priests have released no details. -The holy ones have been giving the demons a rough time." - -"Demons?" said Grizquetr, snorting with disbelief and disgust. "Doesn't -the very fact that one killed himself prove they're not fiends? -Everyone knows that a demon can't kill himself." - -"Quite true, my small friend," replied the taxi man. "The priests have -admitted their error. They are truly sorry--so they say." - -"Then aren't they letting the other man loose?" - -"Oh no. Because _he_ may still be a demon. Tomorrow, at high noon, the -prisoner goes under the Sun's Eye and there meets the only death a -demon may know. _By fire he was born, by fire he shall perish._ Chapter -Twenty, Verse Sixty-Two. Or so I remember the High Grauchning saying in -his sermon yesterday. Myself, I'm not much for reading. Too busy making -a living, running my legs off, killing myself so my wife and kids may -eat and have clothes on their backs." - -Green scarcely heard the garrulous rickshaw man, so shocked was he at -the news. Had he been too late? What if the man who'd died was the -pilot and the other one unable to handle the ship? - -The rest of the ride he was sunk in such deep gloom he hardly saw any -of the many sights that Grizquetr kept pointing out. But he did rouse -when the boy said, "Look, Father, there's the King's palace, on top of -the hill! Beyond that is the ship of the demon. You can't see it from -here, but you will tomorrow when you go to the burning." - -"Don't be so heartless," said Green, but he looked carefully at the -great marble structure that rambled all over the hill. Somewhere below -that, probably filled with dirt, undoubtedly forgotten, was just such -an entrance as he'd found on the island of the cannibals. He'd also -discovered a similar one upon the fortress of Shimdoog, the night -before when he'd gone exploring and Miran had followed him. - -The palace, he thought, looked quite romantic and beautiful, enveloped -in a dim red haze cast by the setting sun, which lay directly behind -it. Probably it would look different in the harsh glare of day, when -the dirt and garbage would be so apparent. - -The area in which Amra had rented the room was one which had once -belonged to the rich and the noble but had decayed when the aristocracy -moved their homes elsewhere. The inn before which the rickshaw boys -stopped was a three-story pile of granite blocks. It had an enormous -porch and six huge pillars in the images of the Fish Goddess. Green -could not help admiring the building even in its present state of -decay, because he knew that it must have cost a fortune to build it. -The granite would have had to be transported by 'roller across the -Xurdimur, since there would be no stone in this neighborhood. He -imagined that the landlord charged high rents and that Amra must have -paid a pretty price indeed if she'd given him three times the usual -amount. One thing you could say for her, when she traveled she did it -in style. - -The caryatids of the Fish Goddess also interested him, and at another -time he'd have examined them closely by the light of the torches in -the hands of the servants standing by them. The cult of the Goddess -indicated that the original Estoryans must have migrated from the -oceanside to the center of the vast and level plains. And here they -must have built this imposing city, which was to become such a great -focus of trade. Its central location made it a great clearing house for -goods from every country bordering the Xurdimur. - -He wondered whether it was pure accident that they had brought with -them the charms in the shapes of spaceships? And if they'd also -accidentally discovered that towers modeled after the charms would stop -the roaming islands? - -Whatever the answer, it lay buried in the prehistoric. - -"Hurry up," said Grizquetr, pulling on Green's hand. "Mother has a -surprise for you, but don't tell her I told you." - -"That's nice," replied Green absently, his mind still upon the news -of the Earthman's death. Hang it all, why must he always be kept in -suspense, must always be improvising from moment to moment, always in -the dark, never knowing what was coming next nor what he was going to -have to do? Oh, for one day of peace and assurance! - -"Father!" - -"What, what?" said Green, startled out of his reverie and stopping -halfway up the steps to the porch. Suddenly something black and small -launched itself at him and landed on his shoulder. - -"Lady Luck! Why are you shivering so?" - -"Better run, Dad!" said Grizquetr. "There's Miran coming out of the -door! And soldiers behind him!" - -He ended with a wail, "_Motherr-r-r-r!_" - -The sight of Amra, Inzax, and the children being marched out between -musketmen was enough for Green. He turned away and spoke softly but -savagely. - -"Keep your backs to them! Don't look back! We're far enough away in the -dark so they might not recognize us. Especially in this crowd!" - -A minute later he and the boy and the cat were looking around the -corner of a large building. They saw the soldiers commandeer a rickshaw -and put the prisoners in it. Then four of them walked behind the -vehicle as it was pulled away. - -"They--they'll be put in the Tower of the Grass Cat," said the boy, -shaking with fury. "Oh, that devil Miran! That fat old devil! He's the -one who's accused Mother of witchcraft! I know! I know!" - -"He didn't accuse her," said Green, "but me. She's guilty through -association with me. Well at least we'll know where they are for a -while." - -"There go Miran and the soldiers back into the hotel." - -"Waiting for us," said Green. "They'll have a long wait. Well, let's -go. First things first. We'll buy a ticket, see the ship. I have to -know where it's located, what type it is, et cetera. Luckily I've -enough money on me to do that. But we'll be broke then. You have any?" - -"Ten _axar_." - -"That's not much, but it's enough to pay for a rickshaw ride to the -windbreak." - -At the box-office, Green bought two tickets, then walked up the steep -flight of steps with Grizquetr. At the top he found himself in a large -group standing on a platform beneath a wooden roof. This was for the -curious who wanted to get a preview of the demons' vessel. Tomorrow the -gates would be opened to admit a vast crowd, who would sit on the hard -wooden seats of the amphitheatre that had been built fairly close to -the ship. - -The ship itself was an Earth naval vessel, a two-man scout. It pointed -its needle nose upward, resting upon eight jetstruts, gleaming in the -moonlight. Its naval insignia, a green globe crossed with rocket and -olive branch, was a smudge in the shadows. Nevertheless he could make -it out. He felt his breast swell and he choked with homesickness. - -"Ah, so near, yet so far," he murmured. "Even if I get to you, then -what? What if the poor devil of a survivor turns out to be a navigator? -Still, he ought to know enough to get her off the ground and into -space. And from there on, with interstellar drive, we ought to be able -to get home, somehow." - -He sounded plaintive, even to himself, for he knew how vast space was -and how complicated astromathematics was. And of course there was no -guarantee that the Earthman would even be a navigator. He might just be -an officer or perhaps a civilian official who was being ferried in one -of the swifter small ships. - -Then there was the awful possibility that the vessel might have landed -here because there was something wrong with it, and that it could not -rise again even if it had a full crew. In fact, that was the most -logical explanation. - -He sighed and turned to the boy. - -"This may be for nothing, but we can't just sit down and watch. Let's -take off for the windbreak." - -"What are we going to do there?" asked Grizquetr, as they walked down -the steps. - -"Well, we're not going back to the yacht," Green answered. "Soldiers'll -be waiting there to arrest us. No, we'll go to the other side of the -'break. Stealing another 'roller isn't going to get us in any more -trouble than we're already in." - -The boy's eyes widened. "What're we doing that for?" - -"We must return to the island-fortress of Shimdoog." - -"What? Why, that's a hundred miles away!" - -"Yes, I know. And we won't be able to make the speed going back that we -did coming. We'll have to do quite a lot of tacking to sail against the -wind, and that'll eat up our time. But there's nothing else to do." - -"If you say so, father, I believe you. But what is there on Shimdoog?" - -"Not on. _In._" - -Grizquetr was a bright lad. He was silent for a minute, so silent Green -could imagine he heard the wheels turning within his head. Then he -said, "There must be a cave on Shimdoog like the one on the cannibals' -island. And you must have gone into it that night we stayed in the -'break. I remember waking up and hearing you and Mother say something -about your being gone and about Miran following you." - -Grizquetr paused, then said, "If there is a cave-entrance there, why -haven't other people gone into it?" - -"Because it has been declared taboo, off limits, by the priests of -Estorya. It was done so long ago that I imagine that the priests -themselves have forgotten why they forbade its access to men. But it's -not hard to reconstruct the historical causes. Once, I suppose, the -island was populated by cannibals. At the time the Estoryans captured -the island they exterminated the aborigines. They found the cave mouth -was a holy place for the savages. So, thinking that it held demons--and -it does, in a way--they built a wall around it and set up a statue of -the Fish Goddess, facing inward and holding in her hand a symbol to -restrain the imprisoned fiends from breaking loose. That symbol, of -course, is the same charm that is sold on the streets of Estorya, that -circumscribes the country and the island of Shimdoog. It is the same as -the spaceship that landed near the King's palace." - -Green hailed a rickshaw and continued his account while they rode -through the still-crowded streets. There was so much noise that he felt -quite safe talking, provided he kept his voice soft. - -By the time they had reached the northern end of the windbreak, Green -had told the boy all he thought he should hear at that time. If, later -on, his trip to Shimdoog proved successful he would enlighten him even -more. - -For the present he was concerned with the problem of getting -transportation. Fortunately they found almost at once a nice little -yacht with speedy lines and a tall mast. The craft must have belonged -to a wealthy man, for a watchman sat close to it before a little fire -just outside his shed. Green walked up to him, and when the fellow -rose, his hand suspiciously resting upon his spear, Green struck him -on the jaw, then followed with a hard right to the pit of his stomach. -Grizquetr completed the job by hitting him over the head with a length -of pipe he'd picked up off the ground. - -Green emptied the handbag of the watchman and was pleased to see -several coins of respectable denominations. - -"Probably his life-savings," he said. "I hate to rob him, but we -have to have money. Grizquetr, do you remember those slaves who were -drinking and gambling outside the Striped Ape Inn? Run to them and -offer them six _danken_ if they'll tow us out of the 'break. Tell them -we're paying them so much because it's so late at night, and also to -keep their mouths shut." - -Grinning, the boy ran off. Green hauled the limp body of the -unconscious watchman behind the hut, bound and gagged him and threw a -tarpaulin over him. - -Grizquetr returned, leading six noisy and reeling men, sturdily built, -with legs and backs big-muscled from hauling 'rollers. - -At first Green thought he ought to try to make them keep quiet, then -decided that it would look more natural if he let them talk as loudly -as they wished. There was a festive air over the city tonight, and more -than one yacht was going out for a moonlight cruise. - -Once out on the plain, Green threw the promised money to the slaves and -cried, "Have a good time!" To himself he muttered, "Because tomorrow -may be your last day." Already, he had a presentiment of what might -happen if he succeeded in tonight's work. There was no telling what -forces he might be unloosing. As he'd said to the boy, there were -demons imprisoned in the bowels of the island of Shimdoog. - - - - -26 - - -Just before dawn the yacht coasted to a stop outside the high stone -walls of the north side of the island of Shimdoog. Green had dropped -the sail and, judging his speed exactly, had steered the craft until -its side was almost scraping the wall. As soon as the roller stopped, -Green put Lady Luck in a bag tied to his belt and cautioned her to keep -quiet. Then he began climbing up the rungs nailed to the mast. The boy -followed him, and both crawled out upon the spar. Green tied one end of -a long rope around the end of the spar. Then he let himself down on it -to the ground on the other side of the wall. - -After the boy had also descended they paused for a moment, crouched, -ready to run at the first sign they'd been seen. But there was no -outcry. - -The big moon, though dropping to the horizon, was bright enough for -them to make good progress. Green led the way up a series of hills, -heading in a circuitous fashion toward the highest. Twice he had to -stop and warn Grizquetr about the towers ahead, where sentries were -stationed. Lady Luck seemed to know she should be silent. Her eyes -glowed and her teeth flashed, but she was only making a soundless snarl. - -They saw the fires of the guards and heard their muttered voices, -but none saw them. It was doubtful that the sentinels ever did look -out, for they did not think that any man in his right senses would be -roaming about in the darkness, where it was well known that ghosts and -demons waited for foolish mortals. - -Just before they began climbing the slope of the peak that was their -goal, Green whispered. "This island is built much like the first one -we encountered. I think that all of these islands are more or less -similar, all being composed of a base of a mile and a half square of -eternum metal or something like eternum. And all covered with rock and -dirt and trees and vegetation and stocked with birds and beasts. I -suppose that the original builders landscaped these craft for aesthetic -reasons. After all, a sheet of metal with a few metal chambers on -it doesn't look very pretty and would make a blinding glare in the -sunshine." - -"Uh," replied the boy, who didn't understand. - -"Do you know, it's strange that I was right the first time when I -sarcastically referred to the roaming islands as glorified lawn-mowers?" - -"What?" - -"Yes, in the beginning there must have been many more than there are -now, enough to keep the vast plains looking neat and well-kept, the -grass clipped, the forests prevented from encroaching well-defined -limits, and so on. But when there were no longer any maintenance men to -keep them going, they stopped, one by one, until at this present time -there are perhaps a few hundred. Though, I don't know, there may be -more. Anyway, whenever one did run down or break down for some reason -or other it was soon erased by a still-functioning island." - -"Erased?" - -"Yes, for it's quite obvious to me that the islands not only cut grass, -they kept the plains free of obstructions that weren't supposed to be -there. And a dead island would constitute just such a hazard." - -Grizquetr spoke in a thin voice, "Perhaps, Father, I may yet understand -you. I must be stupid." - -"Far from it. You'll learn in time. Anyway, I should have known what -they really were when I heard the tales of the sailors. Remember -that one about the big hole made by the meteorite? And how something -mysterious filled it in and covered it with turf? And then there was -the way that wrecked 'rollers would vanish down to the last nut and -bolt and the skeletons of the dead aboard. And there was the legend -of Samdroo the Tailor Turned Sailor and what he found in the metal -chambers inside an island. The great white eye through which he saw -what was outside the island. And the other paraphernalia. They weren't -the property of a wicked magician, as the tale would have it. Any -Earthman would recognize TV and radar and dials and controls." - -"Tell me more." - -"I will when we get over this wall." - -Green had stopped before a barrier of stone, reaching at least forty -feet high. A grim crown, it completely encircled the top of the hill. -"Once it must have been difficult to scale, but mortar has crumbled -here and there, and vines grow all the way up. Follow me. I remember -exactly the path I took." - -He jumped up on a little ledge, seized a thick vine and hauled himself -up to another minor projection. Unhesitatingly, the boy swarmed up -after him. - -Panting, they reached the top, where they rested a moment and wiped -the blood from their lacerated fingertips. The cat was the only one -that seemed unperturbed. Silently, Green pointed out the twenty foot -high statue of the Fish Goddess below, her back turned to them as she -gestured at the cave mouth with the rocket-shaped charm. - -For the first time Grizquetr seemed scared. Like all his fellows, he -had an unhealthy awe for the supernatural. This place, so walled off, -so utterly ancient-looking, so invested with all the attributes of -taboo, so invocative of the horrible tales of demons and angry gods, -depressed him. Only his father's seeming indifference to any fiends -they might encounter kept him from turning tail and backing down the -wall. - -"One thing I'll bet, and that is that Miran didn't follow me this far -but stayed down on the ground. With that belly of his he'd never have -made it; he'd have tumbled off like a big fat bug and been squashed -like one, too. Wouldn't that have been awful! However, he didn't have -to go all the way with me. The very fact that I would dare to enter -a taboo area is enough to condemn me. I should have slit his throat -when Amra told me he'd been shadowing me. But I couldn't do it without -absolutely convincing evidence, and even if I'd had that I suppose I'm -too civilized to kill him in cold blood." - -"You should have told me how you felt," said Grizquetr. "I would have -slipped a dagger through the tallow over his ribs." - -"No doubt, and so would your mother. Well, down we go." - -And he set the example by throwing his leg over the edge of the wall -and letting himself down, somewhat gingerly. The descent was even worse -than the ascent, but he didn't bother telling the boy that. By the time -he found out he'd be at the bottom. - -Even so, when he reached ground, he thought that the lad couldn't be -one whit more shaky than he. Forty feet was a long, long way when you -were up on top looking down, especially in the moonlight. - -"This is the second time I've done it, but I don't think I'd have guts -enough for a third time," said Green. - -"But we have to climb back out, don't we?" - -"Oh, we'll have to go over it, but I hope it won't be so high by then," -said Green, looking mysterious. - -"What do you mean?" - -"Well I hope those stones will all be tumbled to the ground. In fact, -it's a necessity, if we're to do what I expect to do." - -He took the bewildered boy by the hand and led him past the cold and -silent statue and into the cave's entrance. "We could use a light," he -said, "but a torch would have been too awkward to carry up that wall, -and we can grope our way to the rooms that are lighted." - -Wonder why the passageway wasn't lighted, too? he thought. Or had this -cave been added by the savages who used to live on the island, so that -the _sanctum sanctorum_ would have to be approached through darkness? -Perhaps it was, the primitives having constructed such a chamber so -that the initiate into the religion could go through darkness both -literal and symbolical and come into a light that also embraced both -worlds? He didn't and couldn't know; he could only guess. - -But I can take advantage of what I do have on hand, he said to himself, -gritting his teeth with determination. - -The dust beneath his feet gave way to clean metal. They rounded a -corner and found themselves in a chamber much like the one upon their -first island, except that this had furniture. A skeleton lay in the -middle of the floor, face down. The back of the skull exhibited a great -hole. - -"He may have been here for a thousand years or more," said Green. "I'd -like to know his story. But I never will." - -"Do you think the Goddess killed him?" - -"No, nor the demons either. It was the hand of man struck him down, my -boy. If it's violent death you're trying to explain, don't drag in the -supernatural. There's enough murder in the hearts of humankind to take -care of every case." - -In the third room Green said, "There's no wall of dust to stop us. The -ionic charges haven't stopped working. Notice how clean everything is. -Ah, here we are! Before the door!" - -Grizquetr looked puzzled. "Door? I see only a blank wall." - -"That's all I saw too," said Green, "and that is all I would ever have -seen, if it hadn't been for the tale of Samdroo." - -"Let me tell you how you got in!" chattered the boy excitedly. "I know -what you were thinking of, what you did. You stood before the wall -and you made a sign like this on it!"--He traced a rough outline of a -rocket against the cool white metal--"and the wall suddenly slid to one -side, and you had an entrance. See!" - -A whole section had moved noiselessly into the wall, leaving a round -doorway. - -"Yes, I remembered the story of Samdroo and, though it was ridiculous -to think that it would work, I did what the Sailor did. Remember that -the cannibals were after him, and he ran into the cave and came to just -such a blank wall. And he, wishing to protect himself against the evil -spirits that he was sure lived in the cave, traced the sign that is -supposed to prevent them from touching a man. And the door slid open -and he plunged on into the chambers of the wicked magician, the savages -howling frustratedly after him. - -"And," continued Green, "I did just what he did, and the sign proved to -be an _Open, O Sesame_ for me." - -"A what?" - -"Never mind. The point is that the ancient maintenance men must -have used just such a gesture to open the door, or else used it in -conjunction with other means. And if they did, then they must also have -been repair technicians for the ships that landed here. Perhaps the -sign of the rocket was a secret symbol for their guild. I don't know, -but it sounds reasonable." - -Ignoring the boy's flood of questions, he walked into a great room. -It was more bare than he'd expected when he had found it the first -time; it contained four machines or their fuel supplies, all concealed -in four large square metal containers. In the center of the room was -a chair and an instrument panel. The panel contained six TV windows, -several oscilloscopes, and dials whose purpose he didn't know. But the -controls attached to the arms of the chair seemed simple enough. - -"The only trouble," he said, "is that I don't know where the activating -switch is. I tried to find it the other night and couldn't. Yet, it -must be so obvious that I'll feel like a fool when I do locate it." - -Vainly he pulled at the little levers set in the arms. - -"My failure to activate this was the main reason I returned to the -yacht and sailed on to Estorya. Of course, I had to go and find out -just what the situation was and get a good idea of my plan of campaign. -Perhaps if I'd stayed here and taken a chance on going into the city -blind, we'd have been better off. At least, your mother wouldn't now be -in prison, and we wouldn't have the additional worry of rescuing her." - -He rose from the chair and began pacing back and forth. - -"How ironic if I'd come this far and could get no farther! But then, -what else could I expect? It's up to me to solve this, and I'm not -infallible, omniscient. It should be functioning as of now. I know -that the ring of rocket-shapes has got it paralyzed so it can't act. -Nevertheless, unless it's blown a fuse, gone neurotic from frustration, -or just worn out, there should be some indication that it is still in -operation." - -"What do you mean?" said Grizquetr. "How can the island be paralyzed?" - -Green stopped pacing to gesture at the radarscopes. "See those? Well, -there should be some funny lines squiggling across it, or little dots -moving, or arcs sweeping across it. They would be indicating the shapes -of things in the immediate neighborhood outside the island, and the lay -of the land. Thus, I imagine that in the ancient days, when it spotted -a rocket shape, which would then have been a genuine spaceship and -not a mockup, it would have detoured around it. The whole island was, -in one of its functions, a field attendant, a scavenger. It removed -anything from the plain that wasn't supposed to be there. There's why -they now attack 'rollers and crush them and disintegrate the parts that -fall beneath their bases. That also explains why the island is trapped -by a ring of rocket-shaped towers. The radar detects a complete circle -and, being unable to molest any object shaped like a rocket, it squats -in one place until it runs down or the rocket shapes are removed. - -"Of course, it worked automatically. But there were controls for a man -to operate it when there was a special job to do or if he had to take -it to another place it ordinarily wouldn't go when on automatic. These -controls must be the ones. - -"The question is, does the island switch itself off and on at certain -intervals, scanning the area around it to see if the inhibiting objects -have gone? If so, there's no telling how long we may have to wait -before its next sweep. And we just can't afford to wait!" - -He was in agony. As long as he could keep his body and brain in action, -he felt he was progressing. But as soon as he had to wait upon some -inanimate object that he couldn't attack, or came across a seemingly -unsolvable problem, he was lost. He just didn't have the patience. - -Lady Luck whined. She was tired of being imprisoned in the bag at -Green's waist and felt that she had been a good girl long enough. - -Absently, he lifted her out and put her on the table. She stretched, -yawned, licked her lips, and then padded across the table. Her tail -switched back and forth, and its tip brushed the surface of the -centrally located TV screen. - -Immediately, a metal ball on the panel glowed red and a sharp whistle -sounded. Two seconds later, light sprang into being in all of the -viewers. - - - - -27 - - -"Oh, you beauty, you doll, you lovely Lady Luck! Whatever would I do -without you!" shouted Green. He started forward to caress the cat but, -alarmed, she jumped from the table and sped across the room. - -"Come back, come back!" he called. "I wouldn't hurt a single one of -your lovely black hairs! I'll feed you on beer and fish the rest of -your life, and you'll never have to put in a day's work!" - -"What's the matter?" said Grizquetr. - -Green hugged him, then sat down in the chair. - -"Nothing, except that that wonderful cat showed me how to activate the -equipment. You do so by brushing your hand across this screen. See, -I'll bet you do the same when you want to de-activate it!" - -He touched the screen. The whistle sounded again, the metal ball ceased -glowing and the screens went dead. Once again he touched it, and life -came back. - -"Nothing to it. But chances are I'd never have found out how simple it -was." - -He began sobering up. "Down to work. Let's see...." - -The six TV windows showed them the north, east, south, west, above and -below. As the island was resting upon solid dirt there was, of course, -nothing to see beneath. - -"We'll remedy that. But first I think we'd better see if these screens -give expanding and contracting views." - -He fiddled around with the levers. When he depressed the second one, -the room jumped. Hastily replacing it in neutral, Green said, "Well, -we know what that one does. I'll bet the people outside think they had -a slight earthquake. They've seen nothing yet. Hmmm. Here, I think, is -the one I want." - -He twisted a knob on the right-hand arm. All the TV's began narrowing -their field of vision. Reversing the knob, however, made them spread -out their view, though the objects in them, of course, became smaller. - -It took him five minutes more of cautious testing before he felt -justified in beginning operations. Then he raised the island off the -ground about twenty feet and rocked it back and forth. Lady Luck leaped -for his lap and cowered down in it. Grizquetr, bracing himself against -the table, turned pale. - -"Relax, kid," called Green. "As long as you're going along on the ride -you might as well enjoy it." - -Grizquetr grinned feebly, but when his father told him to stand behind -him so he, too, could learn how to operate, he gained color and -confidence. - -"When we get to Estorya I may have to leave this chamber, and I'll need -somebody who can see me through the TV's and answer my signals. You're -the candidate. You may be only a kid, but anybody who can calmly talk -of slipping a knife through a man's ribs has what it takes." - -"Thank you," breathed Grizquetr in all sincerity. - -"Here's what I'll do," said Green. "I'll roll this island back and -forth until the soldiers are thoroughly panicky and seasick. And the -walls around the cave are tumbled down. Then we'll lower to earth again -and give the rats a chance to desert the ship. But we're no sinking -ship, not us. After everybody that's able has fled to the plains, we'll -take off at top speed for Estorya." - -Fascinated, the boy watched the screens and saw the soldiers run off -into the early morning light, yelling, their eyes and mouths bulging -with horror. Some, wounded, crawled off. - -"I feel sorry for them," said Green, "but somebody's got to get hurt -before this is over and I'd rather it wasn't us." - -He pointed to the 'scopes, which still indicated the ring of towers. - -"As long as this island was on automatic it couldn't pass those -inhibitories. But I've by-passed that with this switch. Now, we go -ahead, and not over the towers, as we could easily do, but through -them. I think we've got the weight behind us." - -There was a slight shock, the rooms trembled, then the towers before -them were gone and they were speeding across the plain. Minute by -minute Green increased their rate, until he thought they must be making -about a hundred and twenty-five miles an hour. - -"Those dials are probably telling me my speed," he said to Grizquetr. -"But I can't read their alphabet or numerical system. It doesn't -matter." - -He laughed as he watched 'rollers wheel hard aport or hard to starboard -in a frenzy to get out of their way. The rails and ratlines were lined -with white faces, like rags of terror fluttering in the breeze of the -island's passage. - -"If there were time to send a message, I imagine we'd encounter the -whole Estoryan fleet," said Green. "What a battle that would be! -Rather, what a massacre, for this craft is built for eating up whole -navies." - -"Father," said Grizquetr, "we could be king over the whole world, we -could rule the Xurdimur and take tribute off every 'roller that sailed!" - -"Yes, I suppose we could, you little barbarian, you," replied Green. -"But we won't. We're using this for just one purpose, rescuing the -Earthman and your mother and sisters. After that...." - -"Yes?" - -"I don't know." - -He fell into a reverie as the plain beneath raced past, the white -sails of the 'rollers blooming from small patches to great flags, then -dwindling as swiftly. - -Finally, rousing from his thoughts, he began to explain a little to the -boy. - -"You see, many thousands of years ago there was a great civilization -that had many machines that would seem to you even more magical than -this one. They traveled to the stars and there found worlds much like -this one, and they put colonies upon them. They had swift ships that -could jump across the vast abyss between these worlds and so keep in -fairly close touch. - -"But something happened, some catastrophe. I can't imagine what it -could be, but it must have happened. While it would be interesting to -know the cause, all we can know is the effect. Travel ceased, and as -time went by the colonies, which were probably rather small to begin -with, lost their civilization. The colonies must have been rather -dependent upon supplies shipped to them, and they must have had a -limited number of highly trained scientists and specialists among -them. Anyway, whatever the reason, they relapsed into savagery. And -it was not until ages had passed that some of these colonies, utterly -without memory of their glorious heritage, except perhaps disguised -in myth and legend, attained a high technology again. Others stayed -in savagery; some, like your world, Grizquetr, are in the transition -stage. Your culture is roughly analogous to the ones that existed on -Earth between 100 A.D. and 1000 A.D. Those dates mean nothing to you, -I know, but let me assure you that we present-day Terrestrials regard -those times as being, well, rather hazardous and, uh, unreasonable in -their conduct." - -"I only half-understand you," replied the boy. "But didn't you say that -nothing of the wisdom of the ancients survived on your planet? Well, -why had it done so on ours? These islands must be the work of the old -ones." - -"Correct! And that's not all. So is the Xurdimur itself." - -"What?" - -"Yes, it's obvious to me that this planet must once have been a -tremendous clearing-house and landing field for spacecraft. These -plains couldn't be natural; they must have been leveled out by -machinery. A laboratory-born grass was planted that had all the -characteristics needed to hold the soil together and keep erosion -away. Plus the fact that the islands themselves were, you might say, -caretakers, and kept the whole field spruced up. - -"Gods! I can imagine what a traffic this planet must have had to build -such a landing-field! Ten thousand miles across! The mind boggles -before the thought. They must have done things on a big scale then. -Which makes it all the more difficult to figure out how they could have -come to ruin. Will we ever know what force wrecked them?" - -Grizquetr, of course, had even less of an answer than Green. Both -were silent for a while; then they cried out simultaneously when the -pointed tips of the white towers surrounding Estorya glittered upon the -horizon. One of the screens began flashing a series of cone shapes that -indicated the towers. - -"If the island were still on automatic it would be forced to go around -the entire nation," said Green. "But I'm running it now, and we're -paying no attention to those towers." - -"Knock 'em down!" - -"That's just what I intend to do. But not right now. Let's see. Wonder -how high we can go. Only one way to find out. Upsydaisy!" - -He pulled back the lever and the island began rising, though still -maintaining its horizontal attitude. - -"The ancients, like us moderns, knew how to build anti-gravity -machines. And they also must have kept building their spaceships in the -conventional rocket-form long after there was any need for it. Perhaps, -though, they did so in order for the islands to have a more definite -radar image. Maybe. No one really knows." - -He spoke to himself, meanwhile glancing at the screen which showed him -the plains and the city of Estorya beneath, ever-dwindling as their -height increased. - -"Do me a favor, Grizquetr. Run out to the cave's mouth and tell me if -those walls have fallen over. And on your way back, close the door to -this room. It's going to get colder very quickly, and the air will be -thin. But I imagine that this room is equipped with automatic heat and -oxygen. If it isn't I want to find out now." - -The boy began running back. "The walls are all shaken down, all right!" -he said, breathlessly. "And the Fish Goddess fell over, and her head -almost blocks up the cave's mouth. I wriggled through without any -trouble. I think you can squeeze through." - -Green felt a little sick. That possibility had not occurred to him. -It would have been ironic if the statue had completely blocked the -entrance and he'd had to stay inside until he starved to death. The -Estoryans, of course, would have considered his death a case of -poetical justice.... No, he wouldn't have died, either! He'd just have -gone back to the controls and rolled the island over on one side until -the statue's head came loose. But what if the big stone blocks from -the tumbled wall had fallen down behind the statue so that they wedged -her too tightly to be released? He sweated at the thought and glanced -fondly at the black cat. He wasn't superstitious, not at all, but it -seemed to him that his luck had been better since she'd adopted him. Of -course, that wasn't the scientific attitude to take; nevertheless he -felt comforted just knowing she was around. - -By now, the whole nation of Estorya could be encompassed in one glance. -And the sky was getting darker. - -"We're high enough." He stopped the island. "If anybody didn't get off, -he must be dead by now, the air's so thin. And I was right. We do have -automatic heat and air-providers. Very comfortable in here. I only wish -we had something to eat." - -"Why not lower us to the height where I can go out and find food in the -garrison's kitchens?" said Grizquetr. "Nobody'll be alive to stop me." - -Green thought that was an excellent suggestion. He was very hungry, -for he always had to eat for two, himself and the Vigilante. If the -symbiote within his body provided him with more than normal strength -and powers, it also demanded fuel on which to operate. And, deprived -of food, it would survive by living upon Green's tissue. A Vigilante -wasn't all advantage; it had its dangers. - -He lowered the island to about two thousand feet, set the controls on -neutral, then decided that it would be safe to go out with the boy. -Just as he got to the doorway, however, he began feeling uneasy and -wondering what he would do if, somehow, the door closed and he couldn't -get it open again. That would be a fine situation, to be stuck two -thousand feet in the air, and no parachute! - -Perhaps he was silly, absurdly apprehensive, but he wasn't going to -take any more chances. Grinning sheepishly, he told the boy to go on by -himself. He'd decided to study the controls more closely and think out -his strategy in finer detail. - -When Grizquetr returned with a basket loaded with food and wine, Green -swore at himself for his moment's weakness, then forgot it. After all, -discretion was the better part and all that, and he was only playing it -smart. - -Greedily, he devoured the food and drank half a bottle of wine, knowing -the Vigilante would use alcohol before food and that little of it would -remain in his bloodstream before being consumed. Between bites, he told -Grizquetr what he planned. - -"We'll descend as soon as we're finished eating. I'll write a note, and -you'll drop it over the side upon the steps of the palace. The note -will inform the King he'd better release his prisoners, unharmed, just -outside the windbreak. There we may easily pick them up and then take -off like the proverbial big bird. If he refuses we will proceed to -lower the island upon the Temple of the Fish Goddess, crushing it and -her jewel-encrusted golden idol. And if he still isn't convinced we'll -then smash the palace, not to mention toppling over the entire ring of -towers around the country. Of course, before we drop the note we'll -knock over a few anyway just to show him we're not bluffing." - -Grizquetr's eyes shone. "Can the island crush a big building?" - -"Yes, though I think that there's a possibility we could as easily -disintegrate it. I've wondered how the island cut the grass, and can -only conclude that it must use a device similar to one we have on -Earth. It cuts through objects by breaking up their atomic structure -with a beam that is only a molecule-thick. When on grass-cutting duty, -the island must emit such a beam, and only beneath its base. Of course, -it must have other machines, too, for cleaning up wreckage and debris -and other stuff that its memory banks tell it has no business being on -the field. But I don't know how to operate these." - -Grizquetr looked reproachfully at Green. - -"Well, I don't know everything. I'm not a superman, am I?" - -The boy did not reply, but his expression conveyed the idea that he had -thought his foster-father was just that. Green shrugged his shoulders -and sent the boy out to get paper, pen and ink from the garrison. By -the time the boy returned, Green had lowered the island to about fifty -feet above the palace. He hastily wrote a note, put it in the basket, -which had a cover that could be snapped shut, and told Grizquetr to -throw it over the side, aiming at the steps. - -"I know you're going to be worn out with all this running back and -forth," he said, "but you can do it. You're big and strong." - -"Sure I am," said the boy. Chest expanded, he dashed from the room, -almost tripped going through the door, recovered, and disappeared. -Grinning, Green began to watch the crowds that had gathered below. -Presently he saw the basket hurtle toward a group of priests upon the -great stairway. His grin broadened when the group disintegrated in -panic and several of them lost their footing and rolled down the steps. - -He waited until one of them got enough courage to return and open the -basket. Then he lowered the island another twenty feet. At the same -time, he saw a cannon being hauled into the square before the palace -and its nose being raised so that it could fire upon him. - -"Have to give the beggars credit for guts," he murmured. "Or for sheer -folly, I don't know which. Well, fire away, friends." - -They didn't, because a priest came running to stop them. Evidently, his -note, though written in Huinggro, had been translated swiftly enough, -and the Estoryans were taking no hasty action. - -"While we're waiting for them to make up their minds we'll give them a -taste of the feast they can expect if they aren't reasonable," Green -said. - -He then proceeded to push over about twenty towers just outside the -windbreak. It was great fun, and he'd have liked to knock down a -hundred or so more, but he was too anxious to find out about Amra and -the Earthman. He returned to his former vigil above the palace steps. - -Impatiently, he waited for ten minutes that seemed like ten hours. -Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he growled, "I'm going to -squat on the roof of the Temple and make them hurry up. Do they think -this is a diplomatic conference or something, that they can dillydally -about like this?" - -"No, father," said Grizquetr. "There they come! Mother and Paxi and -Soon and Inzax! And a strange man! He must be the demon!" - -"Demon, your horned hoof!" snorted Green. "That man's as human as I am. -And the poor fellow must have gone through hell. Even from this height -I can see he looks bad. Look how he has to be supported between two -soldiers." - -Amra and the others, he was happy to note, seemed to be unharmed. - -Nevertheless he was anxious about them during their ride through the -city's streets and out to the windbreak. The Estoryans might have -plans for a sudden attack, though he didn't see how they could expect -to surprise him, since from his vantage point, he would notice any -concentration of troops immediately. Or, a fanatical priest might take -it into his head to kill them. - -Neither of these possibilities happened. The prisoners were released -outside the fallen towers, and the soldiers retreated into the city. -Grizquetr left the control room to guide them onto the island. In -fifteen minutes he ran back. - -"Here they are, Father! Saved! Now, get off the ground before the -Estoryans change their minds." - -"We're going back," replied Green, looking in vain for the others and -then deciding that the boy had outstripped them in his haste to report. -He shoved the lever forward and the ship--he was beginning to think of -the island as a ship--soared toward the cone of the spacecraft, which -he could see glittering in the sun inside its wall near the palace. -When Amra and the girls ran into the chamber and wished to throw their -arms around him, he told them he'd be very glad to give each a big warm -kiss later on. Right now he had work to do. - -Amra's smile was replaced by a frown. - -"Do you mean you're still thinking of leaving on the demon's ship?" she -said harshly. - -"That depends on certain factors about which I don't have enough -information as yet to act on," he replied, somewhat stiffly. - -The Earthman limped in. He was a tall, broad-shouldered but emaciated -man. His bushy beard made his long, lean, big-eared, hawk-nosed face -resemble Lincoln's. - -"Captain Walzer of the Terrestrial Interstellar Fleet, Intelligence, he -said, weakly. - -"Alan Green, marine food specialist. I've a long story to tell and no -time to tell it. I would like to know if you can pilot that spacer and -if it's in operating condition. Otherwise we might as well forget it -and go elsewhere." - -"Yes, I'm the pilot. Hassan was the navigator and communications -officer. Poor devil, he died in agony! Those beasts...!" - -"I know how you feel, but we've no time to go into that. Is the ship -ready to take off?" - -Walzer sat down and leaned his head wearily to one side. Grizquetr -offered him wine, and he took two long swallows and smacked his lips -before replying. - -"Ah, that's the first drink I've had for two years! Yes, the bird's -ready to take off on a moment's notice. We'd been on a mission whose -purpose I can't tell you. Security, you know. We were returning when -we encountered this system. Since it's part of our duty to report any -T-type planet if we've time, we decided to stop off and stretch our -legs. We'd been in space so long we were beginning to suffer from -claustrophobia and were ready to fly at each other's throats. You know -how it is if you've made any very long voyages. And those scouts have -especially cramped quarters. They're not made for long trips, but the -nature of our mission required the use of one ... well, we won't go -into that. - -"Anyway, we were wild to breathe fresh air again, to see a horizon, to -feel grass beneath our bare feet, to go swimming, to eat freshly killed -meat and freshly picked fruit. We rationalized ourselves into the idea -that it was our duty to land. We decided on this city because it was -so conspicuous, stuck out here in the middle of this incredible plain. -And, of course, when we got close enough to see that it seemed to be -surrounded by a ring of spaceships we had to enter the city itself -and inquire about this phenomenon. We were greeted friendlily enough, -lulled into being off guard, then attacked. The rest of the story you -know." - -Green nodded and said, "Here we are. Just above the ship." - -He rose from the chair and faced the group. "But before we take any -further steps I think we ought to thrash out something right now that -has been bothering Amra and me. Tell me, Walzer, is there enough room -for Amra, Paxi, Soon, Grizquetr and myself? And perhaps for Inzax, if -she wished to come along?" - -Walzer's eyes widened. "No, man, absolutely not! There's barely space -for you, let alone anybody else." - -Green held out his hands to Amra. "You see? I was afraid of this all -the time. I'll have to go without you." - -He paused, swallowed, then said, "But I'll return! I swear I will! I'll -get the Interstellar Archaeology Bureau interested in this planet. -When I tell them of the Xurdimur, of the rocket-shaped towers, of the -islands with their anti-gravity machines, they'll not hesitate a moment -in organizing an expedition. The chance of solving the mystery of how -man spread all over the Galaxy in prehistoric times will be too strong -for them. - -"And I'll come back with them. And I'll make this planet my life work. -I've a Ph.D. in ichthyology, and I can get accredited as a scientific -member of the expedition. There's no doubt about it!" - -Amra fell into his arms, weeping, crying that she had known all the -time that he couldn't leave her. Then in the next breath she was -swearing that he was just promising to return so he would avoid a scene. - -"I know men well, Alan Green, and I know you, especially. You won't -come back!" - -"Yes, I will, I swear it. If you know men so well, you ought to know -that no man who is worthy of being called a man could even think of -leaving a woman like you." - -She smiled through her tears and said, "That's what I wanted to hear -you say. But, oh, Alan, it'll be so long. Won't it take at least two -years?" - -"Yes, at least. But it can't be helped. I'll worry about you while I'm -gone. Or I would if I didn't know how capable you were." - -"I can learn how to run this island," she said half-sobbing, -half-smiling. "By the time you get back I'll probably be Queen of the -Xurdimur. I could contact the Vings, and together we could have the -whole plain and every city along its border under our thumbs. And...." - -He laughed and said, "That was what I was afraid of." - -Turning to Walzer, he said, "Look, you're too weak to consider another -long trip immediately. Why don't you just follow this island in your -ship until we get to a safe distance from here, say about a thousand -miles due north? We'll live on the island until you get your strength -back and get over your claustrophobia. I imagine it wasn't helped any -by being cooped up in that dungeon. When you're ready we'll take off. -In the meantime I can be showing Amra and Grizquetr just what can be -done with the island. She can be living on it while I'm gone. We'll -trap wild life to replace the animals that were strangled when I went -up too high for them to breathe. She can shuttle back and forth over -the Xurdimur, or over the whole planet if she wishes. And she will, I -hope, stay out of mischief until I get back." - -"That's fine," said Walzer. "I'll get in the ship and follow you." - -Three weeks later, the two Earthmen boarded the scout and closed the -port behind them, the port that would not open again until they were -on Earth, some four months subjective time away. They sat down in the -control cabin, and Walzer began pushing buttons and throwing switches. - -Green wiped the sweat from his brow, the tears from his eyes, and said, -"Whew!" - -"A fine woman," said Walzer, sympathetically. "A rare beauty. She has a -tremendous impact upon one." - -"Something like crashing into a planet head-on," said Green. "She -has the faculty of wringing out every last bit of energy left in the -particular emotion she happens to be feeling at the moment. A great -actress who believes in her roles." - -"Her children are fine children, too," Walzer added, slowly and as if -he were about to say something that might hurt Green's feelings but was -anxious not to do so. "You will be glad to see them again, of course." - -"Of course. After all, Paxi's my daughter, I love the others as if they -were also mine." - -"Ah," breathed Walzer. "Then you _are_ going back to her?" - -Green didn't express surprise or anger, because he had guessed from -Walzer's actions just what he was thinking. - -"You can't imagine my wanting to live on that barbaric planet with that -woman, can you?" he said, evenly. "That after all, there are serious -gaps in our ways of thinking, in our behavior, in our education. Isn't -that what you meant by your statement?" - -Walzer glanced out of the corners of his eyes at Green, then replied -warily, "Well, yes. But you know what you want far better than I do." -He paused, then added, "I must say I admire your courage." - -Green shrugged. - -"After all I've been through I'm not afraid to take one more chance." - - * * * * * - -NOW you can get ADVANCE COPIES of the best _New_ Science Fiction Books! - - -You can be sure of getting the best in adult science fiction--new books -by the top-ranking authors--when you join the Science Fiction Preview -Club. As a member you will receive novels and story collections by such -authors as: - - Arthur C. Clarke - Robert Sheckley - William Tenn - Chad Oliver - Ray Bradbury - John Wyndham - Theodore Sturgeon - Frederik Pohl - -All of these authors are published by Ballantine Books, and their new -books are sent by direct mail--in advance of publication--to club -members. - -DON'T MISS OUT! Join the Science Fiction Preview Club _today_. Simply -fill in the coupon below and mail it with $4.00 in check or money order -payable to Ballantine Books, Inc., 101 Fifth Avenue, New York 3, N. Y. - - ------------------------------------------------------------- - -_Science-Fiction Preview Club_ - -Please send me your next 12 _new_ science-fiction books, paperbound. - -NAME: - -ADDRESS: - -Enclosed please find $4.00 in check or money order. - -Ballantine Books, Inc., Dept. A, 101 Fifth Ave., N. Y. 3, N. Y. - - * * * * * - -THE FROZEN YEAR - -by James Blish - - -"I'm Julian Cole. I'm a science writer. I've read about every theory of -history you can name, and only one makes sense: the one which assumes -that every historical event is aimed personally at my very own head." - -Sounds paranoid, doesn't it? But wait. Suppose you had the job given -to Julian Cole: official historian to a grand-stand Arctic explorer -who sets off on a disastrously ridiculous expedition to the far North. -Suppose _you_ had to cope with the explorer's highly pneumatic wife and -an assortment of characters one of whom is either a Martian or insane? -And, to cap it all, suppose you held in your hands proof of the biggest -science story of the century--and nobody would believe you? - -Wouldn't you feel just a little like Julian Cole? - -_JAMES BLISH is no newcomer to the field of science fiction. Indeed, -his is one of the names which has long signified quality to a -discerning audience._ THE FROZEN YEAR _is a highly topical novel set -against the back-ground of the International Geophysical Year. It has -biting and acid reflections to make on public relations, the inner -workings of large foundations--and demonstrates the surprising and -wonderful ways in which human beings react to the unexpected._ - - Paperbound: 35c - Hardbound: $2.75 - - BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC. - 101 Fifth Avenue - New York 3, N.Y. - - * * * * * - -This is an original novel--not a reprint. - -Printed in U.S.A - - -PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER.... - -created a furore--and an important name in science fiction--with the -publication of his very first story, The Lovers. - -To his first eager audience, and to the many followers he has gained -since then, he now brings a full-length novel--and it happily fulfills -his reputation for the unexpected. - - -THE GREEN ODYSSEY.... - -is an uproarious, hell-bent adventure story, combining fantasy, -imagination and science, with a liberal dash of humor. It is in the -best tradition of adventure science fiction, a swashbuckling tale of a -resourceful spaceman who is, however, uneasily aware that he may have -been miscast. Fortunately, he has the assistance of a large, gorgeous, -energetic and adoring female who is supremely confident of his ability -to handle all comers. With her help, that is. - -The tale of their adventures is reading for sheer fun. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Green Odyssey, by Philip José Farmer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREEN ODYSSEY *** - -***** This file should be named 50571-8.txt or 50571-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/7/50571/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Green Odyssey - -Author: Philip José Farmer - -Release Date: November 29, 2015 [EBook #50571] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREEN ODYSSEY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="282" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - - - -<div class="titlepage"> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>THE GREEN ODYSSEY</h1> - -<p>by Philip José Farmer</p> - -<p>Make friends fast.<br /> -—<i>Handbook For The Shipwrecked</i></p> - -<p>Ballantine Books<br /> -New York</p> - -<p>Copyright 1957, by<br /> -Philip José Farmer</p> - -<p>Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 57-10603<br /> -Printed in the United States of America</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ballantine Books, Inc.</span><br /> -101 Fifth Avenue,<br /> -New York 3, N. Y.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any<br /> -evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -<p>This is an original novel—not a reprint—published <span class="smcap">by Ballantine -Books, Inc.</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>To Nan Gerding</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph3">DANGER! THRILLS! ADVENTURE!</p> - - -<p>Alan Green was not exactly a hero. In fact he liked peace just as -well as the next man. Not that he was really afraid of that crazy, -hot-blooded hound-dog Alzo, or even of the hound's gorgeous owner, the -Duchess Zuni—who was also hot-blooded (to say nothing of the Duke). -After all, these things were understood on this backward, violent -planet, and a man could manage, provided he was alert twenty-four hours -a day.</p> - -<p>And as a matter of fact, Alan was only normally apprehensive of his -Junoesque, tempestuous (but altogether lovable) wife Amra. Delightful, -demanding Amra—and her five uproarious kids. The trouble was, he was -tired. And homesick.</p> - -<p>So when he heard of two other downed spacemen, he hitched a ride with -a piratical merchant-captain on a windroller destined to carry him to -the spaceship and thence to the peaceful green hills of Earth. But -he had reckoned without the vagaries of the windroller, pirates, the -"traveling islands," the rascally Captain, and various flora and fauna -peculiar to this planet—all of which, it now seemed, regarded Alan -with unnerving malevolence.</p> - -<p>And worst of all, Amra was determined that he should be a hero. Amra -won.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2>1</h2> - - -<p>For two years Alan Green had lived without hope. From the day the -spaceship had crashed on this unknown planet he had resigned himself -to the destiny created for him by accident and mathematics. Chances -against another ship landing within the next hundred years were a -million to one. Therefore it would do no good to sit around waiting -for rescue. Much as he loathed the idea, he must live the rest of his -life here, and he must squeeze as much blood as he could out of this -planet-sized turnip. There wasn't much to squeeze. In fact, it seemed -to him that he was the one losing the blood. Shortly after he'd been -cast away he'd been made a slave.</p> - -<p>Now, suddenly, he had hope.</p> - -<p>Hope came to him a month after he'd been made foreman of the kitchen -slaves of the Duke of Tropat. It came to him as he was standing behind -the Duchess during a meal and directing those who were waiting upon her.</p> - -<p>It was the Duchess Zuni who had not so subtly maneuvered him from the -labor pens to his coveted, if dangerous, position. Why dangerous? -Because she was very jealous and possessive, and the slightest hint of -lack of attention from him could mean he'd lose his life or one limb -or another. The knowledge of what had happened to his two predecessors -kept him extremely sensitive to her every gesture, her every wish.</p> - -<p>That fateful morning he was standing behind her as she sat at one end -of the long breakfast table. In one hand he held his foreman's wand, -a little white baton topped by a large red ball. With it he gestured -at the slaves who served food, who poured wine and beer, who fanned -away the flies, who carried in the household god and sat it on the god -chair, who played something like music. Now and then he bent over the -Duchess Zuni's long black hair and whispered phrases from this or that -love poem, praising her beauty, her supposed unattainability, and his -burning, if seemingly hopeless, passion for her. Zuni would smile, or -repeat the formula of thanks—the short one—or else giggle at his -funny accent.</p> - -<p>The Duke sat at the other end of the table. He ignored the by-play, -just as he ignored the so-called secret passage inside the walls of the -castle, which Green used to get to the Duchess's apartments. Custom -demanded this, just as custom demanded that he should play the outraged -husband if she got tired of Green or angry at him and accused him -publicly of amorous advances. This was enough to make Green jittery, -but he had more than the Duke to consider. There was Alzo.</p> - -<p>Alzo was the Duchess's watchdog, a mastiff-like monster with shaggy -red-gold hair. The dog hated Green with a vindictiveness that Green -could only account for by supposing that the animal knew, perhaps from -his body-odor, that he was not a native of this planet. Alzo rumbled -a warning deep in his chest every time Green bent over the Duchess or -made a too-sudden movement. Occasionally he rose to his four feet and -nuzzled the man's leg. When that happened Green could not keep from -breaking out into a sweat, for the dog had twice bitten him, playfully, -so to speak, and severely lacerated his calf. As if that weren't bad -enough, Green had to worry that the natives might notice that his scars -healed abnormally fast, almost overnight. He'd been forced to wear -bandages on his legs long after the new skin had come in.</p> - -<p>Even now, the nauseating canine was sniffing around Green's quivering -hide in the hope of putting the fear of the devil in him. At that -moment the Earthman resolved that, come the headsman's ax, rack, wheel, -or other hellish tortures, he was going to kill that hound. It was just -after he made that vow that the Duchess caused him to forget altogether -the beast.</p> - -<p>"Dear," said Zuni, interrupting the Duke in the midst of his -conversation with a merchant-captain, "what is this I hear about two -men who have fallen from the sky in a great ship of iron?"</p> - -<p>Green quivered, and he held his breath as he waited for the Duke's -reply.</p> - -<p>The Duke, a short, dark many-chinned man with white hair and very thick -bristly salt-and-pepper eyebrows, frowned.</p> - -<p>"Men? Demons, rather! Can men fly in an iron ship through the air? -These two claimed to have come from the stars, and you know what that -means. Remember Oixrotl's prophecy: <i>A demon will come, claiming -to be an angel</i>. No doubt about these two! Just to show you their -subtlety, they claim to be neither demon nor angels, but men! Now, -there's devilish clever thinking. Confusing to anybody but the most -clear-headed. I'm glad the King of Estorya wasn't taken in."</p> - -<p>Eagerly Zuni leaned forward, her large brown eyes bright, and her -red-painted mouth open and wet. "Oh, has he burned them already? What a -shame! I should think he'd at least torture them for a while."</p> - -<p>Miran, the merchant-captain, said, "Your pardon, gracious lady, but the -King of Estorya has done no such thing. The Estoryan law demands that -all suspected demons should be kept in prison for two years. Everybody -knows that a devil can't keep his human disguise more than two years. -At the end of that time he reverts to his natural flesh and form, a -hideous sight to behold, blasphemous, repulsive, soul-shaking."</p> - -<p>Miran rolled his one good eye so that only the white showed and made -the sign to ward off evil, the index finger held rigidly out from a -clenched fist. Jugkaxtr, the household priest, dived under the table, -where he crouched praying, secure in the knowledge that demons couldn't -touch him while he knelt beneath the thrice-blessed wood. The Duke -swallowed a whole glass of wine, apparently to calm his nerves, and -belched.</p> - -<p>Miran wiped his face and said, "Of course, I wasn't able to find -out much, because we merchants are regarded with deep suspicion and -scarcely dare to move outside the harbor or the marketplace. The -Estoryans worship a female deity—ridiculous, isn't it?—and eat fish. -They hate us Tropatians because we worship Zaxropatr, Male of Males, -and because they must depend on us to bring them fish. But they aren't -close-mouthed. They babble on and on to us, especially when one has -given them wine for nothing."</p> - -<p>Green finally released his breath in a sigh of relief. How glad he -was that he had never told these people his true origin! So far as -they knew he was merely one of the many slaves who came from a distant -country in the North.</p> - -<p>Miran cleared his throat, adjusted his violet turban and yellow robes, -pulled gently at the large gold ring that hung from his nose and said, -"It took me a month to get back from Estorya, and that is very good -time indeed, but then I am noted for my good luck, though I prefer to -call it skill plus the favor given by the gods to the truly devout. -I do not boast, O gods, but merely give you tribute because you have -smiled upon my ventures and have found pleasing the scent of my many -sacrifices in your nostrils!"</p> - -<p>Green lowered his eyelids to conceal the expression of disgust which he -felt must be shining from them. At the same time, he saw Zuni's shoe -tapping impatiently. Inwardly he groaned, because he knew she would -divert the conversation to something more interesting to her, to her -clothes and the state of her stomach and/or complexion. And there would -be nothing that anybody could do about it, because the custom was that -the woman of the house regulated the subject of talk during breakfast. -If only this had been lunch or dinner! Then the men would theoretically -have had uncontested control.</p> - -<p>"These two demons were very tall, like your slave Green, here," said -Miran, "and they could not speak a word of Estoryan. Or at least they -claimed they couldn't. When King Raussmig's soldiers tried to capture -them they brought from the folds of their strange clothes two pistols -that only had to be pointed to send silent and awesome and sure death. -Everywhere men dropped dead. Panic overtook many, but there were brave -soldiers who kept on charging, and eventually the magical instruments -became exhausted. The demons were overpowered and put into the Tower -of Grass Cats from which no man or demon has yet escaped. And there -they will be until the Festival of the Sun's Eye. Then they will be -burnt...."</p> - -<p>From beneath the table rose the babble of the priest, Jugkaxtr, -as he blessed everyone in the house, down to the latest-born pup, -and the fleas living thereoff, and cursed all those who were -possessed by even the tiniest demon. The Duke, growing impatient at -the noise, kicked under the table. Jugkaxtr yelped and presently -crawled out. He sat down and began gnawing the meat from a bone, -a well-done-thou-good-and-faithful-servant expression on his fat -features. Green also felt like kicking him, just as he often felt -like kicking every single human being on this planet. It was hard to -remember that he must exercise compassion and understanding for them, -and that his own remote ancestors had once been just as nauseatingly -superstitious, cruel and bloody.</p> - -<p>There was a big difference between reading about such people and -actually living among them. A history or a romantic novel could -describe how unwashed and diseased and formula-bound primitives were, -but only the too-too substantial stench and filth could make your gorge -rise.</p> - -<p>Even as he stood there Zuni's powerful perfume rose and clung in heavy -festoons about him and slithered down his nostrils. It was a rare and -expensive perfume, brought back by Miran from his voyages and given to -her as a token of the merchant's esteem. Used in small quantities it -would have been quite effective to express feminine daintiness and to -hint at delicate passion. But no, Zuni poured it like water over her, -hoping to cover up the stale odor left by <i>not</i> taking a bath more than -once a month.</p> - -<p>She looked so beautiful, he thought. And stank so terribly. At least -she had at first. Now she looked less beautiful because he knew how -stupid she was, and didn't stink quite so badly because his nostrils -had become somewhat adjusted. They'd had to.</p> - -<p>"I intend to be back in Estorya by the time of the festival," said -Miran. "I've never seen the Eye of the Sun burn demons before. It's a -giant lens, you know. There will be just time enough to make a voyage -there and get back before the rainy season. I expect to make even -greater profits than the last time, because I've established some -highly placed contacts. O gods, I do not boast but merely praise your -favor to your humble worshiper, Miran the Merchant of the Clan of -Effenycan!"</p> - -<p>"Please bring me some more of this perfume," said the Duchess, "and I -just love the diamond necklace you gave me."</p> - -<p>"Diamonds, emeralds, rubies!" cried Miran, kissing his hand and rolling -his eye ecstatically. "I tell you, the Estoryans are rich beyond our -dreams! Jewels flow in their marketplaces like drops of water in a -cataract! Ah, if only the Emperor could be induced to organize a great -raiding fleet and storm its walls!"</p> - -<p>"He remembers too well what happened to his father's fleet when he -tried it," growled the Duke. "The storm that destroyed his thirty ships -was undoubtedly raised by the priests of the Goddess Hooda. I still -think that the expedition would have succeeded, however, if the late -Emperor had not ignored the vision that came to him the night before -they set sail. It was the great god Axoputqui, and he said...."</p> - -<p>There was a lengthy conversation which did not hold Green's attention. -He was too busy trying to think of a plan whereby he could get -to Estorya and to the demons' iron vessel, which was obviously a -spaceship. This was his only chance. Soon the rainy season would start -and there would be no vessels leaving for at least three months.</p> - -<p>He could, of course, just walk away and hope to get to Estorya on foot. -Thousands of miles through countless perils, and he had only a general -idea of where the city was ... no, Miran was his only hope.</p> - -<p>But how...? He didn't think that stowing away would work. There was -always a careful search for slaves who might try just that very plan. -He looked at Miran, the short, fat, big-stomached, hook-nosed, one-eyed -fellow with many chins and a large gold ring in his nose. The fellow -was shrewd, shrewd, and he would not want to offend the Duchess by -helping her official gigolo escape. Not, that is, unless Green could -offer him something that was so valuable that he couldn't afford not to -take the risk. Miran boasted that he was a hard-headed businessman, but -it was Green's observation that there was always a large soft spot in -that supposedly impenetrable cranium: the Fissure of Cupiditas.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>2</h2> - - -<p>The Duke rose, and everybody followed his example. Jugkaxtr chanted the -formula of dismissal, then sat down to finish gnawing on the bone. The -others filed out. Green walked in front of Zuni in order to warn her -of any obstacles in her path and to take the brunt of any attempted -assassination. As he did so he was seized by the ankle and tripped -headlong. He did not fall hard because he was a quick man, in spite -of his six-foot-two and hundred ninety pounds. But he rose red-faced -because of the loud laughter and from repressed anger at Alzo, who had -again repeated his trick of grabbing Green's leg and upsetting him. -He wanted to grab a spear from a nearby guard and spit Alzo. But that -would be the end of Green. And whereas up to now there had been many -times when he would not particularly have cared if he left this planet -via the death route, he could not now make a false move. Not when -escape was so near!</p> - -<p>So he grinned sheepishly and again preceded the Duchess, while the -others followed her out. When they reached the bottom of the broad -stone staircase that led to the upper floors of the castle, Zuni told -Green that he was to go to the marketplace and buy tomorrow's food. As -for her, she was going back to bed and sleep until noon.</p> - -<p>Inwardly Green groaned. How long could he keep up this pace? He was -expected to stay up half the night with her, then attend to his -official duties during the day. She slept enough to be refreshed by -the time he visited her, but he never had a chance for any real rest. -Even when he had his free hours in the afternoon he had to go to his -house in the pens, and there he had to stay awake and attend to all -his familial duties. And Amra, his slave-wife, and her six children -demanded much from him. They were even more tyrannical than the -Duchess, if that were possible.</p> - -<p>How long, O Lord, how long? The situation was intolerable; even if he'd -not heard of the spaceship he would have plotted to escape. Better a -quick death while trying to get away than a slow, torturous one by -exhaustion.</p> - -<p>He bowed good-by to the Duke and Duchess, then followed the violet -turban and yellow robes of Miran through the courtyard, through the -thick stone walls, over the bridge of the broad moat, and into the -narrow winding streets of the city of Quotz. Here the merchant-captain -got into his silver-and-jewel-decorated rickshaw. The two long-legged -men between its shafts, sailors and clansmen from Miran's vessel, the -<i>Bird of Fortune</i>, began running through the crowd. The people made way -for them, as two other sailors preceded them calling out Miran's name -and cracking whips in the air.</p> - -<p>Green, after looking to make certain that nobody from the castle was -around to see him, ran until he was even with the rickshaw. Miran -halted it and asked what he wanted.</p> - -<p>"Your pardon, Your Richness, but may a humble slave speak and not be -reprimanded?"</p> - -<p>"I presume it is no idle thought you have in mind," said Miran, looking -Green over his one eye narrow in its fat-folds.</p> - -<p>"It has to do with money."</p> - -<p>"Ah, despite your foreign accent you speak with a pleasing voice; you -are the golden trumpet of Mennirox, my patron god. Speak!"</p> - -<p>"First Your Richness must swear by Mennirox that you will under no -circumstances divulge my proposal."</p> - -<p>"There is wealth in this? For me?"</p> - -<p>"There is."</p> - -<p>Miran glanced at his clansmen, standing there patiently, apparently -oblivious of what was going on. He had power of life and death over -them, but he didn't trust them. He said, "Perhaps it would be better if -I thought about this before making such a drastic oath. Could you meet -me tonight at the Hour of the Wineglass at the House of Equality? And -could you perhaps give me a slight hint of what you have in mind?"</p> - -<p>"The answer to both is yes. My proposal has to do with the dried fish -that you carry as cargo to the Estoryans. There is another thing, too, -but I may not even hint at it until I have your oath."</p> - -<p>"Very well then. At the agreed hour. Fish, eh? I must be off. Time is -money, you know. Get going boys, full sails."</p> - -<p>Green hailed a passing rickshaw and seated himself comfortably in it. -As assistant majordomo he had plenty of money. Moreover, the Duke and -Duchess would have been outraged if he had lowered their prestige by -walking through the city's streets. His vehicle made good time, too, -because everybody recognized his livery: the scarlet and white tricorn -hat and the white sleeveless shirt with the Duke's heraldic arms on its -chest—red and green concentric circles pierced by a black arrow.</p> - -<p>The street led always downward, for the city had been built on the -foothills of the mountains. It wandered here and there and gave Green -plenty of time to think.</p> - -<p>The trouble was, he thought, that if the two imprisoned men at Estorya -were to die before he got to them he'd still be lost. He had no idea -of how to pilot or navigate a spaceship. He'd been a passenger on a -freighter when it had unaccountably blown up, and he'd been forced to -leave the dying vessel in one of those automatic castaway emergency -shells. The capsule had got him down to the surface of this planet and -was, as far as he knew, still up in the hills where he'd left it. After -wandering for a week and almost starving to death he'd been picked up -by some peasants. They had turned him in to the soldiers of a nearby -garrison, thinking he must be a runaway slave on whom they'd collect -a reward. Taken to the capital city of Quotz, Green had almost been -freed because there was no record of his being anybody's property. But -his tallness, blondness and inability to speak the local language had -convinced his captors that he must have wandered down from some far -northern country. Therefore if he wasn't a slave he should be.</p> - -<p>Presto, changeo! He was. And he'd put in six months in a quarry and a -year as a dock worker. Then the Duchess had chanced to see him on the -streets as she rode by, and he'd been transferred to the castle.</p> - -<p>The streets were alive with the short, dark, stocky natives and the -taller, lighter-complexioned slaves. The former wore their turbans of -various colors, indicating their status and trade. The latter wore -their three-cornered hats. Occasionally a priest in his high conical -hat, hexagonal spectacles and goatee rode by. Wagons and rickshaws -drawn by men or by big, powerful dogs went by. Merchants stood at the -fronts of their shops and hawked their wares in loud voices. They sold -cloth, grixtr nut, parchment, knives, swords, helmets, drugs, books—on -magic, on religion, on travel—spices, perfumes, ink, rugs, highly -sugared drinks, wine, beer, tonic, paintings, everything that went to -make up their civilization. Butchers stood before open shops where -dressed fowl, deer and dogs hung. Dealers in birds pointed out the -virtues of their many-colored and multi-songed pets.</p> - -<p>For the thousandth time Green wondered at this strange planet where -the only large animals were men, dogs, grass cats, a small deer and -a very small equine. In fact, there was a paucity of any variety of -animal life, except for the surprisingly large number of birds. It was -this scarcity of horses and oxen, he supposed, that helped perpetuate -slavery. Man and dog had to provide most of the labor.</p> - -<p>No doubt there was an explanation for all this, but it must be buried -so deep in this people's forgotten history that one would never know. -Green, always curious, wished that he had time and means to explore. -But he didn't. He might as well resign himself to keeping a whole skin -and to getting out of this mess as fast as he could.</p> - -<p>There was enough to do merely to make his way through the narrow and -crowded streets. He had to display his baton often to clear a path, -though when he approached the harbor area he had less trouble because -the streets were much wider.</p> - -<p>Here great wagons drawn by gangs of slaves carried huge loads to or -from the ships. The thoroughfares had to be broad, else the people -would have been crushed between wagon and house. Here also were the -so-called Pens, where the dock-slaves lived. Once the area had actually -been an enclosure where men and women were locked up for the night. But -the walls had been torn down and new houses built in the old Duke's -time. The closest Earthly parallel Green could think of for these -edifices was a housing project. Small cottages, all exactly alike, set -in military columns.</p> - -<p>For a moment he considered stopping off to see Amra, then decided -against it. She'd get him tied up in an argument or something, and -he'd spend too much time trying to soothe her, time that should be -spent at the marketplace. He hated scenes, whereas Amra was a born -self-dramatist who reveled in them, almost wallowed, one might say.</p> - -<p>He averted his eyes from the Pens and looked at the other side of -the street, where the walls of the great warehouses towered. Workmen -swarmed around them, and cranes, operated by gangs pushing wheels like -a ship's capstan, raised or lowered big bundles. Here, he thought, was -a business opportunity for him.</p> - -<p>Introduce the steam engine. It'd be the greatest thing that ever hit -this planet. Wood-burning automobiles could replace the rickshaws. -Cranes could be run by donkey-engines. The ships themselves could have -their wheels powered by steam. Or perhaps, he thought, rails could be -laid across the Xurdimur, and locomotives would make the ships obsolete.</p> - -<p>No, that wouldn't work. Iron rails cost too much. And the savages that -roved over the grassy plains would tear them up and forge weapons from -them.</p> - -<p>Besides, every time he suggested to the Duke a new and much more -efficient method of doing something he ran dead into the brick wall of -tradition and custom. Nothing new could be accepted unless the gods -accepted it. The gods' will was interpreted by the priests. The priests -clutched the status quo as tightly as a hungry infant clutches its -mother's breast or an old man clings to his property.</p> - -<p>Green could make a fight against the theocracy, but he didn't feel it -was worth while to become a martyr.</p> - -<p>He heard a familiar voice behind him calling his name.</p> - -<p>"Alan! Alan!"</p> - -<p>He hunched his shoulders like a turtle withdrawing his head and thought -desperately for a moment of trying to ignore the voice. But, though a -woman's, it was powerful and penetrating, and everybody around him had -already turned to see its owner. So he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard -it.</p> - -<p>"ALAN, YOU BIG BLOND NO-GOOD HUNK OF MAN, STOP!"</p> - -<p>Reluctantly Green told his rickshaw boy to turn around. The boy, -grinning, did so. Like everybody else along the harbor front he knew -Amra and was familiar with her relations with Green. She held their -one-year-old daughter in her arms, cradled against her magnificent -bosom. Behind her stood her other five children, her two sons by the -Duke, her daughter by a visiting prince, her son by the captain of a -Northerner ship, her daughter by a temple sculptor. Her rise and fall -and slow rise again was told in the children around her; the tableau -embodied an outline of the structure of the planet's society.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>3</h2> - - -<p>Her mother had been a Northerner slave; her father, a native freeman, -a wheelwright. When she was five years old they had died in a plague. -She had been transferred to the Pens and raised by her aunt. When she -was fifteen her beauty had attracted the Duke and he had installed -her in the palace. There she gave birth to his two sons, now ten and -eleven, who would soon be taken away from her and raised in the Duke's -household as free and petted servants.</p> - -<p>The Duke had married the present Duchess several years after his -liaison with Amra began and her jealousy had forced him to get rid of -Amra. Back to the Pens she had gone; perhaps the Duke had not been -too sad to see her go, for living with her was like living with a -hurricane, and he liked peace and quiet too well.</p> - -<p>Then, in accordance with the custom, she had been recommended by the -Duke to a visiting prince; the prince had overstayed his leave from -his native country because he hated to part with her, and the Duke had -wanted to give her as a present. But here he'd overstepped his legal -authority. Slaves had certain rights. A woman who had borne a citizen a -child could not be shipped away or sold unless she gave her permission. -Amra didn't choose to go, so the sorrowing prince had gone home, though -not without leaving a memento of his visit behind him.</p> - -<p>The captain of a ship had purchased her, but here again the law came -to her rescue. He could not take her out of the country, and she again -refused to leave. By now she had purchased several businesses—slaves -were allowed to hold property and even have slaves of their own—and -she knew that her two boys by the Duke would be valuable later on, when -they'd go to live with him.</p> - -<p>The temple sculptor had used her as his model for his great marble -statue of the goddess of Fertility. Well he might, for she was a -magnificent creature, a tall woman with long, richly auburn hair, a -flawless skin, large russet brown eyes, a mouth as red and ripe as a -plum, breasts with which neither child nor lover could find fault, a -waist amazingly slender considering the rest of her curved body and her -fruitfulness. Her long legs would have looked good on an Earthwoman and -were even more outstanding among a population of club-ankled females.</p> - -<p>There was more to her than beauty. She radiated a something that struck -every male at first sight; to Green she sometimes seemed to be a -violent physical event, perhaps even a principle of Nature herself.</p> - -<p>There were times when Green felt proud because she had picked him as -her mate, chosen him when he was a newly imported slave who could say -only a few words in the highly irregular agglutinative tongue. But -there were times when he felt that she was too much for him, and those -times had been getting too frequent lately. Besides, he felt a pang -whenever he saw their child, because he loved it and dreaded the moment -when he would have to leave it. As for deserting Amra, he wasn't sure -how that would make him feel. Undeniably, she did affect him, but then -so did a blow in the teeth or wine in the blood.</p> - -<p>He got down out of the rickshaw, told the boy to wait, said, "Hello, -honey," and kissed her. He was glad she was a slave, because she didn't -wear a nose-ring. When he kissed the Duchess he was always annoyed -by hers. She refused to take it off when with him because that would -put her on his level, and he mustn't ever forget he was a slave. It -was perfectly moral for her to take a bondsman as a lover but not a -freeman, and she was nothing if not moral.</p> - -<p>Amra's return kiss was passionate, part of which was the vigor of -asperity. "You're not fooling me," she said. "You meant to ride right -by. Kiss the children! What's the matter, are you getting tired of me? -You told me you only accepted the Duchess's offer because it meant -advancement, and you were afraid that if you turned her down she'd -find an excuse to kill you. Well, I believed you—half-believed you, -anyway. But I won't if you try sneaking by without seeing me. What's -the matter? Are you a man or not? Are you afraid to face a woman? Don't -shake your head. You're a liar! Don't forget to kiss Grizquetr; you -know he's an affectionate boy and worships you, and it's absurd to -say that in your country grown men don't kiss boys that old. You're -not in your country—what a strange, frigid, loveless race must live -there—and even if you were you might overlook their customs to show -some tenderness to the boy. Come on back to our house and I'll bring up -some of that wonderful Chalousma wine that came in the other day out of -the cellar——"</p> - -<p>"What was a ship doing in your cellar?" he said, and he whooped with -laughter. "By all the gods, Amra, I know it's been two days since I've -seen you, but don't try to crowd forty-eight hours' conversation into -ten minutes, especially your kind of conversation. And quit scolding me -in front of the children. You know it's bad for them. They might pick -up your attitude of contempt for the head of the house."</p> - -<p>"I? Contempt? Why, I worship the ground you walk on! I tell them -continually what a fine man you are, though it's rather hard to -convince them when you do show up and they see the truth. Still...."</p> - -<p>There was only one way to handle her; that was to outtalk, outshout, -outact her. It was hard going, especially when he felt so tired, and -when she would not cooperate with him but would fight for precedence. -The trouble was, she didn't feel any respect for the man she could shut -up, so it was absolutely necessary to dominate her.</p> - -<p>This he accomplished by giving her a big squeeze, causing the baby to -cry because she was pushed in too tightly between the two of them. Then -while Amra was trying to soothe the baby he began telling her what had -happened at the palace.</p> - -<p>She was silent, except for a sharply pointed question interjected now -and then, and she insisted upon hearing the details of everything that -had taken place—everything. He told her things that he would not have -mentioned before children—two years ago. But the extremely frank and -uninhibited society of the slaves had freed him of any such restraints.</p> - -<p>They went inside Amra's house, through her offices, where six of her -clerks and secretaries worked, through the living rooms proper, and on -into the kitchen.</p> - -<p>She rang a bell and told Inzax, a pretty little blonde, to go into the -cellar and bring up a quart of Chalousma. One of the clerks popped -his head in the kitchen door and told her that a Mr. Sheshyarvrenti, -purser of an Andoonanarga vessel, wanted to see her about the -disposition of some rare birds that she had ordered seven months -before. He would deal with no one but her.</p> - -<p>"Let him cool his heels for a while," she said. The clerk gulped and -his head disappeared.</p> - -<p>Green took Paxi, his daughter, and played with her while Amra poured -their wine.</p> - -<p>"This can go on only so long," she said. "I love you, and I'm not -getting the attention I'm accustomed to. You should find some pretense -to break off with the Duchess. I'm a vigorous woman who needs a lot of -love. I want you here."</p> - -<p>Green had nothing to lose by agreeing with her, since he planned to be -leaving in a very short time. "You're right," he said. "I'll tell her -as soon as I think up a good excuse." He fingered his neck at the place -where a headsman's ax would come down. "It had better be a good one, -though."</p> - -<p>Amra seemed to glow all over with happiness. She held her glass up and -said, "Here's to the Duchess. May demons carry her off."</p> - -<p>"You'd better be careful, saying that before the children. You know -that if they innocently repeated that to someone and it got back to the -Duchess you'd be burned in the next witchhunt."</p> - -<p>"Not my children!" she scoffed. "They're too clever. They take after -their mother. They know when to keep their mouths shut."</p> - -<p>Green gulped his wine and stood up. "I must go."</p> - -<p>"You'll come home tonight? Surely the Duchess will let you out one -night a week?"</p> - -<p>"Not one single night. And I can't come here this evening because I'm -to meet Miran the Merchant at the House of Equality. Business, you -know."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I know! You'll dillydally about the whole matter, and put off -acting for one reason or another, and the first thing you know, years -will go by, and——"</p> - -<p>"If this keeps up I'll be dead in six months," he said. "I'm <i>tired</i>! I -have to get some sleep."</p> - -<p>She changed instantly from anger to sympathy. "Poor dear, why don't you -forget that appointment and sleep here until it's time to go back to -the castle? I'll send a messenger to Miran telling him you're sick."</p> - -<p>"No, this is something I just can't pass by."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"It's of such a nature that telling you, or anybody, would spoil it."</p> - -<p>"And just what could that be?" she demanded, angry again. "It concerns -some woman, I'll bet!"</p> - -<p>"My problem is keeping away from you women, not getting into more -trouble. No, it's just that Miran has sworn me by all his gods to keep -silent and of course I couldn't think of breaking a vow."</p> - -<p>"I know your opinion of our gods," she said. "Well, go along with you! -But I warn you, I'm an impatient woman; I'll give you a week to work on -the Duchess, then I'm launching an attack myself."</p> - -<p>"That won't be necessary," he said. He kissed her and the children and -left. He congratulated himself on having delayed Amra that long. If he -couldn't carry out his scheme in a week he was lost, anyway. He'd have -to walk away from the city and out onto the Xurdimur, even if packs of -wild dogs and man-eating grass cats and cannibalistic men and God knew -what else did roam the grassy plains.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>4</h2> - - -<p>Every city and village of the Empire had its House of Equality, within -whose walls distinctions of every type were abandoned. Green did not -know the origin of the institution, but he recognized its value as -a safety valve to blow off the extreme social pressure put on every -class. Here the slave who did not dare open his mouth in the outside -mundane world could curse his master to his face and go unpunished by -the authorities. Of course, there was nothing to keep the master from -retaliating in kind, for the slave also cast off his legal rights when -he entered. Violence was not unknown here, though it was infrequent. -Blood shed within these walls did not, theoretically, call for -punishment. But any murderer would find that, though the police paid -no attention to him, he'd have to deal with the slain one's relatives. -Many feuds had had their origin and end here.</p> - -<p>Green had excused himself after the evening meal, saying that he had to -talk to Miran about getting some spices from Estorya. Also the merchant -had mentioned that on his last trip he'd heard that a band of Estoryan -hunters were going after the rare and beautiful <i>getzlen</i> bird and that -he might find some for sale when he returned there. Zuni's face lit up, -because she desired a <i>getzlen</i> bird even more than a chance to annoy -her husband. Graciously she gave Green permission to leave.</p> - -<p>Inwardly exultant, though outwardly pulling a long face that was -supposed to suggest his sadness at having to leave the Duchess, he -backed out of the dining room. Not very gracefully, for Alzo chose that -moment to refuse to get out of Green's path. Green tumbled backward, -sprawling over the huge mastiff, who snarled with anger and trembled -with hypocritical indignation and bared his fangs with the intention -of tearing Green apart. The Earthman did not try to rise, because he -did not want to give Alzo an excuse for jumping him. Instead he bared -his own teeth and snarled back. The hall roared with laughter and the -Duke, holding his sides, tears running from his bulging eyes, rose -and staggered over to where the two faced each other on all fours. He -clutched Alzo's spike-studded collar and dragged him away, meanwhile -choking out a command to Green to take off while the taking off was -good.</p> - -<p>Green swallowed his anger, thanked the Duke and left. Swearing that -he'd rip the hound apart some day with his bare hands, the Earthman -left for the House of Equality. It took all the long rickshaw ride to -the temple for him to calm down.</p> - -<p>The great central room with its three-story ceiling was full that -night. Men in their long evening kilts and women in masks crowded -around the gambling tables, the bars and the grudge-stages. There -was a large crowd around the platform on which two dealers in wheat -were slugging it out to work off resentment arising from business -disputes. But by far the greatest number had gathered to watch a -husband-and-wife match. His left hand had been tied to his side, and -she had been armed with a club. Thus equalized, they'd been given the -word to go to it. So far the man had had the worst of the match, as -bloody patches on his head and bruises on his arm showed. If he could -get the club away from her he had the right to do what he wanted to -her. But if she could break his free arm she had him at her complete -mercy.</p> - -<p>Green avoided the stage, because such barbarous doings made him sick. -Looking for Miran, he finally found him rolling a pair of six-sided -dice with another captain. This fellow wore the red turban and black -robes of the Clan Axucan. He had just lost to Miran and was paying him -sixty <i>iquogr</i>, a goodly sum even for a merchant-prince.</p> - -<p>Miran took Green's arm, something he'd never have done outside the -House, and led him off to a curtained booth where they could get as -much privacy as they wished. He matched Green for drinks; Green lost, -and Miran ordered a large pitcher of Chalousma.</p> - -<p>"Nothing but the best for yours truly—whenever someone else is -paying," Miran said jovially. "Now, I'm a great one for fun, but I'm -here primarily for business. So—let's have your proposal at once, if -you please."</p> - -<p>"First I must have your solemn oath that you will tell absolutely no -one what you hear in this booth. Second, that if you reject my idea -you do not then use it later on. Third, that if you do accept you will -never attempt later on to kill me or get rid of me and thus reap the -profits."</p> - -<p>Miran's face had been blank, but at the word "profits" it twisted into -many folds and creases, all expressive of joy.</p> - -<p>He reached into the huge purse he carried slung over his shoulder -and pulled out a little golden idol of the patron deity of the Clan -Effenycan. Putting his right hand upon its ugly head, he lifted his -left and said, "I swear by Zaceffucanquanr that I will obey your wishes -in this matter. May he strike me with lice, leprosy, lecher's disease -and lightning if I should break this, my solemn vow."</p> - -<p>Satisfied, Green said, "First I want you to arrange for me to be aboard -your windroller when you leave for Estorya."</p> - -<p>Miran choked on his wine and coughed and sputtered until Green pounded -his back.</p> - -<p>"I do not ask that you give me passage <i>back</i>. Now, here's my idea. You -plan to be taking a large cargo of dried fish because the Estoryans' -religion requires that they eat them at every meal and because they use -them in great quantities at their numerous festivals."</p> - -<p>"True, true. Do you know, I've never been able to figure out why they -should worship a fish-goddess. They live over five thousand miles from -the sea, and there's no evidence that any of them have ever been to the -sea. Yet, they demand saltwater fish, won't use the fish from a nearby -lake."</p> - -<p>"There're many mysteries about the Xurdimur. However, they needn't -concern us. Now, do you know that the Estoryans' Book of Gods places -much more ritual-power in freshly killed and cooked fish than in smoked -fish? However, they've always had to be content with the dried fish -the windrollers brought them. What price would they not pay for living -sea-fish?"</p> - -<p>Miran rubbed his palms together. "Indeed it does make one wonder...?"</p> - -<p>Green then outlined his idea. Miran sat stunned. Not at the audacity or -originality of the plan, but because it was so obvious that he wondered -why neither he nor anyone else had ever thought of it. He said so.</p> - -<p>Green drank his wine and said, "I suppose that people wondered the same -when the first wheel or bow and arrow were invented. So obvious, yet no -one thought of them until then."</p> - -<p>"Let me get this straight," said Miran. "You want me to buy a caravan -of wagons, build water-tight tanks into them and use them to transport -ocean fish back to here? Then the wagon bodies, with their contents, -will be lifted onto my windroller and fitted into specially prepared -racks—or perhaps, holes—on the middeck? Also, you will show me how to -analyze sea water so that its formula may be sold to the Estoryans, and -they can thus keep the fish alive in their own tanks?"</p> - -<p>"That's right."</p> - -<p>"Hmmm." Miran ran his fat, ring-studded finger over his hook nose and -the square gold ornament hanging therefrom. His single eye glared -pale-bluely at Green. The other was covered with a white patch to hide -the emptiness left after a ball from a Ving musket had struck it.</p> - -<p>"It's four weeks until the very last day on which I can set sail from -here and still get to Estorya and back before the rains come. It's just -barely possible to have the tanks built, get them convoyed down to -the seashore, get the fish in and bring them back. Meantime, I can be -having the deck altered. If my men work day and night we can make it."</p> - -<p>"Of course, this is a one-shot proposition. You can't possibly keep a -monopoly on the idea, once the first trip is over. Too many people are -bound to talk, and the other captains will hear of it."</p> - -<p>"I know; don't teach an Effenycan to suck eggs. But what if the fish -should die?"</p> - -<p>Green shrugged and spread out his palms. "A possibility. You're taking -a tremendous gamble. But every voyage on the Xurdimur is, isn't it? How -many windrollers come back? Or how many can boast your list of forty -successful trips?"</p> - -<p>"Not many," said Miran.</p> - -<p>He slumped in his seat, brooding over his goblet of wine. His eye, sunk -in ranges of fat, seemed to stare through Green. The Earthman pretended -indifference, though his heart was pounding, and he controlled his -breathing with difficulty.</p> - -<p>"You're asking a great deal," Miran finally said. "If the Duke were to -find out that I'd agreed to help a valued slave escape, I'd be tortured -in a <i>most</i> refined way, and the Clan Effenycan would be stripped of -all its rights to sail windrollers and would probably be exiled to -its native hills. Or else would have to take to piracy. And that, -despite all the glamorous stories you hear, is not a very well-paying -profession."</p> - -<p>"You'd make a killing in Estorya."</p> - -<p>"True, but when I think of what the Duchess will do when she discovers -you've fled the country! Ow, ow, ow!"</p> - -<p>"There's no reason why you should be connected with my disappearance. A -dozen craft leave the harbor every day. Besides, for all she'll know, -I've gone the opposite way, over the hills and to the ocean. Or to the -hills themselves, where many runaway slaves are."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I have to return to Tropat. And my clansmen, though -notoriously tight-lipped when sober, are also, I must confess, -notorious drunkards. Someone'd be sure to babble in the taverns."</p> - -<p>"I'll dye my hair black, cut it short, like a Tzatlam tribesman, and -sign on."</p> - -<p>"You forget that you have to belong to my clan in order to be a crew -member."</p> - -<p>"Hmmm. Well, what about this adoption-by-blood routine?"</p> - -<p>"What about it? I can't propose that unless you've done something -spectacular and for the profit of the clan. Wait! Can you play any -musical instrument?"</p> - -<p>Promptly, Green lied. "Oh, I am a wonderful harpist. When I play I can -soothe a hungry grass cat into lying down at my feet and licking my -toes with pure affection."</p> - -<p>"Excellent! Though it would not be an affection so pure, since it is -well known that the grass cat considers a man's toes a great delicacy -and always eats them first, even before the eyes. Listen well. Here is -what you must do in four weeks' time, for if all goes well, or all goes -ill, we set sail on the Week of the Oak, the Day of the Sky, the Hour -of the Lark, a most propitious time...."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>5</h2> - - -<p>To Green, the next three weeks seemed to have shifted to low gear, -they crept by so slowly. Yet they should have raced by quickly enough, -so full of schemes and plots were they. He had to advise Miran on the -many technical details involved in building tanks for the fish. He -had to keep the Duchess happy, an increasingly difficult job because -it was impossible to pretend a one-hundred-per-cent absorption in her -while his mind desperately looked for flaws in his plans, found oh, so -many, and then as anxiously sought ways of repairing them. Nevertheless -he knew it was vital that he not displease or bore her. Prison would -forever ruin his chances.</p> - -<p>Worst of all, Amra was getting suspicious.</p> - -<p>"You're trying to conceal something from me," she told Green. "You -ought to know better. I can tell when a man is deceiving me. There's -something about the voice, the eyes, the way he makes love, though -you've been doing very little of that. What are you plotting?"</p> - -<p>"I assure you it's simply that I'm very tired," he said sharply. "All -I want is some peace and quiet, a little rest and a little privacy now -and then."</p> - -<p>"Don't try to tell me that's all!"</p> - -<p>She cocked her head to one side and squinted at him, managing somehow -even in this grotesque attitude to look ravishingly beautiful.</p> - -<p>Suddenly she said, "You wouldn't be thinking of running away, would -you?"</p> - -<p>For a second he became pale. Damn the woman anyway!</p> - -<p>"Don't be ridiculous," he said, trying hard to keep his voice from -cracking. "I'm too much aware of the penalties if I were caught. -Besides, why should I want to run away? You are the most desirable -woman I've ever known. (This was the truth.) Though you're not the -easiest one in the world to live with. (A master understatement.) I -would have gotten no place without you. (True; but he couldn't spend -the rest of his life on this barbarous world.) And it is unthinkable -that I would want to leave you." (Inexpressible, yes, but not -unthinkable. He couldn't take her with him, for the simple reason that -even if she would go she would never fit in his life on Earth. She'd be -absolutely unhappy. Moreover, she'd not go anyway, because she'd refuse -to abandon her children and would try to take them along, thus wrecking -all his escape plans. He might just as well hire a brass band and march -behind it out of the city and onto the windroller in the light of high -noon.)</p> - -<p>Nevertheless his conscience troubled him. If it was painful to -leave Amra it was hell to leave Paxi, his daughter. For days he had -considered taking her along with him, but eventually abandoned the -idea. Trying to steal her from under Amra's fiercely watchful gaze was -almost impossible. Moreover, Paxi would miss her mother terribly, and -he had no business exposing the baby to the risks of the voyage, which -were many. Amra would be doubly hurt. Losing him would be bad enough, -but to lose Paxi also...! No, he couldn't do that to her.</p> - -<p>The outcome of this conversation with her was that she apparently -dropped her suspicions. At least she never spoke of them again. He -was glad of that, for it was impossible to keep entirely hidden his -connection with the mysterious actions of Miran the Merchant. The -whole city knew something was up. There was undoubtedly a lot of money -tied up with this deal of the wagon caravan going to the seashore. -But what did it all mean? Neither Miran nor Green would say a word, -and while the Duke and Duchess might have used their authority to get -the information from their slave, the Duke made no move. Miran had -promised to let him in on a share of the profits, provided he gave -the merchant a free hand and asked no questions. The Duke was quite -content. He planned on spending the money to increase his collection -of glass birds. He had ten large rooms of the castle glittering with -his fantastic aviary: shining, silent and grotesquely beautiful, all -products of the glass-blowers of the fabulous city of Metzva Moosh, -far, far away across the grassy sea of the Xurdimur.</p> - -<p>Green was present when the Duke talked to Miran about it.</p> - -<p>"Now, Captain, you must understand just exactly what I do want," warned -the ruler, lifting a finger to emphasize the seriousness of his words. -His eyes, usually deep-sunk in their fat, had widened to reveal large, -brown and soulful orbs. The passion for his hobby shone forth. Nothing: -good Chalousma wine, his wife, the torture of a heretic or runaway -slave, could make him quiver and glitter with delight as much as the -thought of the exquisitely wrought image of a Metzva Moosh bird.</p> - -<p>"I want two or three, but no more because I can't afford more. All made -by Izan Yushwa, the greatest of the glass-blowers. I'd particularly -like any modeled after the bird-of-terror...."</p> - -<p>"But when I was last in Estorya I heard that Izan Yushwa was dying," -said Miran.</p> - -<p>"Excellent, excellent!" cried the Duke. "That will make everything -recently created by him even more valuable! If he is dead now it is -probable that the Estoryans, who control the export of the Mooshans, -will be putting a high price on anything of his that comes their way. -That means that bidding will be high during the festival and that you -must outbid any prospective buyers. By all means do so. Pay any price, -for I must have something created by him in his last days!"</p> - -<p>The Duke, Green realized, was so eager because of the belief that a -part of a dying artist's soul entered into his latest creations when he -died. These were called "soul-works" and brought ten times as much as -anything else, even if the conception and execution were inferior to -previous works.</p> - -<p>Sourly Miran said, "But you have given me no money to buy your birds."</p> - -<p>"Of course not. You will lend me the sum, buy them yourself, and when -you come back with them I will raise the money to repay you."</p> - -<p>Miran didn't seem too happy, but Green knew that the fat merchant was -already planning to charge the Duke double the purchase price. As -for Green, he liked to see a man interested in a hobby, but he was -disgusted because taxes would now be raised in order to allow the Duke -to add to his collection.</p> - -<p>The Duchess, bored as usual by her husband's conversation, suddenly -said, "Honey, let's go hunting next weekend. I've been so restless -lately, so unable to sleep nights. I think I've been cooped up too long -in this dismal old place. My digestion has been so sluggish lately. I -think I need the exercise and the fresh air." And she went into vivid -detail about certain aspects of her gastrointestinal troubles. The -Earthman, who'd thought he was hardened to this people's custom of -dwelling on such matters, turned green.</p> - -<p>At the suggestion of a hunt the Duke didn't exactly groan, but his eyes -rolled upward in supplication to the gods. Until he had reached the -age of thirty he had enjoyed a good hunt. But like most upper-class -men of his culture, he rapidly put on flesh after thirty and became as -sedentary as possible. The belief was that fat increased a man's life -span. Also, a big belly and double chin were signs of aristocratic -blood and a full purse. Unfortunately, along with this came an -inevitable decline in vigor, which, coupled with the December-May -marriages that their society expected of them, had given birth to -another institution: the slave male companion of the rich man's young -wife.</p> - -<p>It was toward Green that the Duke looked. "Why not let him conduct the -hunt?" he suggested hopefully. "I've so much business to take care of."</p> - -<p>"Like sitting on your fat cushion and contemplating your glass birds," -she said. "No!"</p> - -<p>"Very well," he said, resignedly. "I've a slave in the work-pens who's -to be executed for striking a foreman. We'll use him as the quarry. But -I think we ought to give him two weeks to build up his wind and legs. -Otherwise it would hardly be sporting, you know."</p> - -<p>The Duchess frowned. "No. I'm getting bored; I can't stand this -inaction any longer."</p> - -<p>She shot a glance at Green. He felt his stomach muscles contracting. -Evidently she'd noticed his lukewarm interest in her. This hunt was -partly to suggest to him that he'd be meeting a like fate unless he -perked up and began to be more entertaining.</p> - -<p>It wasn't that thought that made his heart sink. It was that next -weekend was when Miran's windroller raised sail and when he planned to -be aboard it. Now, he'd be gone conducting the hunting party up in the -hills.</p> - -<p>Green looked appealingly at Miran, but the merchant's shoulders rose -beneath the yellow robe as if to say, "What can I do?"</p> - -<p>He was right. Miran couldn't suggest that he too go along on the hunt, -and thus give Green a chance to slip aboard afterward. The day on -which the <i>Bird of Fortune</i> was scheduled to leave the windbreak was -absolutely the last date on which it could set sail. He couldn't afford -to take the chance of being caught in the rains in the middle of the -vast plains.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>6</h2> - - -<p>All the next day Green was too busy setting up the schedule of the -hunting party to have time to be gloomy. But when night came he seemed -to fold up inside himself. Could he pretend to be sick, too, and be -left behind when the party set out?</p> - -<p>No, for they would at once assume that he had been possessed by a -demon and would pack him off to the Temple of Apoquoz, God of Healing. -There he'd be under lock and key until he proved himself healthy. The -terrible part about going to the Temple of Apoquoz was that it made -death almost inevitable. If you didn't die of your own disease you -caught somebody else's.</p> - -<p>Green wasn't worried about catching any of the many diseases he'd be -exposed to in the Temple. Like all men of terrestrial descent, he -carried in his body a surgically implanted protoplasmic entity which -automatically analyzed any invading microscopic organisms and/or -viruses and manufactured antibodies to combat them. It lived in the -space created by the removal of his appendix; when working to fulfill -its mission it demanded food and radiated a heat that assured its host -of its heartening presence. An increased appetite plus a slight fever -indicated that it was killing off the disease and that within several -hours it would successfully repel any boarders. In the two years Green -had been on the planet it had had to attack at least forty times; Green -calculated that he would have been dead each and every time if it had -not been for his symbiote.</p> - -<p>Knowing this didn't help him. If he played sick he'd be locked up and -couldn't get on the 'roller. If he went on the hunting party he missed -the boat, too.</p> - -<p>Suppose he were to disappear the night before the party, to hide on the -windroller while the castle vainly looked for him?</p> - -<p>Not very likely. The first thing that would occur to Zuni would be to -order the windbreak closed and all 'rollers searched for a possible -stowaway. And if that happened Miran would be so delayed that it was -unlikely he'd sail. Even if he, Green, hid in Miran's cabin, where he -would probably be safe, there would still be the inevitable and totally -frustrating delay.</p> - -<p>Then why not disappear several days earlier, so that Miran could have -time to reload his cargo? He'd see the merchant tomorrow. If Miran fell -in with his plans, Green would disappear four nights from this very -night, which would leave three days for the windroller to be emptied -and reloaded. Fortunately the tanks wouldn't have to be taken off, -because any fool could see that the runaway wasn't hiding at the bottom -among the fish.</p> - -<p>Much relieved that he at least had a way open, if a very perilous one, -Green relaxed. He was sitting on a bench along a walk on top of one of -the castle walls. The sky was blazingly beautiful with stars larger -than any seen from Earth. The great moon and the small moon had risen. -The larger had just cleared the eastern horizon and the lesser one -was just past the zenith. Mingled moonwash and starwash softened the -grimness and ugliness of the city below him and laved it in a flood of -romance and glamour. Most of Quotz was unlighted, for the streets had -no lamps and the windows were shut up tight against thieves, vampires -and demons. Occasionally the torchflares of the servants of a drunken -noble or rich man moved down the dark canyons between the towering -overhanging houses.</p> - -<p>Beyond the city was the amphitheater formed by the hills curving out -to the north and the great brick wall built to continue the natural -windbreak. A wide opening had been left so that the 'rollers, their -sails furled, could be towed in or out. Past this the great plain -suddenly began, as if the hand of some immense landscaper had pressed -the hills flat and declared that from here on there would be no -unevennesses.</p> - -<p>Westward lay the incredibly level stretch of the grassy ground of the -Xurdimur. Ten thousand miles straight across, flat as a table top, -broken only here and there by clumps of forests, ruins of cities, -waterholes, the tents of the nomadic savages, herds of wild animals, -packs of grass cats and dire dogs, and the mysterious and undoubtedly -imaginary "roaming islands," great clumps of rock and dirt that legend -said slid of their own volition over the plains. How like this planet, -he thought, that the greatest peril to navigation should be one that -existed only in the heads of the inhabitants.</p> - -<p>The Xurdimur was a fabulous phenomenon, without parallel. On none -of the many planets that Earthmen had discovered was there anything -similar. How, he wondered, could the plain keep its smoothness, when -there was always dirt running on to it from the eroding hills and -mountains that ringed it? The rains, too, should have done much to -wear it away unevenly. Of course, the grass that grew all over it was -long and had very tough roots. And if what he had been told was true, -beneath the vegetation was one mass of inextricably tangled roots that -held the soil together.</p> - -<p>There was another thing to consider, though: the winds that blew all -the way across the Xurdimur and furnished propulsion for the wheeled -sailing craft. To have winds you must have pressure differentials, -which were usually caused by heat differentials. Although the Xurdimur -was ringed by mountains there were no large eminences on it for ten -thousand miles, nothing to replenish the currents of air. Or so it -seemed to his limited knowledge of meteorology, though he did wonder -how the trade winds that swept Earth's seas managed to keep going for -so many thousands of leagues, just on their original impetus. Or did -they get boosts? He didn't know.</p> - -<p>What he did know was that the Xurdimur was a thing that shouldn't -be. Yet, the very presence of men here was just as amazing, just -as preposterous. Homo sapiens was scattered throughout the Galaxy. -Everywhere that the space-traveling Earthmen had gone, they had -found that about every fourth inhabitable planet was populated by -men of their species. The proof lay not just in the outward physical -resemblance of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial; it lay in their -ability to breed. Earthman, Sirian, Albirean, Vegan, it made no -difference. Their men could have children by the women of other planets.</p> - -<p>Naturally there had been many theories to account for this fact. All -had as a common basis the assumption that Homo sapiens had sometime, -somewhere, in the very remote past, originated on one planet and then -had spread out over the Galaxy from it. And, somehow, space travel had -been lost and each race had gone back to savagery, only to begin again -the long hard struggle toward civilization and the re-discovery of -spaceships. Why, no one knew. One could only guess.</p> - -<p>There was the problem of language. It might seem that if man had come -from a common birthplace he would at least have kept a trace of his -home language and that the linguists could break down the development -of tongue and link one planet to another through it. But no. Every -world had its own Tower of Babel, its own ten thousand languages. The -terrestrial scientist might trace Russian and English and Swedish, and -Lithuanian and Persian and Hindustani back to a proto-Indo-European, -but he had never found on any other planet a language which he could -say had also derived from the Aryan Ursprache.</p> - -<p>Green's mind wandered to the two Earthmen now imprisoned in the city of -Estorya. He hoped they weren't being treated badly. They could be in -horrible pain at this very moment, if the priests felt like subjecting -them to a little demon-testing.</p> - -<p>Thinking of torture led him to sit up a little straighter and to -stretch his arms and legs. In an hour he was supposed to meet the -Duchess. To do that he had to go through the supposedly secret door -in the wall of the turret at the northern end of the walk, up a -stairway through a passage between the walls, and so to the Duchess's -apartments. There one of the maids-of-honor would usher him into Zuni's -presence and then would try to eavesdrop so she could report to the -Duke later on. Zuni and Green weren't supposed to know about this, but -were to pretend that she was their trusted confidante.</p> - -<p>When the great bell of the Temple of the God of Time, Grooza, struck, -Green would rise from his bench and go to what he now thought of as -a wearisome chore. If that woman could only be interested in talking -of something else besides her complexion or digestion, or idle palace -gossip, it wouldn't be so bad. But no, she chattered on and on, and -Green would get increasingly sleepy, yet would not dare drop off for -fear of irreparably offending her. And to do that....</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>7</h2> - - -<p>The lesser moon had touched the western horizon and the greater was -nearing the zenith when Green awoke and jumped to his feet, swearing in -sheer terror. He'd fallen asleep and kept Zuni waiting.</p> - -<p>"My God, what'll she say?" he said aloud. "What'll I tell her?"</p> - -<p>"You needn't tell me anything," came her angry retort from very -close by. He started, and whirled around and saw that she'd been -standing behind him. She was wrapped in a robe, but her pale face -gleamed from beneath the overhanging hood and her mouth was opened. -White teeth flashed as she began accusing him of not loving her, of -being bored by her, of loving some other woman, probably a slave -girl, a good-for-nothing, lazy, brainless, emptily pretty wench. If -his situation hadn't been so serious Green would have smiled at her -self-portrayal.</p> - -<p>He tried to dam the flood, but to no avail. She screeched at him to -shut up, and when he put his fingers to his lips and said, "Shhh!" she -replied by raising her voice even more.</p> - -<p>"You know you're not supposed to be out of your rooms after dark -unless the Duke is along," he said, taking her elbow and attempting to -steer her down the walk toward the secret door. "If the guards see you -there'll be trouble, bad trouble. Let's go."</p> - -<p>Unfortunately the guards did see them. Torches appeared at the foot of -the steps below the walk, and iron helmets and cuirasses gleamed. Green -tried to urge her on faster, for there was still time to make it to the -door. She jerked her arm loose and shouted, "Take your filthy hands off -me, you Northern slave! The Duchess of Tropat doesn't allow herself to -be pushed around by a blond beast!"</p> - -<p>"Damn it," he snarled, and he shoved her. "You stupid <i>kizmaiaz</i>! Get -going! <i>You</i> won't be tortured if they find us together!"</p> - -<p>Zuni jerked away. Her face twisted and her mouth worked soundlessly. -"<i>Kizmaiaz!</i>" she finally gasped. "<i>Kizmaiaz</i> yourself!"</p> - -<p>Suddenly she began screaming. Before he could clamp his hand over her -mouth, she dashed past him and toward the steps. It was then that he -came out of his paralysis and ran, not after her, which he knew was -useless, but toward the secret door. All was up. It was absolutely no -use trying to explain to the guards. The situation had now entered a -conventional phase. She would tell the guards that he had come into her -room, through some unknown means—which would be "found out" later—and -had dragged her out onto the walk, apparently with the intention of -violating her. Why he should pick a public place when he already had -the privacy of her rooms would not be asked. And the guards, though -they would know what really had happened, would pretend to believe -her and would furiously seize him and drag him off to the dungeons. -The absurd thing about it was that within a few days the whole city, -including Zuni herself, would believe that her story was true. By the -time he'd been executed they would hate his guts, and the lot of all -the slaves would be miserable for a while because they would share his -blame.</p> - -<p>Green had no intention of being seized. Flight was an admission of -guilt, but it made no difference now.</p> - -<p>He ran through the secret door, shut and bolted it and raced up the -steps that led to her apartments. The guards would have to take the -long way around; he had at least two minutes before they could unlock -the two doors of the ante-rooms to her quarters, explain to the guards -just outside them what had happened and begin a search for him. As for -him, he was running like a rabbit, but he was thinking like a fox. -Having known that just such a situation might arise, he had long ago -planned in detail several possible courses of action. Now, he chose the -likeliest one and began acting efficiently—if not smoothly.</p> - -<p>The staircase was a narrow corkscrew with room for only one person -at a time to go up. He ran up it so fast that he got dizzy with the -ever-winding turns. He reeled and had trouble keeping from falling -to his left when he did arrive at its top. Nevertheless he did not -pause to catch breath or balance but pulled the lever that would make -the door swing out. He burst through it. No one there, thank God. He -stopped for a moment, listened to make sure nobody was in the next -room, then pushed on a boss set in a pattern of bronze protuberances, -which was connected with the mechanism that operated the secret door. -The section of wall swung back silently until it was flush with the -rest, and quite indistinguishable. He then twisted the knob so the door -couldn't be opened from the other side. Green took time to give fervent -thanks to the builders of the castle, who had prepared this device for -the owners to hide within in case of a successful invasion or revolt. -If it had not been there he could not have escaped.</p> - -<p>Escaped? He'd only put off his inevitable capture. But he intended to -run as long as he could and then fight until they were forced to kill -him.</p> - -<p>The first thing to do was to find a weapon. As a matter of fact, he -was so familiar with Zuni's rooms that he knew exactly where he could -get what he wanted. He walked through two large rooms, making his way -easily even through the feeble duskish light that the few oil lamps -and candles furnished. Hanging from the wall of the third room was a -saber made of the best steel obtainable on this planet and fashioned by -the greatest smiths, the swordwrights of faraway and almost legendary -Talamasko. The blade was a gift from Zuni's father on the occasion of -her wedding to the Duke. It was supposed to be given by Zuni to her -eldest son when he came of weapon-carrying age. The hilt had a guard on -which was inscribed in gold the motto: <i>Sooner hell than dishonor</i>. He -fastened sword and scabbard to an iron ring on his broad leather belt, -went to a luxurious dressing table, pulled open a drawer and took out a -stiletto. This he stuck through his belt, also a huge flintlock pistol -with a gold-and-ivory-chased butt. He loaded it with powder and an -iron ball he found in a compartment and put ammunition in a bag, which -he also hung from his belt. Then, well armed, he walked out onto the -balcony to take a quick view of the situation.</p> - -<p>Three stories below him was the walk which he had left a few minutes -before. Many soldiers, and Zuni, were standing there, all looking -up. As his face came into sight, visible in the moonlight and the -up-reaching flares of their torches, a shout arose. Several of the -musket men raised their long-barreled weapons, but Zuni cried out for -them to hold their fire, she wanted him alive. Green's skin prickled -at the vindictiveness in her voice and at the vision of what she was -probably planning for him. He'd been forced to see too many tortures -and public executions not to know exactly what she designed for him. -Suddenly overcome with rage that she could be so treacherous and -brutal, a rage perhaps flavored with self-disgust because he had made -love to her, he aimed his pistol at her. There was a click as the -hammer struck the flint, a spark, a whoosh as the powder burnt in the -pan, a loud bang and a cloud of black smoke. When the fumes cleared -away, he saw that everybody, including the Duchess, was running for -cover. Naturally, he'd missed, for he'd had almost no practice with the -pistols, being a slave. Even if he'd been well trained, he probably -would not have struck his mark, so inaccurate were the weapons.</p> - -<p>While Green was reloading he heard a shout from above. Looking up, he -saw the Duke's round face, pale in the moonlight, hanging over the -railing of the balcony above. He raised his empty pistol, and the Duke, -squalling with fear, ran back into his quarters. Green laughed and said -to himself that even if he was killed now he would at least have the -satisfaction of knowing that he had shamed the Duke, who was always -boasting about his bravery in battle. Of course, his action had also -made it absolutely necessary for the Duke to have him killed at once, -so that Green could not tell others that he'd put him to flight.</p> - -<p>He grinned crookedly. What would happen when the soldiers received the -Duke's orders, directly contradicting the Duchess's? The poor fellows -would scarcely know what to do. The man's commands would of course -supersede the woman's. But the woman would be furious and she would -later on find some means of punishing those who did succeed in killing -Green.</p> - -<p>It was at that moment that he lost his smile and paled with fright. A -loud deep-chested barking nearby. Not outside the apartment's door, but -<i>inside</i>!</p> - -<p>He cursed and whirled around just in time to see the large body -launched toward his throat, the white fangs flashing and the green -fire shining from its eyes as the moonlight struck them.</p> - -<p>Even in that moment of panic he realized that he'd forgotten the small -door set inside the larger one so that Alzo could have admittance at -any time. And if the big dog could get through, then soldiers could -also crawl through!</p> - -<p>Instinctively he thrust out the pistol and squeezed the trigger. It -did not go off, for there was no powder in the pan. But the barrel did -jam into the great mouth and deflect Alzo from his target, Green's -throat. Even so, Green was knocked backward by the impact, and he felt -the sharp teeth clamping down on his wrist. Those jaws were capable of -biting through his arm, and though he felt no pain, he was sickened by -the thought that he'd see a bloody stump when Alzo danced away from -him. However, his arm, though dripping blood from large gashes, was not -hurt badly. The dog had been deterred by the barrel shoved down his -throat, choking him so that he could think of nothing for the moment -but getting clear of it.</p> - -<p>The pistol clattered on the iron floor of the balcony. Alzo shook -his head, unaware in his frenzy that he was rid of the weapon. Green -leaped up from the sitting position into which Alzo's charge had flung -him against the railing. Snarling as viciously as the dog, he braced -his feet against the juncture of the floor and railing and launched -himself straight out. At the same time, the canine jumped. They met -head on, Green's skull driving into the open mouth and knocking the dog -backward because his impetus was greater. Though the huge jaws bit down -at his scalp, they snapped on air, and the animal fell to one side, -growling. Green seized hold of the long tail, rolled away from the -teeth now snapping at his ankles, and jerked at the tail so that the -dog would swing away from him. He rose to one knee, pushed the dog away -from him, though still keeping his frenzied grip with two hands, and -jumped to his feet. Frantically, the animal twisted around and bit at -the imprisoning hands. But he succeeded only in biting his own flank. -Howling in anguish, he tried to lunge away. Green, making a supreme -effort, raised the tail in the air. Naturally, the body came along with -it. At the same time he half-turned from the animal, bent forward and, -with a convulsive motion, using his bowed back as a lever, threw Alzo -over his head.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>8</h2> - - -<p>The terrible growling suddenly changed to a high-pitched howl of -despair as Alzo flew over the railing and out into the air above the -walk. Green, leaning over to watch him, did not feel sorry for him. He -was exultant. He'd hated that dog and had dreamed of just such a moment.</p> - -<p>Alzo's yelping was cut off as he struck the parapet beside the walk, -bounced off, and then dropped from view into the depths beyond. Green's -strength had been greater than he'd suspected, for he had thought only -to toss the one hundred and fifty pound beast over the railing.</p> - -<p>There was no time for savoring triumph. If the dog could get through -that little door, so could soldiers. He ran out into the room, -expecting that at least a dozen men had crawled in. But there was no -one. Why? The only thing he could think of was that they were afraid, -knowing that if he at once dispatched the dog, he could leisurely knock -them over the head in their helpless on-all-fours position.</p> - -<p>The door shook beneath a mighty impact. They'd taken the wiser, if the -less courageous, course of battering rams. Green loaded his pistol, -spilling the powder at his first attempt to prime the pan because -his hands shook so. He fired, and a large hole appeared in the wood. -However, part of the ball also stuck out, for the door was planked -thickly against just such weapons.</p> - -<p>The battering ceased and he heard a thud as the ram was dropped on the -floor in hasty retreat. He smiled. As they were still operating under -the Duchess's instructions to take him alive—not yet countermanded by -the Duke's—they would not want to face pistol fire with only swords in -hand. And in the first reflex to the shot they'd undoubtedly forgotten -that a ball couldn't penetrate the wood.</p> - -<p>"This is living!" said Green out loud. And he wondered that his voice -shook as much as his legs did, and yet he felt a wild exultance -shooting through his fear and knew that he was tasting both with a -fine liking. Perhaps, he thought, he really liked this moment—even if -his death was around the corner—because he'd been repressed so long -and violence was a wonderful therapy for releasing his resentment and -clamped-down-on fury. Whatever the reason, he knew that this was one of -the high moments of his life and that if he survived he'd look back on -it with pleasure and pride. And that was the strangest thing of all, -since in his culture the young were taught to abhor violence. Luckily, -they weren't so conditioned against it that the very thought of it -paralyzed them. No hard neural paths had been set up against the action -of violence; it was just that, philosophically speaking, they loathed -the concept. Fortunately, there was a philosophy of the body, too, a -much older and deeper one. And while it was true that man could no -more live without philosophy of the mind than he could without bread, -it had no place in Green at present. The fiery breath that flooded his -body now and made him so sensitive to what a fine thing it was to be -alive while death was knocking at the door did not rise from any mental -abstraction or profound meditation.</p> - -<p>Green rolled back the carpets that led from the room to the balcony, -for he wanted a firm footing if it became necessary to make a running -broad jump from the balcony in an effort to clear the walk below -and drop into the moat. He'd have to have very good timing and do -everything just right the first time, like a parachute jump, otherwise -he'd end up with broken bones on the hard stones below.</p> - -<p>Not that he was going to make that leap unless he just had to. But he -was leaving an avenue open if his other measures didn't work.</p> - -<p>Again he ran to the bureau and drew out a large bag of gunpowder, -weighing at least five pounds. In the open end of this he inserted a -fuse, and tied the neck around it. While he was doing this, he heard -shouts and cheers as the soldiers returned to the door, picked up their -ram and hurled themselves at the thick planking. He did not bother -shooting again but instead lit the fuse with a candle. Then he walked -to the large door, pushed out the small dog's door and tossed the bag -through it. He jumped back and ran, though there was little chance -that the resultant explosion would harm the door.</p> - -<p>There was a silence as the soldiers were probably staring paralyzed -at the smoking fuse. Then—a roar! The room shook, the door fell in, -blasted off its hinges, and black smoke poured in. Green ran into the -cloud, got down on all fours, scuttled through the doorway, cursed -desperately when the hilt of his sword caught on the doorframe, tore -loose and lunged through into the dense smoke that filled the anteroom. -His groping hands felt the ram where it had dropped, and the wet warm -face of a soldier who'd fallen. He coughed sharply from the biting -fumes but went on until his head butted into the wall. Then he felt -to his right, where he imagined the door was, came to it, passed -through and on into the next room, also filled with a cloud. After he'd -scuttled like a bug across its floor, he dared to open his eyes for -a quick look. The smoke was thinner and was pouring out the door to -the hallway, just in front of him. He saw no feet in the clearer area -between the floor and the bottom of the clouds, so he rose and walked -through the door. To his left, he knew, the hall led to a stairway that -was probably now jammed with soldiers. To his right would be another -stairway that went up to the Duke's apartments. That was the only way -he could go.</p> - -<p>Luckily the smoke was still so dense in the corridor that those -assembled on the left staircase couldn't see him. They'd think he was -in the Duchess's rooms yet, and he hoped that when they did rush it and -didn't find him there the rolled-back carpets would give them the idea -that he'd taken a running broad jump from the balcony. In which case, -they'd at once search the moat for him. And if they didn't find him -swimming there, as they wouldn't, then they might presume he'd either -drowned or else got to the shore and was now somewhere in the darkness -of the city.</p> - -<p>He felt along the wall toward the staircase, his other hand gripping -the stiletto. When his fingers ran across the arm of a man leaning -against the wall, he withdrew them at once, bent his knees and in a -crouching position ran in the general direction of the stairs. The -smoke got even thinner here so that he saw the steps in time to avoid -falling over them. Unfortunately the Duke and another man were also -there. Both saw his figure emerge into the torchlight from the clouds, -but he had the advantage of knowing who he was, so that he had plunged -the thin stiletto into the soldier's throat before he could act. The -Duke tried to leap past Green, but the Earthman stuck a leg out and -tripped him. Then he grabbed the ruler's arm, twisted it behind his -back, forced him up and on his knees and, using the arm as a cruel -lever, raised him. He enjoyed hearing the Duke moan, though he'd never -consciously taken pleasure in pain before. He had time to think that -perhaps he liked this because of the torture the Duke had inflicted on -his many helpless victims. Of course, he, Green, a highly civilized -man, shouldn't be feeling this way. But the rightness or wrongness of -an emotion never kept anybody from experiencing it.</p> - -<p>"Up you go!" he said in a low, harsh voice, directing the Duke toward -his apartments, manipulating the twisted arm as a steering column. By -then the smoke had cleared away so that those at the other end of the -corridor could see that something was wrong. A shout arose, followed by -the slap of running feet on the stone flags. Green stopped, turned the -Duke so he faced the approaching crowd and said to him, "Tell them that -I will kill you unless they go away."</p> - -<p>To emphasize his point he stuck the end of the stiletto into the Duke's -back and pressed hard enough to draw blood. The Duke quivered, then -became rigid. Nevertheless he said, "I will not do so. That would be -dishonor."</p> - -<p>Green couldn't help admiring such courage, even if it did make his -predicament worse. He refused to kill the Duke just then because that -would throw away the only trump card he held at that moment. So he -stuck the stiletto in his teeth and, still holding with one hand to the -Duke's twisted arm, took the Duke's pistol from his belt and fired over -his shoulder.</p> - -<p>There was a whoosh of flame that burned the Duke's ear and made him -give a cry that was almost drowned out in the roar of the explosion. -The nearest man threw up his hands, dropping his spear, and fell on his -face. The others stopped. Doubtless, they were still operating under -the Duchess's orders not to kill Green, for the Duke must have arrived -at the foot of the staircase just in time to witness the explosion of -the gunpowder. And he was in no condition to issue contrary orders, -being deafened and stunned by the report almost going off in his ear.</p> - -<p>Green shouted out, "Go back, or I will kill the Duke! It is his wish -that you go back to the stairs and do not bother us until he sends word -to you!"</p> - -<p>By the flickering light of the torches he could see the puzzled -expression on the soldiers' faces. It was only then he realized that in -his extreme excitement he had shouted the orders in English. Hastily, -he translated his demands, and was relieved to see them turn and -retreat, though reluctantly. He then half-dragged the Duke up the steps -to his apartments, where he barred the door and primed his pistol again.</p> - -<p>"So far, so good!" he said, in English. "The question is what now, -little man?"</p> - -<p>The ruler's rooms were even more luxurious than his wife's, and were -larger because they had to contain not only the Duke's hundreds of -hunting trophies, including human heads, but his collection of glass -birds. Indeed, one might easily see where his heart really lay, for -the heads had collected dust, whereas each and every glittering winged -creature was immaculate. It would have gone hard on a servant who'd -neglected his cleaning duties in the great rooms dedicated to the -collection.</p> - -<p>On seeing them Green smiled slightly.</p> - -<p>When you're fighting for your life, hit a man where he's softest....</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>9</h2> - - -<p>It was a matter of two minutes to tie the Duke in a chair with several -of the hunting whips hanging from the walls.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the Duke came out of his daze. He began screaming every -invective he knew—and he knew quite a lot—and promising every refined -torture he could think of—and his knowledge was not poverty-stricken -in that area either. Green waited until the Duke had given himself a -bad case of laryngitis. Then he told him, in a firm but quiet voice, -what he intended to do unless the Duke got him out of the castle. -To emphasize his determination, he picked up a bludgeon studded with -iron spikes and swung it whistling through the air. The Duke's eyes -widened, and he paled. All of a sudden he changed from a defiant ruler -challenging his captor to inflict his worst upon him to a shrunken, -trembling old man.</p> - -<p>"And I will smash every last bird in these rooms," said Green. "And I -will open the chest that lies behind that pile of furs and take out of -it your most precious treasure, the bird you have not even shown to the -Emperor for fear he would get jealous and demand it as a gift from you, -the bird you take out at rare intervals and over which you gloat all -night."</p> - -<p>"My wife told you!" gasped the Duke. "Oh, what an <i>izzot</i> she is!"</p> - -<p>"Granted," said Green. "She babbled to me many secrets, being a -featherbrained, idle, silly, stupid female, a fit consort for you. So I -know where the unique <i>exurotr</i> statuette made by Izan Yushwa of Metzva -Moosh is hidden, the glass bird that cost the whole dukedom a great tax -and brought many bitter tears and hardships from your subjects. I will -have no compunction about destroying it even if it is the only one ever -made and if Izan Yushwa is now dead so that it can never be replaced."</p> - -<p>The Duke's eyes bulged in horror.</p> - -<p>"No, no!" he said in a quavering voice. "That would be unthinkable, -blasphemous, sacrilegious! Have you no sense of beauty, degenerate -slave that you are, that you would smash forever that most beautiful of -all things made by the hands of man?"</p> - -<p>"I would."</p> - -<p>The Duke's mouth drew down at the corners; suddenly, he was weeping.</p> - -<p>Green was embarrassed, for he knew how great must be the emotion that -could make this man, educated in a hard school, break down before an -enemy. And he reflected upon what a strange thing a human being was. -Here was a man who would literally allow his throat to be cut before he -would display cowardice by bargaining for it. But to have his precious -collection of glass birds threatened...!</p> - -<p>Green shrugged. Why try to understand it? The only thing to do was to -use whatever came his way.</p> - -<p>"Very well, if you wish to save them you must do this." And he detailed -exactly the Duke's moves and orders for the next ten minutes. He -thereupon made him swear by the most holy oaths and upon his family -name and by the honor of the founder of his family that he would not -betray Green.</p> - -<p>"To make sure," added the Earthman, "I shall take the <i>exurotr</i> with -me. Once I know your word is good I'll take steps to see that it is -returned undamaged to you."</p> - -<p>"Can I depend on that?" breathed the Duke hoarsely, rolling his big -brown eyes.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will contact Zingaro, Business Agent of the Thieves' Guild, and -he will return it to you, for a compensation, of course. But before we -conclude this bargain you must swear that you will not harm Amra, my -wife, nor any of her children, nor confiscate her business but will -behave toward her as if this had never happened."</p> - -<p>The Duke swallowed hard, but he swore. Green was happy, because, though -he was going to desert Amra, he was at least insuring her future.</p> - -<p>It was a long, long hour later that Green came out of his hiding place -inside a large closet in the Duke's apartment. Even though the Duke -had sworn the holiest of oaths, he was as treacherous as any of the -barbarians on this planet, and that was very treacherous indeed. Green -had stood behind the door, sweating and listening to the loud and -sometimes incoherent conversation taking place between the Duke, his -soldiers and the Duchess. The Duke was a good actor, for he convinced -everybody that he had escaped from the mad slave Green, had seized a -sword and forced him to make a running broad jump from the balcony -railing. Of course, several guardsmen had seen a large man-sized object -hurtle from the balcony and fall with a loud splash into the moat -below. There was no doubt that the slave must have broken his back when -he struck the water or else he had been knocked out and then drowned. -Whatever had happened, he had not come out.</p> - -<p>Green, his ear against the door, could not help smiling at this, -despite his tension. He and the Duke had combined forces to heave out a -wooden statue of the god Zuzupatr, weighted with iron dishes tied to -it so that it wouldn't float. In the moonlight and the excitement, the -idol must have looked enough like a falling man to deceive anybody.</p> - -<p>The only one seemingly not satisfied was Zuni. She raised every kind -of hell she knew, behaved in a most undignified manner, screeched -at her husband because his blood-thirstiness and lack of restraint -had robbed her of the exquisite tortures she'd planned for the slave -who had attempted to dishonor her. The Duke, his face getting redder -and redder, had suddenly bellowed out at her to quit acting like a -condemned <i>izzot</i> and go at once to her apartments. To show that he -meant what he said he ordered several soldiers to escort her. Zuni, -however, was too stupid to see how perilous was her situation, how near -the headsman's ax. She raved on until the Duke gave a sign and two -soldiers seized her elbows—at least, Green supposed they did, for she -yelled at them to take their dirty hands off her—and propelled her out -of the rooms. Even then it took some time before the Duke could close -the doors on his last guest.</p> - -<p>The little ruler opened the door. In his hand he held a priest's green -robe, the sacerdotal hexagonal spectacles and a mask for the lower part -of the face. The mask was customarily worn when a monk was on a mission -for a high dignitary. During the time the face was covered the monk -was under a vow not to speak to anyone until he had reached the person -for whom he had a message. Thus, Green would not be bothered with any -embarrassing questions.</p> - -<p>He put on the robe, spectacles and mask, threw the hood over his head -and placed the glass <i>exurotr</i> inside his shirt. His loaded pistol he -kept up one capacious sleeve, holding it with the other hand.</p> - -<p>"Remember," said the Duke anxiously as he opened the door and peered -out to see if anybody was on the staircase, "remember that you must -take every precaution against damaging the <i>exurotr</i>. Tell Zingaro that -he must at once pack it in a chest filled with silks and sawdust so -it won't break. I will die a thousand deaths until it comes back once -again to my collection."</p> - -<p>And I, thought Green, will die a thousand deaths until I get safely -out of your reach, out of the city and far away on a windroller.</p> - -<p>He promised again that he would keep his word as well as the Duke -kept his, but that he would also take every measure to insure against -treachery. Then he slipped out and closed the door. He was on his own -until he boarded the <i>Bird of Fortune</i>.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>10</h2> - - -<p>He had no trouble at all, except for making his way through the thick -traffic. The explosions and shouting coming from the castle had aroused -the whole town, so that everybody who could stand on his two feet, or -could get somebody to carry him, was outside, milling around, asking -questions, talking excitedly and in general trying to make as much -chaos as possible and to enjoy every bit of this excuse to take part in -a general disturbance. Green strode through them, his head bent but his -eyes probing ahead. He made fairly good progress, only being held up -temporarily a few times by the human herd.</p> - -<p>Finally the flat plain of the windbreak lay before him, and the many -masts of the great wheeled vessels were a forest around him. He was -able to get to the <i>Bird of Fortune</i> unchallenged by any of the dozens -of guardsmen that he passed. The 'roller herself lay snugly between two -docks, where a huge gang of slaves had towed her. There was a gangway -running up from one of the docks, and at both ends stood a sailor on -guard, clad in the family colors of yellow, violet and crimson. They -chewed <i>grixtr</i> nut, something like betel except that it stained both -teeth and lips and gave them a green color.</p> - -<p>When Green stepped boldly upon the gangway the nearest guard looked -doubtful and put his hand on his knife. Evidently he'd had no orders -from Miran about a priest, but he knew what the mask indicated and that -awed him enough so that he did not dare oppose the stranger. Nor was -the second guard any quicker in making up his mind. Green slipped by -him, entered the mid-decks and walked up the gangway to the foredeck. -He knocked quietly on the door of the captain's cabin. A moment later -it swung violently open; light flooded out, then was blocked off by -Miran's huge round bulk.</p> - -<p>Green stepped inside, pressing the captain back, Miran reached for -his dagger but stopped when he saw the intruder take off the mask and -spectacles and throw back the hood.</p> - -<p>"Green! So you made it! I did not think it was possible."</p> - -<p>"With me all things are possible," replied Green modestly. He sat down -at the table, or rather crumpled at it, and began repeating in a dry -voice, halting with fatigue, the story of his escape. In a few minutes -the narrow cabin rang with the captain's laughter and his one eye -twinkled and beamed as he slapped Green on the back and said that by -all the gods here was a man he was proud to have aboard.</p> - -<p>"Have a drink of this Lespaxian wine, even better than Chalousma, and -one I bring out only for honored guests," said Miran, chortling.</p> - -<p>Green reached out a hand for the proffered glass, but his fingers never -closed upon the stem, for his head sank onto the tabletop, and his -snores were tremendous.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was three days later that a much-rested Green, his skin comfortably, -even glowingly, tight with superb Lespaxian, sat at the table and -waited for the word to come that he could finally leave the cabin. -The first day of inactivity he'd slept and eaten and paced back and -forth, anxious for news of what was going on in the city. At nightfall -Miran had returned with the story that a furious search was organized -in the city itself and the outlying hills. Of course, the Duke would -insist that the 'rollers themselves be turned inside-out, and Miran -was cursing because that would mean a fatal delay. They could not wait -for more than three more days. The fish tanks had been installed; -the provisions were almost all in the hold; his roistering crewmen -were being dragged out of the taverns and sobered up; two days after -tomorrow the great vessel would have to be towed out of the windbreak -and sails set for the perilous and long voyage.</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't worry," said Green. "You will find that tomorrow word will -come from the hills that Green has been killed by a wild man of the -Clan Axaquexcan, who will demand money before handing the dead slave's -head over. The Duke will accept this as true and will conveniently -forget all about searching the 'rollers."</p> - -<p>Miran rubbed his fat oily palms, while one pale eye glowed. He loved a -good intrigue, the more elaborate the better.</p> - -<p>But the second day, even though what Green had predicted came true -Miran became nervous and began to find the big blond man's constant -presence in his cabin irksome. He wanted to send him down into the -hold, but Green firmly refused, reminding the captain of his promise -of haven within these very walls. He then calmly appropriated another -bottle of the merchant's Lespaxian, having located its hiding place, -and drank it. Miran glowered, and his face twitched with repressed -resentment, but he said nothing because of the custom that a guest -could do what he pleased—within reasonable limits.</p> - -<p>The third day Miran was positively a tub of nerves, jittery, sweating, -pacing back and forth. At last he left the cabin, only to begin pacing -back and forth on the deck. Green could hear his footsteps for hours. -The fourth day he was up at dawn and bellowing orders to his crewmen. A -little later Green felt the big vessel move and heard the shouts of the -foremen of the towing gangs and the chants of the slaves as they bent -their backs hauling at the huge ropes attached to the 'roller.</p> - -<p>Slowly, oh, so slowly it seemed to Green, the craft creaked forward. He -dared open a curtain to look out the square port-hole. Before him was -the rearing side of another 'roller, and just for a second it seemed to -him that it, not his vessel, was the one that was moving. Then he saw -that the 'roller was advancing at a pace of about fifteen or sixteen -feet a minute. It would take them an hour to get past the towering -brick walls of the windbreak.</p> - -<p>He sweated out that hour and unconsciously fell into his childhood -habit of biting his nails, expecting at any time to see the docks -suddenly boil with soldiers running after the <i>Bird of Fortune</i>, -shouting for it to stop because it had a runaway slave aboard.</p> - -<p>But no such thing occurred, and at last the tug gangs stopped and began -coiling up their ropes, and Green quit chewing his nails. Miran shouted -orders, the first mate repeated them, there was the slap of many feet -on the decks above, the sound of many voices chanting. A sound as of -a knife cutting cloth told that the sails had been released. Suddenly, -the vessel rocked as the wind caught it and a vibration through the -floors announced that the big axles were turning, the huge wheels with -their tires of <i>chacorotr</i>, a kind of rubber, were revolving. The -<i>Bird</i> was on the wing!</p> - -<p>Green opened the door slightly and took one last look at the city of -Quotz. It was receding rapidly at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, -and at this distance it looked like a toy city nestled in the lap of -a hillock. Now that the danger from it was gone and the odors too far -away to offend his nose it looked quite romantic and enticing.</p> - -<p>"And so we say farewell to exotic Quotz," murmured Green in the -approved travelog fashion. "So long, you son of an <i>izzot</i>!"</p> - -<p>Then, though he was supposed to stay inside until Miran summoned him, -he opened the door and stepped out.</p> - -<p>And almost fainted dead away.</p> - -<p>"Hello, honey," said Amra.</p> - -<p>Green scarcely heard the children grouped around her also extend their -greetings. He was just coming out of the dizziness and blackness that -had threatened to overcome him. Perhaps it was the wine coupled with -the shock. Perhaps, he was to think later, it was just that he was -plain scared, scared as he'd not been in the castle. Ashamed, too, that -Amra had found out his plans to desert her, and deeply ashamed because -she loved him anyway and would not allow him to go without her. She had -a tremendous pride that must have cost her great effort to choke down.</p> - -<p>Probably, he was to say to himself later on, it was sheer fear of her -tongue that made him quail so. There was nothing that a man dreaded -so much as a woman's tonguelashing, especially if he deserved it. Oh, -especially!</p> - -<p>That was to come later. At the moment Amra was strangely quiet and -meek. All she would say was that she had many business connections and -that she knew well Zingaro, the Thieves' Guild Business Agent. They had -been childhood playmates, and they'd helped each other in various shady -transactions since. It was only natural that she should hear about the -<i>exurotr</i> a slave hiding on the <i>Bird of Fortune</i> had given Zingaro -to take back to the Duke. Cornering Zingaro, she had worked out of him -enough information to be sure that Green had escaped to the 'roller. -After all, Zingaro was under oath only to be reticent about certain -details of the whole matter. From there she had taken the business into -her own hands, had told Miran that she would inform the Duchess of -Green's whereabouts unless he permitted her and her family to go along -on the voyage.</p> - -<p>"Here I am, your faithful and loyal wife," she said, opening her arms -in an expansive gesture.</p> - -<p>"I am overwhelmed with emotion," replied Green, for once not -exaggerating.</p> - -<p>"Then come and embrace me," she cried, "and don't stand there as if -you'd seen the dead return from the grave!"</p> - -<p>"Before all these people?" he said, half-stunned, looking around at -the grinning captain and first mate on the foredeck beside him and at -the sailors and their families on the middeck below. The only ones not -watching him were the goggled helmsmen, whose backs were turned because -they were intent on wrestling with the great spoked wheel.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" she retorted. "You'll be sleeping on the open deck with -them, eating with them, breathing their breath, feeling their elbows at -every turn, cursing, laughing, fighting, getting drunk, making love, -all, all on the open deck. So why not embrace me? Or don't you want me -to be here?"</p> - -<p>"The thought never entered my head," he said, stepping up to her and -taking her in his arms. Or, if it had, he reflected, you can bet that -I'd not dare say it.</p> - -<p>After all, it was good to feel her soft, warm, firmly curved body again -and know that there was at least one person on this godforsaken planet -that cared for him. What could have made him think for one minute that -he could endure life without her?</p> - -<p>Well, he had. She just would not, could not, fit into his life if he -ever got back on Earth.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>11</h2> - - -<p>Miran coughed and said, "You two and your children and maid must get -off the deck and go amidships. That is where you will live. Never again -must you set foot upon the steering deck unless you are summoned. I run -a tight ship and discipline is strictly adhered to."</p> - -<p>Green followed Amra and the children down the steps to the deck below, -noticing for the first time that Inzax, the pretty blond slave who took -care of the children, was also aboard. You had to give credit to Amra. -Wherever she went she traveled in style.</p> - -<p>He also thought that if this was a tight ship a loose one must be sheer -chaos. Cats and dogs were running here and there, playing with the many -infants, or else fighting with each other. Women sat and sewed or hung -up washing or dried dishes or nursed babies. Hens clucked defiantly -from behind the bars of their coops, scattered everywhere. On the -port side there was even a pigpen holding about thirty of the tiny -rabbit-eared porcines.</p> - -<p>Green followed Amra to a place where an awning had been stretched to -make a roof.</p> - -<p>"Isn't this nice?" she said. "It has sides which we can pull down when -it rains or when we want privacy, as I suppose we will, you being so -funny in some ways."</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's delightful," he hastened to assure her. "I see you even have -some feather mattresses. And a cookstove."</p> - -<p>He looked around. "But where are the fish tanks? I thought Miran was -going to bolt them to the deck?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, he said that they were too valuable to expose to gunfire if we -encountered pirates. So he had the deck cut open wide enough to lower -the tanks inside the hold. Then the deck planking was replaced. Most of -these people here would be sleeping below if it weren't for the tanks. -But there's no room now."</p> - -<p>Green decided to take a look around. He liked to have a thorough -knowledge of his immediate environment so that he would know how to -behave if an emergency arose.</p> - -<p>The windroller itself was about two hundred feet long. Its beam was -about thirty-four feet. The hull was boat-shaped, and the narrow keel -rested on fourteen axles. Twenty-eight enormous solid rubber-tired -wheels turned at the ends of these axles. Thick ropes of the tough -rubber-like substance were tied to the ends of the axles and to the -tops of the hull itself. These were to hold the body steady and keep it -from going over when the 'roller reeled under too strong a side wind -and also to provide some resiliency when the 'roller was making a turn. -Being aboard at such times was almost like being on a water-sailing -ship. As the front pair of wheels—the steering wheels—turned and the -longitudinal axis of the craft slowly changed direction, the body of -the vessel, thrust by the shifting impact of the winds, also tilted. -Not too far, never as far as a boat in similar case, but enough to give -one an uneasy feeling. The cables on the opposing side would stretch to -a degree and then would stop the sidewise motion of the keel and there -would be a slight and slow roll to the other direction. Then a shorter -and slower motion back again. It was enough to make a novice green. -'Roller sickness wasn't uncommon at the beginning of a voyage or during -a violent windstorm. Like its aqueous counterpart, it affected the -sufferer so that he could only hang over the rail and wish he <i>would</i> -die.</p> - -<p>The <i>Bird of Fortune</i> sported a curving bow and a high foredeck. On -this was fastened the many-spoked steering wheel. Two helmsmen always -attended it, two men wearing hexagonal goggles and close-fitting -leather helmets with high crests of curled wire. Behind them stood -the captain and first mate, giving their attention alternately to the -helmsmen and to the sailors on deck and aloft. The middeck was sunken, -and the poopdeck, though raised, was not as high as the foredeck.</p> - -<p>The four masts were tall, but not as tall as those of a marine craft -of similar size. High masts would have given the 'roller a tendency -to capsize in a very strong wind, despite the weight of the axles and -wheels. Therefore, the yardarms, reaching far out beyond the sides of -the hull, were comparatively longer than a seaship's. When the <i>Bird</i> -carried a full weight of canvas she looked, to a mariner's eyes, squat -and ungainly. Moreover, yards had been fixed at right angles to the -top of the hull and to the keel itself. Extra canvas was hung between -these spars. The sight of all that sail sticking from between the -wheels was enough to drive an old sailor to drink.</p> - -<p>Three masts were square-rigged. The aft mast was fore-and-aft rigged -and was used to help the steering. There was no bowsprit.</p> - -<p>Altogether, it was a strange-looking craft. But once one was accustomed -to it, one saw it was as beautiful as a ship of the sea.</p> - -<p>It was as formidable, too, for the <i>Bird</i> carried five large cannon on -the middeck, six cannon on the second deck, a lighter swivel cannon on -the steering deck, and two swivels on the poopdeck.</p> - -<p>Hung from davits were two long liferollers and a gig, all wheeled and -with folding masts. If the <i>Bird</i> was wrecked it could be abandoned and -all the crew could scoot off in the little rollers.</p> - -<p>Green wasn't given much time for inspection. He became aware that -a tall, lean sailor was regarding him intently. This fellow was -dark-skinned but had the pale blue eyes of the Tropat hillsmen. He -moved like a cat and wore a long, thin dagger, sharp as a claw. A nasty -customer, thought Green.</p> - -<p>Presently, the nasty customer, seeing that Green was not going to -notice him, walked in front of him so that he could not help being -annoyed. At the same time, the babble around them died and everybody -turned his head to stare.</p> - -<p>"Friend," said Green, affably enough, "would you mind standing off to -one side? You are blocking my view."</p> - -<p>The fellow spat <i>grixtr</i> juice at Green's feet.</p> - -<p>"No slave calls me friend. Yes, I am blocking your view, and I would -mind getting out of the way."</p> - -<p>"Evidently you object to my presence here," said Green. "What is the -matter? You don't like my face?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't. And I don't like to have as a crewmate a stinking slave."</p> - -<p>"Speaking of odors," said Green, "would you please stand to leeward of -me? I've been through a lot lately and I've a delicate stomach."</p> - -<p>"Silence, you son of an <i>izzot</i>!" roared the sailor, red-faced. "Have -respect toward your betters, or I'll strike you down and throw your -body overboard."</p> - -<p>"It takes two to make a murder, just as it takes two to make a -bargain," said Green in a loud voice, hoping that Miran would hear -and be reminded of his promise of protection. But Miran shrugged his -shoulders. He had done as much as he could. It was up to Green to make -his way from now on.</p> - -<p>"It is true that I am a slave," he said. "But I was not born one. -Before being captured I was a freeman who knew liberty as none of you -here know it. I came from a country where there were no masters because -every man was his own master.</p> - -<p>"However, that is neither here nor there. The point is that I earned my -freedom, that I fought like a warrior, not a slave, to get aboard the -<i>Bird</i>. I wish to become a crew member, to become a blood-brother to -the Clan Effenycan."</p> - -<p>"Ah, indeed, and what can you contribute to the Clan that we should -consider you worthy of sharing our blood?"</p> - -<p>What indeed? Green thought. The sweat broke out all over his body, -though the morning wind was cool.</p> - -<p>At that moment he saw Miran speak to a sailor, who disappeared below -decks and come out almost at once carrying a small harp in his hand. -Oh, yes, now he remembered that he had told the captain what a -wonderful harpist and singer he was, just the man that the Clan, eager -for entertainment on the long voyages, would be likely to initiate.</p> - -<p>The unfortunate thing about that was that Green couldn't play a note.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless he took the instrument from the sailor and gravely plucked -its strings. He listened to the tones, frowned, adjusted the pegs, -plucked them again, then handed the harp back.</p> - -<p>"Sorry, this is an inferior instrument," he said haughtily. "Haven't -you anything better? I couldn't think of degrading my art on such a -cheap monstrosity."</p> - -<p>"Gods above!" screamed a man standing nearby. "That is my harp you -are talking about, the beloved harp of me, the bard Grazoot! Slave! -Tone-deaf son of a laryngiteal mother! You will answer to me for that -insult!"</p> - -<p>"No," said the sailor, "this is my affair. I, Ezkr, will test this -lubber's fitness to join the Clan and be called brother."</p> - -<p>"Over my dead body, brother!"</p> - -<p>"If you so wish it, brother!"</p> - -<p>There were more angry words until presently Miran himself came down -to the middeck. "By Mennirox, this is a disgrace!" he bellowed. "Two -Effenycan quarreling before a slave! Come, make a decision quietly, or -I will have you both thrown overboard. It is not too far to walk back -to Quotz."</p> - -<p>"We will cast dice to see who is the lucky man," said the sailor, -Ezkr. Grinning gap-toothedly, he reached into the pouch that hung from -his belt, and pulled out the hexagonal ivories. A few minutes later -he rose from his knees, having won four out of six throws. Green was -disappointed more than he cared to show, for he had hoped that if he -had to fight anybody it would be the pudgy, soft-looking harpist, not -the tough sailor.</p> - -<p>Ezkr seemed to agree with Green that he could not have had worse luck. -Chewing <i>grixtr</i> so rapidly that the green-flecked slaver ran down his -long chin, Ezkr announced the terms that the blond slave would have to -meet to prove his fitness.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>12</h2> - - -<p>For a moment Green thought of leaving the ship and making his way on -foot.</p> - -<p>Miran protested loudly. "This is ridiculous. Why can you not fight on -deck like two ordinary men and be satisfied if one gives the other a -flesh wound? That way I won't stand the chance of losing you, Ezkr, one -of my top topmen. If you should slip, who could take your place? This -green hand here?"</p> - -<p>Ezkr ignored his captain's indignation, knowing that the code of the -Clan protected him. He spit and said, "Anybody can wield a dagger. I -want to see what kind of a man this Green is aloft. Walking a yard is -the best way to see the color of his blood."</p> - -<p>Yes, thought Green, his skin goose-pimpling. You'll likely see my -blood all right, splashed from here to the horizon when I fall!</p> - -<p>He asked Miran if he could withdraw a moment to his tent to pray to his -gods for success. Miran nodded, and Green had Amra let down the sides -of his shelter while he dropped to his knees. As soon as his privacy -was assured, he handed her a long turban cloth and told her to go -outside. She looked surprised, but when he told her what else she was -to do, she smiled and kissed him.</p> - -<p>"You are a clever man, Alan. I was right to prefer you above any other -man I might have had, and I could have had the best."</p> - -<p>"Save the compliments for afterwards, when we'll know if it works," he -said. "Hurry to the stove and do what I say. If anybody asks you what -you are up to, tell them that the stuff is necessary for my religious -ritual. The gods," he said as she ducked through the tent opening, -"often come in handy. If they didn't exist it would be necessary to -invent them."</p> - -<p>Amra paused and turned with an adoring face. "Ah, Alan, that is one of -the many things for which I love you. You are always originating these -witty sayings. How clever, and how dangerously blasphemous!"</p> - -<p>He shrugged, airily dismissing her compliment as if it were nothing.</p> - -<p>In a minute she returned with the turban wrapped around something limp -but heavy. And within two minutes he stepped out from the tent, clad -in a loincloth, leather belt, dagger and turban. Silently, he began -climbing the rope ladder that rose to the tip of the nearest mast. -Behind him came Ezkr.</p> - -<p>He did get some encouragement from Amra and the children. The Duke's -two boys cried out to him to cut the so-and-so's throat, but if he was -killed instead, they would avenge him when they grew up, if not sooner. -Even the blond maid, Inzax, wept. He felt somewhat better, for it was -good to know that some people cared for him. And the knowledge that he -had to survive and make sure that these women and children didn't come -to grief was an added stimulus.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless he felt his momentarily gained courage oozing out of his -sweat pores with every step upward. It was so high up here, and so far -down below. The craft itself became smaller and smaller and the people -shrank to dolls, to upturned white faces that soon became less faces -than blanks. The wind howled through the rigging and the mast, which -had seemed so solid and steady when he was at its base, now became -fragile and swaying.</p> - -<p>"It takes guts to be a sailor and a blood-brother of the Clan -Effenycan," said Ezkr. "Do you have them, Green?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but if I get any sicker I'll lose them, and you'll be sorry, -being below me," muttered Green to himself.</p> - -<p>Finally, after what seemed endless clambering into the very clouds -themselves, he arrived at the topmost yard. If he had thought the mast -thin and flexible, the arm seemed like a toothpick poised over an -abyss. And he was supposed to inch his way out to the whipping tip, -then turn and come back fighting!</p> - -<p>"If you were not a coward you would stand up and walk out," called Ezkr.</p> - -<p>"Sticks and stones will break my bones," replied Green, but did not -enlighten the puzzled sailor as to what he meant. Sitting down on the -yard, he put his legs around it and began working his way out. Halfway -to the arm he stopped and dared to look down. Once was enough. There -was nothing but hard, grassy ground directly beneath him, seemingly a -mile below, and the flat plain rushing by, and the huge wheels turning, -turning.</p> - -<p>"Go on!" shouted Ezkr.</p> - -<p>Green turned his head and told him in indelicate language what he could -do with the yard and the whole ship for that matter if he could manage -it.</p> - -<p>Ezkr's dark face reddened and he stood up and began walking out on the -yard. Green's eyes widened. This man could actually do it!</p> - -<p>But when he was a few feet away the sailor stopped and said, "No, you -are trying to anger me so I will grapple with you here and perhaps be -pushed off, since you have a firmer hold. No, I will not be such a -fool. It is you who must try to get past me."</p> - -<p>He turned and walked almost carelessly back to the mast, against which -he leaned while he waited.</p> - -<p>"You have to go out to the very end," he repeated. "Else you won't -pass the test even if you should get by me, which, of course, you -won't."</p> - -<p>Green gritted his teeth and humped out to what he considered close -enough to the end, about two feet away. Any more might break the arm, -as it was already bending far down. Or so it seemed to him.</p> - -<p>He then backed away, managed to turn, and to work back to within -several feet of Ezkr. Here he paused to regain his breath, his strength -and his courage.</p> - -<p>The sailor waited, one hand on a rope to steady himself, the other with -its dagger held point-out at Green.</p> - -<p>The Earthman began unwinding his turban.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing?" said Ezkr, frowning with sudden anxiety.</p> - -<p>Up to this point he had been master, because he knew what to expect. -But if something unconventional happened....</p> - -<p>Green shrugged his shoulders and continued his very careful and slow -unwrapping of his headpiece.</p> - -<p>"I don't want to spill this," he said.</p> - -<p>"Spill what?"</p> - -<p>"This!" shouted Green, and he whipped the turban upward towards Ezkr's -face.</p> - -<p>The turban itself was too far from the sailor to touch him. But the -sand contained within it flew into his eyes before the wind could -dissipate it. Amra, following her husband's directions, had collected a -large amount from the fireplace's sand pile to wrap in it, and though -it had made his head feel heavy it had been worth it.</p> - -<p>Ezkr screamed and clutched at his eyes, releasing his dagger. At the -same time, Green slid forward and rammed his fist into the man's groin. -Then, as Ezkr crumpled toward him, he caught him and eased him down. He -followed his first blow with a chopping of the edge of his palm against -the fellow's neck. Ezkr quit screaming and passed out. Green rolled him -over so that he lay on his stomach across the yard, supported on one -side by the mast, with his legs, arms and head dangling. That was all -he wanted to do for him. He had no intention of carrying him down. His -only wish was to get to the deck, where he'd be safe. If Ezkr fell off -now, too bad.</p> - -<p>Amra and Inzax were waiting at the foot of the shrouds when Green -slowly climbed off. When he set foot on the deck, he thought his legs -would give way, they were trembling so. Amra, noticing this, quickly -put her arms around him as if to embrace the conquering hero but -actually to help support him.</p> - -<p>"Thanks," he muttered. "I need your strength, Amra."</p> - -<p>"Anybody would who had done what you've done," she said. "But my -strength and all of me is at your disposal, Alan."</p> - -<p>The children were looking at him with wide, admiring eyes and yelling, -"That's our daddy! Big blond Green! He's quick as a grass cat, bites -like a dire dog and'll spit poison in your eye, like a flying snake!"</p> - -<p>Then, in the next moment, he was submerged under the men and women of -the Clan, all anxious to congratulate him for his feat and to call him -brother. The only ones who did not crowd around, trying to kiss him on -the lips, were the officers of the <i>Bird</i> and the wife and children of -the unfortunate sailor, Ezkr. These were climbing up the rigging to -fasten a rope around his waist and lower him.</p> - -<p>There <i>was</i> one other who remained aloof. That was the harpist, -Grazoot. He was still sulking at the foot of the mast.</p> - -<p>Green decided that he'd better keep an eye on him, especially at night -when a knife could be slipped between a sleeper's ribs and the body -thrown overboard. He wished now that he'd not gone out of his way to -insult the fellow's instrument, but at the time that had seemed the -only thing to do. Now he had better try to find some way to pacify him.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>13</h2> - - -<p>Two weeks of very hard work and little sleep passed as Green learned -the duties of a topsailman. He hated to go aloft, but he found that -being up so high had its advantages. It gave him a chance to catch a -few winks now and then. There were many crow's nests where musketmen -were stationed during a fight. Green would slip down into one of these -and go to sleep at once. His foster son Grizquetr would stand watch for -him, waking him if the foretop captain was coming through the rigging -toward them. One afternoon Griz's whistle startled Green out of a sound -sleep.</p> - -<p>However, the captain stopped to give another sailor a lecture. Unable -to go back to sleep, Green watched a herd of <i>hoobers</i> take to their -hoofs at the approach of the <i>Bird</i>. These diminutive equines, -beautiful with their orange bodies and black or white manes and -fetlocks, sometimes formed immense herds that must have numbered in -the hundreds of thousands. So thick were they that they looked like a -bobbing sea of flashing heads and gleaming hoofs stretching clear to -the horizon.</p> - -<p>To stretch to the horizon was something on this planet. The plain was -the flattest Green had ever seen. He could scarcely believe that it ran -unbroken for thousands of miles. But it did, and from his high point of -view he could see in a vast circle. It was a beautiful sight. The grass -itself was tall and thick-bodied, about two feet high and a sixteenth -of an inch through. It was a bright green, brighter than earthly grass, -almost shiny. During the rainy season, he was told, it would blossom -with many tiny white and red flowers and give a pleasing perfume.</p> - -<p>Now, as Green watched, something happened that startled him.</p> - -<p>Abruptly, as if a monster mowing machine had come along the day before, -the high grass ended and a lawn began. The new grass seemed to be only -an inch high. And the lawn stretched at least a mile wide and as far -ahead of the <i>Bird</i> as he could see.</p> - -<p>"What do you think of that?" he asked Amra's son.</p> - -<p>Grizquetr shrugged. "I don't know. The sailors say that it is done by -the <i>wuru</i>, an animal the size of a ship, that only comes out at night. -It eats grass, but it has the nasty temper of a dire dog, and will -attack and smash a 'roller as if it were made of cardboard."</p> - -<p>"Do you believe that?" Green said, watching him closely. Grizquetr was -an intelligent lad in whom he hoped to plant a few seeds of skepticism. -Perhaps some day those seeds might flower into the beginnings of -science.</p> - -<p>"I do not know if the story is true or not. It is possible, but I've -met nobody who has ever seen a <i>wuru</i>. And if it comes out only at -night, where does it hide during the daytime? There is no hole in the -ground large enough to conceal it."</p> - -<p>"Very good," said Green, smiling. Happily, Grizquetr smiled back. -He worshiped his foster-father and nursed every bit of affection or -compliment he got from him.</p> - -<p>"Keep that open mind," said Green. "Neither believe nor disbelieve -until you have solid evidence one way or another. And keep on -remembering that new evidence may come up that will disprove the old -and firmly established."</p> - -<p>He smiled wryly. "I could use some of my own advice. I, for instance, -had at one time absolutely refused to put any credence in what I have -just seen with my own eyes. I put the story down as merely another idle -story of those who sail the grassy seas. But I'm beginning to wonder if -perhaps there couldn't be an animal of some kind like the <i>wuru</i>."</p> - -<p>Both were silent for a while as they watched the animals race off like -living orange rivers. Overhead, the birds wheeled in their hundreds of -thousands of numbers. They, too, were beautiful, and even more colorful -than the <i>hoobers</i>. Occasionally one lit in the rigging in a burst of -dazzling feathers and a fury of melodious song or raucous screeches.</p> - -<p>"Look!" said the boy, eagerly pointing. "A grass cat! He's been hiding, -waiting to catch a <i>hoober</i>, and now he's afraid he'll be trampled to -death by them."</p> - -<p>Green's gaze followed the other's finger. He saw the long-legged, -tiger-striped body loping desperately ahead of the thundering hoofs. -It was completely closed in a pocket of the orange-maned beasts. Even -as Green saw him, the sides of the pocket collapsed and the big cat -disappeared from sight. If he remained alive he would do so through a -miracle.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, Grizquetr cried, "Gods!"</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" cried Green.</p> - -<p>"On the horizon! A sail! It's shaped like a Ving sail!"</p> - -<p>Others saw it too. The ship rang with shouts. A trumpeter blew battle -stations; Miran's voice rose above those of others as he bellowed -through a megaphone; chaos dissolved into order and purpose as -everybody went to his appointed place. The animals, children and -pregnant women were marshaled into the hold. The gun crews began -unloading barrels of powder with a crane from a hatch. Musketmen -swarmed up the rigging. The entire topmast crew tumbled aloft and -took their places. As Green was already in his, he had some leisure to -observe the whole outlay of preparations for fight. He watched Amra -hurriedly give her children a kiss, make sure they'd all gone below, -then begin tearing strips of cloth for bandages and of wadding for the -muskets. Once she looked up and waved at him before turning back to her -task. He waved back and got a severe reprimand from the top-captain for -breaking discipline.</p> - -<p>"An extra watch for you, Green, after this is over!"</p> - -<p>The Earthman groaned and wished that the martinet would fall off and -break every bone in his body. If he lost any more sleep...!</p> - -<p>The day wore on as the strange ship came closer. Another sail appeared -behind it, and the crew grew even tenser. From all appearances, they -were being pursued by Vings. Vings usually went in pairs. Then there -was the shape of the sails, which were narrower at bottom than at top. -And there was the long, low, streamlined hull and the over-large wheels.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless discipline was somewhat relaxed for a time. The pets and -children were allowed to come up, and meals were prepared by the women. -Even when the swifter craft came close enough so that the color of -the sails was seen to be scarlet, thereby confirming their suspicions -of the strangers' identity, battle stations weren't recalled. Miran -estimated that by the time the Vings were within cannon range night -would fall.</p> - -<p>"That is what they hate and what we love," he said, pacing back and -forth, fingering his nose ring and blinking nervously his one good -eye. "It'll be an hour before the big moon comes up. Not only that, it -looks as though clouds may arise. See!" he cried to the first mate. "By -Mennirox, is that not a wisp I detect in the northeast quarter?"</p> - -<p>"By all the gods, I believe it is!" said the mate, peering upward, -seeing nothing but clear sky, but hoping that wishing would make the -clouds come true.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Mennirox is good to his favorite worshiper!" said Miran. "<i>He that -loves thee shall profit</i>, Book of the True Gods, Chapter Ten, Verse -Eight. And Mennirox knows I love him with compound interest!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, that he does," said the mate. "But what is your plan?"</p> - -<p>"As soon as the last glow of the sun disappears completely from the -horizon, so our silhouette won't be revealed, we'll swing and cut -across their direct path of advance. We know that they'll be traveling -fairly close together, hoping to catch up with us and blast us with -cross-fire. Well, we'll give them a chance, but we'll be gone before -they can seize it. We'll go right between them in the dark and fire on -both. By the time they're ready to reply we'll have slipped on by.</p> - -<p>"And then," he whooped, slapping his fat thigh, "they'll probably -cannonade each other to flinders, each thinking the other is us! Hoo, -hoo, hoo!"</p> - -<p>"Mennirox had better be with us," said the mate, paling. "It'll take -damn tight calculating and more than a bit of luck. We'll be going by -dead reckoning; not until we're almost on them will we see them; and if -we're headed straight at them it'll be too late to avoid a collision. -Wharoom! Smash! Boom! We're done for!"</p> - -<p>"That's very true, but we're done for if we don't pull some trick like -that. They'll have caught us by dawn—they can outmaneuver us—and -they've more combined gunfire. And though we'll fight like grass cats -we'll go down, and you know what'll happen then. The Vings don't take -prisoners unless they're at the end of a cruise and going into port."</p> - -<p>"We should have accepted the Duke's offer of a convoy of frigates," -muttered the mate. "Even one would have been enough to make the odds -favor us."</p> - -<p>"What? And lose half the profits of this voyage because we have to pay -that robber Duke for the use of his warships? Have you lost your mind, -mate?"</p> - -<p>"If I have I'm not the only one," said the mate, turning into the wind -so his words were lost. But the helmsmen heard him and reported the -conversation later. In five minutes it was all over the ship.</p> - -<p>"Sure, he's Greedyguts himself," the crew said. "But then, we're his -relatives; we know the value of a penny. And isn't the fat old darling -the daring one, though? Who but a captain of the Clan Effenycan would -think of such a trick, and carry it through, too? And if he's such a -money-grabber, why, then; wouldn't he be afraid to risk his vessel and -cargo, not to mention his own precious blood, not to mention the even -more precious blood of his relatives? No, Miran may be one-eyed and -big-bellied and short of temper and wind, but he's the man to hold down -the foredeck. Brother, dip me another glass from that barrel and let's -toast again the cool courage and hot avariciousness of Captain Miran, -Master Merchant."</p> - -<p>Grazoot, the plump little harpist with the effeminate manners, took his -harp and began singing the song the Clan loved most, the story of how -they, a hill tribe, had come down to the plains a generation ago. And -how there they had crept into the windbreak of the city of Chutlzaj -and stolen a great windroller. And how they had ever since been men -of the grassy seas, of the vast flat Xurdimur, and had sailed their -stolen craft until it was destroyed in a great battle with a whole -Krinkansprunger fleet. And how they had boarded a ship of the fleet and -slain all the men and taken the women prisoners and sailed off with -the ship right through the astounded fleet. And how they had taken the -women as slaves and bred children and how the Effenycan blood was now -half Krinkansprunger and that was where they got their blue eyes. And -how the Clan now owned three big merchant ships—or had until two years -ago when the other two rolled over the green horizon during the Month -of the Oak and were never heard of again, but they'd come back some day -with strange tales and a hold brimming with jewels. And how the Clan -now sailed under that mighty, grasping, shrewd, lucky, religious man, -Miran.</p> - -<p>Whatever else you could say about Grazoot, you could not deny that -he had a fine baritone. Green, listening to his voice rise from the -deck far below, could vision the rise and fall and rise again of these -people and could appreciate why they were so arrogant and close-fisted -and suspicious and brave. Indeed, if he had been born on this planet, -he could have wanted no finer, more romantic, gypsyish life than that -of a sailor on a windroller. Provided, that is, that he could get -plenty of sleep.</p> - -<p>The boom of a cannon disturbed his reverie. He looked up just in time -to see the ball appear at the end of its arc and flash by him. It was -not enough to scare him, but watching it plow into the ground about -twenty feet away from the starboard steering wheel made him realize -what damage one lucky shot could do.</p> - -<p>However, the Ving did not try again. He was a canny pirate who knew -better than to throw away ammunition. Doubtless he was hoping to panic -the merchantman into a frenzy of replies, powder-wasting and useless. -Useless because the sun set just then and in a few minutes dusk was -gone and darkness was all around them. Miran didn't even bother to -tell his men to hold their fire, since they wouldn't have dreamed of -touching off the cannon until he gave the word. Instead he repeated -that no light should be shown and that the children must go below decks -and must be kept quiet. No one was to make a noise.</p> - -<p>Then, casting one last glance at the positions of the pursuing craft, -now rapidly dissolving into the night, he estimated the direction and -strength of the wind. It was as it had been the day they set sail, an -east wind dead astern, a good wind, pushing them along at eighteen -miles an hour.</p> - -<p>Miran spoke in a soft voice to the first mate and the other officers, -and they disappeared into the darkness shrouding the decks. They were -giving prearranged orders, not by the customary bellowing through a -megaphone but by low voices and touches. While they directed the crew, -Miran stood with bare feet upon the foredeck. He held a half-crouching -posture, and acted as if he were detecting the moves of the invisible -sailors by the vibrations of their activities running through the wood -of the decks and the spars and the masts and up to his feet. Miran was -a fat nerve center that gathered in all the unspoken messages scattered -everywhere through the body of the <i>Bird</i>. He seemed to know exactly -what he was doing, and if he hesitated or doubted because of the solid -blackness around him, he gave the helmsmen no sign. His voice was firm.</p> - -<p>"Hold it steady."</p> - -<p>"... six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Now! Swing her hard aport! Hold her, -hold her!"</p> - -<p>To Green, high up on the topmost spar of the foremast, the turning -about seemed an awful and unnatural deed. He could <i>feel</i> the hull, and -with it his mast, of course, leaning over and over, until his senses -told him that they must inevitably capsize and send him crashing to -the ground. But his senses lied, for though he seemed to fall forever, -the time came when the journey back toward an upright position began. -Then he was sure he would keep falling the other way, forever.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the sails fluttered. The vessel had come into the dead spot -where there was no wind acting upon her canvas. Then, as her original -impetus kept her going, the canvas boomed, seeming to his straining and -oversensitive ears like cannon firing. This time the wind was catching -her from what was for her a completely unnatural direction, from dead -ahead. As a result, the sails filled out backwards, and their middle -portions pressed against the masts.</p> - -<p>The 'roller came almost to a stop at once. The rigging groaned, and -the masts themselves creaked loudly. Then they were bending backwards, -while the sailors clinging to them in the darkness swore under their -breaths and clamped down desperately on their handholds.</p> - -<p>"Gods!" said Green. "What <i>is</i> he doing?"</p> - -<p>"Quiet!" said a nearby man, the foretop-captain. "Miran is going to run -her backwards."</p> - -<p>Green gasped. But he made no further comment, trying to visualize what -a strange sight the <i>Bird of Fortune</i> must be, and wishing it were -daylight so he could see her. He sympathized with the helmsmen, who -had to act against their entire training. It was a bad enough strain -for them to try to sail blindly between two vessels. But to roll in -reverse! They would have to put the helm to port when their reflexes -cried out to them to put it to starboard, and vice versa! And no doubt -Miran was aware of this and was warning them about it every few seconds.</p> - -<p>Green began to see what was happening. By now the <i>Bird</i> was rolling on -her former course, but at a reduced rate because the sails, bellying -against their masts, would not offer as much surface to the wind. -Therefore, the Ving vessels would by now be almost upon them, since the -merchant ship had also lost much ground in her maneuver. In one or two -minutes the Ving would overtake them, would for a short while ride side -by side with them, then would pass.</p> - -<p>Provided, of course, that Miran had estimated correctly his speed and -rate of curve in turning. Otherwise they might even now expect a crash -from the foredeck as the bow of the Ving caught them.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Booxotr," prayed the foretop-captain. "Steer us right, else you -lose your most devout worshiper, Miran."</p> - -<p>Booxotr, Green recalled, was the God of Madness.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a hand gripped Green's shoulder. It was the captain of the -foretop.</p> - -<p>"Don't you see them!" he said softly. "They're a blacker black than the -night."</p> - -<p>Green strained his eyes. Was it his imagination, or did he actually see -something moving to his right? And another something, the hint of a -hint, moving to his left?</p> - -<p>Whatever it was, 'roller or illusion, Miran must have seen it also. -His voice shattered the night into a thousand pieces, and it was never -again the same.</p> - -<p>"Cannoneers, fire!"</p> - -<p>Suddenly it was as if fireflies had been in hiding and had swarmed out -at his command. All along the rails little lights appeared. Green was -startled, even though he knew that the punks had been concealed beneath -baskets so that the Vings would have no warning at all.</p> - -<p>Then the fireflies became long glowing worms, as the fuses took flame.</p> - -<p>There was a great roar, and the ship rocked. Iron demons belched flame.</p> - -<p>No sooner done than musketry broke out like a hot rash all over the -ship. Green himself was part of this, blazing away at the vessel -momentarily and dimly revealed by the light of the cannon fire.</p> - -<p>Darkness fell, but silence was gone. The men cheered; the decks -trembled as the big wooden trains holding the cannon were run back to -the ports from which they'd recoiled. As for the pirates, there was no -answering fire. Not at first They must have been taken completely by -surprise.</p> - -<p>Miran shouted again; again the big guns roared.</p> - -<p>Green, reloading his musket, found that he was bracing himself against -a tendency to lean to the right. It was a few seconds before he could -comprehend that the <i>Bird</i> was turning in that direction even though it -was still going backwards.</p> - -<p>"Why is he doing that?" he shouted.</p> - -<p>"Fool, we can't roll up the sails, stop, then set sail again. We'd be -right where we started, sailing backwards. We have to turn while we -have momentum, and how better to do that than reverse our maneuver? -We'll swing around until we're headed in our original direction."</p> - -<p>Green understood now. The Vings had passed them, therefore they were in -no danger of collision with them. And they couldn't continue sailing -backwards all night. The thing to do now would be to cut off at an -angle so that at daybreak they'd be far from the pirates.</p> - -<p>At that moment cannonfire broke out to their left. The men aboard the -<i>Bird</i> refrained from cheering only because of Miran's threats to -maroon them on the plain if they did anything to reveal their position. -Nevertheless they all bared their teeth in silent laughter. Crafty old -Miran had sprung his best trap. As he'd hoped, the two pirates, unaware -that their attacker was now behind them, were shooting each other.</p> - -<p>"Let them bang away until they blow each other sky-high," chortled -the foretop-master. "Ah, Miran, what a tale we'll have to tell in the -taverns when we get to port."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>14</h2> - - -<p>For five minutes the intermittent flashes and bellows told that the -Vings were still hammering away. Then the dark took hold again. -Apparently the two had either recognized each other or else had decided -that night fighting was a bad business and had steered away from each -other. If this last was true, then they wouldn't be much to fear, for -one Ving wouldn't attack the merchant by itself.</p> - -<p>The clouds broke, and the big and the little moons spread brightness -everywhere. The pirate vessels were not in sight. Nor were they seen -when dawn broke. There was sail half a mile away, but this alarmed no -one, except the untutored Green, because they recognized its shape as a -sister. It was a merchant from the nearby city of Dem, of the Dukedom -of Potzihili.</p> - -<p>Green was glad. They could sail with it. Safety in numbers.</p> - -<p>But no. Miran, after hailing it and finding that it also was going to -Estorya, ordered every bit of canvas crowded on in an effort to race -away from it.</p> - -<p>"Is he crazy?" groaned Green to a sailor.</p> - -<p>"Like a <i>zilmar</i>," replied the sailor, referring to a foxlike animal -that dwelt in the hills. "We must get to Estorya first if we would -realize the full value of our cargo."</p> - -<p>"Utter featherbrained folly," snarled Green. "That ship doesn't carry -live fish. It can't possibly compete with us."</p> - -<p>"No, but we've other things to sell. Besides, it's in Miran's blood. If -he saw another merchant pass him he'd come down sick."</p> - -<p>Green threw his hands into the air and rolled his eyes in despair. Then -he went back to work. There was much to do yet before he'd be allowed -to sleep.</p> - -<p>The days and nights passed in the hard routine of his labor and the -alarms and excursions that occasionally broke up the routine. Now and -then the gig was launched, while the 'roller was in full speed, and -it sped away under the power of its white fore-and-aft sail. It would -be loaded with hunters, who would chase a <i>hoober</i> or deer or pygmy -hog until it became exhausted; then would shoot the tired animal. They -always brought back plenty of fresh meat. As for water, the catch-tanks -on the decks were full because it rained at least half an hour at every -noon and dusk.</p> - -<p>Green wondered at the regularity and promptness of these showers. -The clouds would appear at twelve, it would rain for thirty to sixty -minutes, then the sky would clear again. It was all very nice, but it -was also very puzzling.</p> - -<p>Sometimes he was allowed to try target practice from the crow's nest -on the grass cats or the huge dire dogs. These latter ran in packs of -half a dozen to twenty, and would often pace the <i>Bird</i>, howling and -growling and sometimes running between the wheels. The sailors had -quite a few tales of what they did to people who fell overboard or were -wrecked on the plains.</p> - -<p>Green shuddered and went back to his target practice. Though he -ordinarily was against shooting animals just for the fun of it, he -had no compunction about putting a ball through these wolfish-looking -creatures. Ever since he'd been tormented by Alzo he'd hated dogs with -a passion unbecoming to a civilized man. Of course, the fact that every -canine on the planet instinctively loathed him because of his Earthman -odor and did his best to sink his teeth into him, strengthened Green's -reaction. His legs were always healing from bites of the pets aboard.</p> - -<p>Often the 'roller would cruise through grass tall as a man's knee. Then -suddenly it would pass onto one of those tremendous lawns which seemed -so well kept. Green had never ceased puzzling about them, but all he -could get from anyone was one or more variations of the fable of the -<i>wuru</i>, the herbivore bigger than two ships put together.</p> - -<p>One day they passed a wreck. Its burned hulk lay sideways on the -ground, and here and there bones gleamed in the sun. Green expressed -surprise that the masts, wheels and cannon were gone. He was told that -those had been taken away by the savages who roamed the plains.</p> - -<p>"They use the wheels for their own craft, which are really nothing but -large sailing platforms, land-rafts, you might say," Amra told him. "On -these they pitch their tents and their fireplaces, and from them they -go forth to hunt. Some of them, however, disdain platforms and make -their homes upon the 'roaming islands.'"</p> - -<p>Green smiled but said nothing about that fairy story because disbelief -excited these people, even Amra.</p> - -<p>"You'll not see many wrecks," she continued. "Not because there aren't -many, for there are. Out of every ten 'rollers that leave for distant -breaks, you can expect only six to get back."</p> - -<p>"That few? I'm amazed that with such a casualty ratio you could get -anybody to risk his fortune and life."</p> - -<p>"You forget that he who comes back is many times richer than when he -sailed away. Look at Miran. He is taxed heavily at every port of call. -He is taxed even more heavily in his home port. And he has to split -with the Clansmen, though he does get a tenth of the profit of every -cargo. Despite this, he is the richest man in Quotz, richer even than -the Duke."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but a man is a fool to take risks like these just for the -remote chance of a fortune," he protested. Then he stopped. After all, -for what other reason had the Norsemen gone to America, and Columbus -to the West Indies? Or why were so many hundreds of thousands of -Earthmen daring the perils of interstellar space? What about himself, -for instance? He'd left a stable and well-paying job on Earth as a -specialist in raising sea crops to go to Pushover, a planet of Albireo. -He'd expected to make his fortune there after two years of not-too-hard -work and then retire. If only that accident hadn't happened...!</p> - -<p>Of course, some of the pioneers weren't driven by the profit motive. -There was such a thing as love of adventure. Not a pure love, however. -Even the most adventurous saw Eldorado gleaming somewhere in the wilds. -Greed conquered more frontiers than curiosity.</p> - -<p>"You'd think the ruins of 'rollers would not be rare, even if these -plains are vast," said Amra, breaking in on his reflections. "But the -savages and pirates must salvage them as fast as they're made."</p> - -<p>"Your pardon, Mother, for interrupting," said Grizquetr. "I heard -a sailor, Zoob, remark on that very thing just the other day. He -said that he once saw a 'roller that had been gutted, by pirates, he -supposed. It was three days' journey out of Yeshkayavach, the city of -quartz in the far North. He said their 'roller was a week there, then -returned on the same route. But when they came to where the wreck had -been it was gone, every bit of it. Even the bones of the dead sailors -were missing."</p> - -<p>"And he said that that reminded him of a story his father had told -him when he was young. He said his father told him that his ship had -once almost run into a huge uncharted hole in the plain. It was big, -at least two hundred feet across, and earth had been piled up outside, -like the crater of a volcano. At first that was what they thought it -was, a volcano just beginning, even though they'd never heard of such a -thing on the Xurdimur. Then they met a ship whose men had seen the hole -made. It was caused, they said by a mighty falling star...."</p> - -<p>"A meteor," commented Green.</p> - -<p>"... and it had dug that great hole. Well, that was as good an -explanation as any. But the amazing thing was that when they came by -that very spot a month later, the hole was gone. It was filled up -and smoothed out, and grass was growing over it as if nothing had -ever broken the skin of the earth. Now, how do you explain that, -Foster-father?"</p> - -<p>"There are more things in heaven and earth than ever your philosophies -dreamed of, Horatio," Green nonchalantly replied, though he felt as -though he wasn't quoting exactly right.</p> - -<p>Amra and her son blinked. "Horatio?"</p> - -<p>"Never mind."</p> - -<p>"This sailor said that it was probably the work of the gods, who labor -secretly at night that the plain may stay flat and clean of obstacles -so their true worshipers may sail upon it and profit thereby."</p> - -<p>"Will the wonders of rationalization never cease?" said Green.</p> - -<p>He rose from his pile of furs. "Almost time for my watch." He kissed -Amra, the maid, the children, and stepped out from the tent. He walked -rather carelessly across the deck absorbed in wondering what the effect -would be upon Amra if he told her his true origin. Could she comprehend -the concept of other worlds existing by the hundreds of thousands, yet -so distant from each other that a man could walk steadily for a million -years and still not get halfway from Earth to this planet of hers? Or -would she react automatically, as most of her fellows would do, and -think that he must surely be a demon in human disguise? It would be -more natural for her to prefer the latter idea. If you looked at it -objectively, it <i>was</i> more plausible, given her lack of scientific -knowledge. Much more believable, too.</p> - -<p>Somebody bumped him. Jarred out of his reverie, he automatically -apologized in English.</p> - -<p>"Don't curse at me in your foreign tongue!" snarled Grazoot, the plump -little harpist.</p> - -<p>Ezkr was standing behind Grazoot. He spoke out of the side of his -mouth, urging the bard on. "He thinks he can walk all over you, -Grazoot, because he insulted your harp once and you let him get away -with it."</p> - -<p>Grazoot puffed out his cheeks, reddened in the face and glared. "It -is only because Miran has forbidden duels that I have not plunged my -dagger into this son of an <i>izzot</i>!"</p> - -<p>Green looked from one to the other. Obviously this scene was -prearranged with no good end for him in view.</p> - -<p>"Stand aside," he said haughtily. "You are interfering with the -discipline of the 'roller. Miran will not like that."</p> - -<p>"Indeed!" said Grazoot. "Do you think Miran cares at all about what -happens to you? You're a lousy sailor and it hurts me to have to call -you brother. In fact, I spit every time I say it to you, brother!"</p> - -<p>Grazoot did just that. Green, who was downwind, felt the fine mist wet -his legs. He began to get angry.</p> - -<p>"Out of my way or I'll report you to the first mate," he said firmly -and walked by them. They gave way, but he had an uneasy feeling in -the small of his back, as if a knife would plunge into it. Of course, -they shouldn't be so foolish, because they would be hamstrung and then -dropped off the 'roller for the crime of cowardice. But these people -were so hot-headed they were just as likely as not to stab him in a -moment of fury.</p> - -<p>Once on the rope ladder that ran up to the crow's nest, he began to -lose the prickly feeling in his back. At that moment Grazoot called -out, "Oh, Green, I had a vision last night, a true vision, because my -patron god sent it, and he himself appeared in it. He announced that he -would snuff up his nostrils the welcome scent of your blood, spilled -all over the deck from your fall!"</p> - -<p>Green paused with one foot on the rail. "You tell your god to stay away -from me, or I'll punch him in the nose!" he called back.</p> - -<p>There was a gasp from the many people who'd gathered around to listen. -"Sacrilege!" yelled Grazoot. "Blasphemy!" He turned to those around -him. "Did you hear that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Ezkr, stepping out from the crowd. "I heard him and I am -shocked. Men have burned for less."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my patron god, Tonuscala, punish this pride-swollen man! Make your -dreams come true. Cast him headlong from the mast and dash him to the -deck and break every bone in his body so that men may learn that one -does not mock the true gods."</p> - -<p>"<i>Tahkhai</i>," murmured the crowd. "Amen."</p> - -<p>Green smiled grimly. He had fallen into their trap and now must be on -guard. Plainly, one or both of them would be aloft tonight during the -dark hour after sunset, and they'd be content with nothing less than -pitching him out over the deck. His death would be considered to have -come from the hands of an outraged god. And if Amra should accuse Ezkr -and Grazoot she'd get little justice. As for Miran, the fellow would -probably heave a sigh of relief, because he'd be rid of a troublesome -fellow who could carry damaging stories of a certain conspiracy to the -Duke of Tropat.</p> - -<p>He climbed up to the crow's nest, and settled gloomily to staring off -at the horizon. Just before sunset Grizquetr came up with a bottle of -wine and food in a covered basket.</p> - -<p>Between bites Green told the boy of his suspicions.</p> - -<p>"Mother has already guessed as much," said the lad. "She is a very -clever woman indeed, my mother. She has put a curse upon the two if you -should come to harm."</p> - -<p>"Very clever. That will do a great deal of good. Thank her for her -splendid work while you're picking up my pieces from the deck, will -you?"</p> - -<p>"To be sure," replied Grizquetr, trying hard to keep his sober face -from breaking into a grin. "And Mother also sent you this."</p> - -<p>He rolled the kerchief all the way off the top of the basket. Green's -eyes widened.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>15</h2> - - -<p>"A rocket flare!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Mother says that you are to release it when you hear the bos'n's -whistle from the deck."</p> - -<p>"Now, why in the world would I do that? Won't I get into tremendous -trouble by doing that? I'll be run through the gauntlet a dozen times -for that. No sir, not me. I've seen those poor fellows after the whips -were through with them."</p> - -<p>"Mother said for me to tell you that nobody will be able to prove who -sent up the flare."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. It sounds reasonable. But why should I do it?"</p> - -<p>"It will light up the whole ship for a minute, and everybody will be -able to see that Ezkr and Grazoot are in the rigging. The whole ship -will be in an uproar. Of course, when it is discovered that somebody -has stolen two flares from the store-room, and when a search is -conducted, and one flare is found hidden in Ezkr's trunk, then ... -well, you see...."</p> - -<p>"Oh, beamish boy!" chortled Green. "Calloo, callay! Go tell your mother -she's the most marvelous woman on this planet—though that's really not -much of a compliment, now I think of it. Oh, wait a minute! About this -bos'n's whistle. Now, why should he be warning me to send up a flare?"</p> - -<p>"He won't. Mother will be blowing it. She'll be waiting for a signal -from me or Azaxu," Grizquetr said, referring to his younger brother. -"We'll be watching Ezkr and Grazoot, and when they start to climb aloft -we'll notify her. She'll wait until she thinks they're about halfway -up, then she'll whistle."</p> - -<p>"That woman has saved my life at least half a dozen times. What would I -do without her?"</p> - -<p>"That's what Mother said. She said that she doesn't know why she went -after you when you tried to run away from her—from us—because she has -great pride. And she doesn't have to chase a man to get one; princes -have begged her to come live with them. But she did because she loves -you, and a good thing, too. Otherwise your stupidity would have killed -you ten times over by now."</p> - -<p>"Oh, she did, did she? Well, hah, hum. Yes, well...!"</p> - -<p>Thoroughly ashamed of himself, yet angry at Amra for her estimate of -him, Green miserably watched Grizquetr climb down the ratlines.</p> - -<p>During the next half-hour, time seemed to coagulate, to thicken and -harden around him so that he felt as if he were encased in it. The -clouds that always came up after sunset formed, and a light drizzle -began. It would last for about an hour, he knew, then the clouds would -disappear so swiftly that they would give the impression of being -yanked away like a tablecloth by some magician over the horizon. But -he'd cram a highly nervous lifetime into those minutes, wondering -if perhaps there wouldn't be some unforeseen frustration of Amra's -schedule.</p> - -<p>The first webby drops struck his face, and he wondered if perhaps that -wouldn't be what the two would wait for. They'd probably taken the -first step up the rigging, but he mustn't expect her whistle for some -time yet. If they were clever they wouldn't climb up directly beneath -him, but would go aft, ascend to the top, then climb over to him. It -was true that they'd have to pass others who, like Green, were also -stationed aloft on watch. But Ezkr and Grazoot knew the locations of -these. So dark was it they could pass within touching distance and not -be seen or heard. The wind in the rigging, the creak of masts, the -rumble of the great wheels would drown out any slight noise they might -make.</p> - -<p>The 'roller did not stop sailing just because the helmsmen could not -see. The <i>Bird</i> followed a well-charted route; every permanent obstacle -along here had been memorized by helmsmen and officers alike. If -anything formidable was expected in their path during the dark period, -a course would be set to avoid it. The officers on duty would advise -the helmsmen on their steering by means of an ingenious dial on a -notched plate. His sensitive fingers, following its flickerings back -and forth, and comparing them with the directional notches, would tell -him how close to the course they were keeping. The dial itself was -fixed to the needle of a compass beneath it.</p> - -<p>Green hunched his shoulders beneath his coat and walked around the -walls of his nest. He strained his eyes to make out something in the -blackness that wrapped him around like a shroud. There was nothing, -nothing at all.... No, wait! What was that? A vague outline of a white -face?</p> - -<p>He stared hard until it disappeared, then he sighed and realized how -rigidly he'd been standing there. And of course he'd been open to -attack from behind all that time.</p> - -<p>No, not really. If he couldn't see an arm's length away, neither could -the other two.</p> - -<p>But they didn't have to see. They knew the ropes so well that they -could grope blindfolded to his nest and there feel him out. A touch of -a finger, followed by a thrust of steel. That would be all it would -take.</p> - -<p>He was thinking of that when he felt the finger. It poked into his back -and held him like a statue for just a second, quivering, paralyzed. -Then he gave a hoarse cry and jumped away. He snatched out his dagger -and crouched down close to the floor, straining his eyes and ears, -trying to detect them. Surely, if they were breathing as hard as he, he -couldn't fail to hear them.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, he realized with a sudden sickishness, they could -hear him just as well.</p> - -<p>"Come on! Come on!" he said soundlessly, through clenched teeth. "Do -something! Make a move so I can pin you, you sons of <i>izzots</i>!"</p> - -<p>Perhaps they were doing the same, waiting for him to betray himself. -The best thing was to hug the floor where he was and hope they'd -stumble over him.</p> - -<p>He kept reaching out in front of him, feeling for the warm flesh of a -face. His other hand held his dagger.</p> - -<p>It was during one of his tentative explorations that he felt the basket -where Grizquetr had left it. At once, seized with what he thought was -an inspiration, he pulled out the flare. Why wait for them to close in -on him and butcher him like a hog? He'd send up the flare now, and in -the first shock of its glare he'd attack them.</p> - -<p>The only trouble was, he'd have to put down his dagger in order to take -his flint and steel and tinderbox from his pocket. He hated not to have -it ready for thrusting.</p> - -<p>Solving this problem by putting the dagger between his teeth, he took -out his firebox, paused, and swiftly put them back. Now, how was he -supposed to get the tinder going when it was drizzling? That was one -thing Amra, with all her cleverness, hadn't thought of.</p> - -<p>"Fool!" he whispered to himself. "I'm the fool!" And in the next -moment, he was removing his coat and putting the flint and steel and -box under its protecting cover. He couldn't see what he was doing, but -if he held the tinder close enough a spark should fall on it. Then he'd -have a flame hot enough to touch off the fuse of the flare.</p> - -<p>Again, he froze. His enemies were waiting for him to reveal himself -through noise. What better giveaway than flint scraping against steel? -And what about the sound of the rocket flare's spiked support being -driven into the wooden floor?</p> - -<p>He suppressed a groan. No matter what he did he was leaving himself -wide open.</p> - -<p>It was then that the shrillness of a whistle below startled him. He -rose, wondering frenziedly what he should do next. So convinced was he -that Ezkr and Grazoot were poised just outside the nest, he could not -believe that Amra had not misjudged the time it had taken them to climb -to him or that she had not been held up for some reason and now was -frantically trying to warn him.</p> - -<p>But, he realized, he couldn't just stand there like a scared sheep. -Whether Amra was right or not, whether they were within dagger's thrust -or not, he had to take action.</p> - -<p>"Do your damndest!" he growled at whatever might be in the dark, and he -struck steel against flint. The materials were under his coat, blocking -his view, but he lay down again so he could see between his arms and -under the coat held over them. The tinder caught at once and blazed -up, then began a small but steady glow in the harder wood of the box. -Without waiting to look around, Green rammed the flare's spike into -the deck of the nest. Swiftly he brought the punk up, still holding -the coat over it for protection from the drizzle and also from any -watching eyes. He held it against the fuse, saw the cord catch flame -and sizzle like a frying worm. Then he had ducked around the other side -of the mast that supported the nest, for he knew how unpredictable -these primitive rockets were. Like as not it would go off in his face. -Hardly had he rounded the big pillar of the mast when he heard a soft -whooshing sound. He looked up just in time to see the rocket explode in -a white glare. The moment it dispelled the darkness he jerked his head -to the right and the left in an effort to see if Ezkr and Grazoot were -on him, as he'd <i>known</i> they must be.</p> - -<p>But they weren't. They were still half a ship's length away from him, -caught by the light in the rigging, like flies in a spider's web. What -he had thought was a finger poking him in the back must have been the -bolt that held the support for the muskets which were to be fired from -the nest during combat.</p> - -<p>So relieved was he, he would have broken into loud laughter, but at -that moment a great cry broke from the decks below. The mate and the -helmsmen were shouting in alarm.</p> - -<p>Green looked down, saw them pointing, and his gaze followed the -direction of their extended fingers.</p> - -<p>A hundred yards ahead, rushing at them on a collision course, was a -towering clump of trees!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>16</h2> - - -<p>Then the flare had died and had left nothing but its after-image on the -eye—and panic on the brain.</p> - -<p>Green did not know what to make of it. In the first instant he had -thought that it was the 'roller alone that was speeding toward an -uncharted forest-grown hill. Immediately after, he'd seen that his -senses were deceiving him and that the mass was also moving. It had -looked like a hill, or several hills, sliding across the grass toward -them. But even as the darkness came back he'd seen that there were -other hills behind it, and that the whole thing was actually a sort of -iceberg of rocks and of soil from which grew trees.</p> - -<p>That was all he could make out in that confusing moment. Even then he -couldn't believe it, because a mountain just didn't run along of its -own volition on flat land.</p> - -<p>Credible or not, it was not being ignored by the helmsmen. They must -have turned the wheel almost at once, for Green could feel the leaning -of the mast to port and the shift of wind upon his face. The <i>Bird</i> was -swinging to the southwest in an effort to avoid the "roaming island." -Unfortunately it was too dark for the men to have worked swiftly in -trimming the sails even if a full crew had been aloft. And there were -far too few on the top, as it was not thought necessary to have them on -duty when the 'roller was running in the post-sunset drizzle.</p> - -<p>Green had time for one short prayer—no nonsense about punching a god -in the nose, now—and then he was hurled against the wall of the nest. -There was the loudest noise he'd ever heard—the loudest because it was -the crack of doom for him. Rope split like a giant's whip cracking; -spars, suddenly released from the rigging, strummed like monster -violins; the masts, falling down, thundered; intermingled with all -that were the screams of the people below on the deck and in the holds. -Green himself was screaming as he felt the foremast lean over, and -he slid from the floor of the nest, which had suddenly threatened to -become a wall, and fought to hold himself on the wall, which had now -become a floor. His fingers closed upon the musket-support with the -desperation of one who clings to the only solid thing in the world.</p> - -<p>For a minute, the mast stopped its forward movement, held taut by the -tangled mass of ropes. Green hoped that he was safe, that all the -damage had been done.</p> - -<p>But no, even as he dared think he might come out alive, the mighty -grinding noise began again. The island of rock and trees was continuing -its course and was smashing the hull of the ship beneath it, gobbling -up wheels, axles, keel, timber, cargo, cannon and people.</p> - -<p>The next he knew, he was flying through the air, torn from his hold, -catapulted far away from the 'roller. It seemed as if he actually -soared, gained altitude, though this must have been an illusion. Then -the hard return to earth, the impact on his face, his body, his legs. -The outstretched arms to soften the blow that must surely splinter -his bones and pulp his flesh. The pitiful arms, the last warding-off -gesture before annihilation. The series of hard blows, like many fists. -The sudden realization that he was among tree branches and that his -fall was being broken by them. His trying to grab one to hang on and -its slipping away and his continued rapid and punishing descent.</p> - -<p>Then, oblivion.</p> - -<p>He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but when he sat up he -saw through the trunks of the trees the shattered hull of the <i>Bird</i> -about a hundred feet away. It was lying on its side on a lower level -than he was, so he supposed that he was sitting on the slope of a -hill. Only half of the craft was in sight; it must have been broken in -two, and most of the middeck and stern ground into rubble beneath the -advancing juggernaut of the island.</p> - -<p>Dully, he realized that the drizzle had stopped, the clouds had cleared -and the big and little moons were up. The seeing was good, too good.</p> - -<p>There were people left alive in the wreck, men, women and children who -were trying to climb through the tangle of ropes, spars and broken, -jagged, projecting planks. Screams, moans, shouts and calls for help -made a chaos.</p> - -<p>Groaning, he managed to rise to his feet. He had a very painful -headache. One eye was so swollen he couldn't see with it. He tasted -blood in his mouth and felt several broken teeth with his lacerated -tongue. His sides hurt when he breathed. The skin seemed to have -been torn off the palms of his hands. His right knee must have been -wrenched, and his left heel was a ball of fire. Nevertheless he got up. -Amra and Paxi and her other children were in there; that is, unless -they'd been caught in the other half. He had to find out. Even if they -were beyond his help there were others who weren't.</p> - -<p>He started to hobble through the trees. Then he saw a man step out from -behind a bush. Thinking that he must be a survivor who had wandered off -in a dazed condition, Green opened his mouth to speak to him. But there -was something odd about him that imposed silence. He looked closer. -Yes, the fellow wore a headdress of feathers and held a long spear in -his hand. And the moonlight, where it slipped through the branches and -shone upon an exposed shoulder, gleamed red, white, blue-black, yellow -and green. The man was painted all over with stripes of different -colors!</p> - -<p>Green slowly sank down upon his hands and knees behind a bush. It was -then that he became aware of others who stood behind trees and watched -the wreck. Then these emerged from the darkness under the branches. -Presently, at least fifty plumed, painted, armed men were gathered -together, all silent, all intently inspecting the wreck and the -survivors.</p> - -<p>One raised a spear as a signal and gave a loud, whooping war cry. The -others echoed him, and when he ran out from beneath the branches they -followed him.</p> - -<p>Green could watch only for a minute before he had to close his eyes.</p> - -<p>"No, no!" he moaned. "The children, too!"</p> - -<p>When he forced himself to look again, he saw that he had been mistaken -in thinking that everybody had been put to spear. After the first -vicious onslaught, in which they'd killed indiscriminately and -hysterically, like all undisciplined primitives, they'd spared the -younger women and the little girls. Those able to walk were lined up -and marched off under the guard of half a dozen spearsmen. The too -badly injured were run through on the spot.</p> - -<p>Even in the midst of this scene, Green felt some of his intense anguish -eased a little. Amra was still alive!</p> - -<p>She held Paxi in one arm and with the other pulled Soon, her daughter -by the temple sculptor. Though she must have been terribly frightened, -she faced her captors with the same proud bearing she'd always had, -whether in the presence of peasant or prince. Inzax, her maid, stood -behind her.</p> - -<p>Green decided that he'd better try to follow her and her captors at a -discreet distance. But before he could get away he saw the women and -older children of the savages appear, bearing torches. Fortunately none -came his way. Some of these mutilated the dead, dancing around the -hacked corpses and howling in imitation of the adult men. Then began -the work in earnest, the carving up of the flesh. These painted people -were cannibals and made no bones about it. Fires were being lit for a -midnight snack before the bulk of the meat was brought back to wherever -their homes were.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>17</h2> - - -<p>Green stayed far enough behind the prisoners and savages to keep out -of sight if any man should turn. The path was narrow, winding between -crowding trunks and under low branches. The soil underfoot was rich -and springy, as if composed of generations of leaves. Green estimated -he must have gone at least a mile and a half, not as the crow flies, -but more like a drunk trying to find his way home. Then, without -warning, the forest stopped and a clearing was before him. In the midst -of this stood a village of about ten log houses with thatched roofs. -Six were rather small outhouses serving one purpose or another. The -four large ones were, he guessed, long houses for community living. -They were grouped about a central spot in which were the remains of -several large fires beneath big iron pots and spits. Clay tanks were -scattered here and there; these held rain water. Before each house was -a twenty-foot-high totem pole, brightly painted, and around it many -slender poles holding skulls.</p> - -<p>The prisoners were led into one of the outhouses and the door barred. -A man stationed himself at the front, squatting with his back to the -wall and holding a spear in one hand. The others greeted the old women -and younger children who had been left behind. Though they spoke in a -language Green didn't understand, they were obviously describing what -they'd found at the wreck. Some of the old crones then began piling -brushwood and small logs under one of the huge iron kettles; presently -they had a fire blazing brightly. Others brought out glasses and cups -of precious metals—loot from wrecks. These they filled with some sort -of liquor, probably a native beer, judging from the foam that spilled -over the sides. One of the young boys began idly tapping upon a drum -and soon was beating out a monotonous simple rhythm. It looked as if -they were going to make a night of it.</p> - -<p>But after a few drinks the warriors arose, picked up jugs of liquor and -walked into the woods, leaving one man to guard the prisoners' hut. All -the children over the age of four left with them, trailing along in -the dark, though the warriors made no effort to slow their pace so the -children could keep up.</p> - -<p>Green waited until he was sure the spearsmen were some distance away, -then rose. His muscles protested at any movement, and pains shot -through his head, knee and ankle. But he ignored them and limped around -the edge of the clearing until he came to the back of one of the long -houses.</p> - -<p>He slipped inside and stood by the side of the doorway. It was more -illuminated than he'd thought at first, because of the several large -and open windows which admitted moonbeams. Hens sleepily clucked -at him, and one of the midget pigs grunted questioningly. Suddenly -something soft brushed across his ankles. Startled, he jumped to one -side. His heart, which had been beating fast enough before, threatened -to hammer a hole in his ribs. He crouched, straining to see what it -was. Then a soft meowing nearby told him. He relaxed a little and -stretched out a hand, saying, "Here, kitty, kitty, come here."</p> - -<p>But the cat walked by, his tail raised and a look of disdain on his -face as he disappeared through the door. Seeing the animal reminded -Green of something about which he was anxious. That was whether the -natives kept dogs or not. He hadn't seen any and thought that surely if -there were some he'd have long ago heard the noisy beasts. Undoubtedly, -by now, he should have a whole pack of the obnoxious monsters snarling -at his heels.</p> - -<p>Silently, he walked into the long single room with its high ceiling. -From thick rafters hung rolled-up curtains, which he supposed would -be let down to make a semi-private room for any families that wished -it. From them also hung vegetables, fruit and meat; chickens, rabbits, -piglets, squirrels, <i>hoober</i> and venison. There were no human parts, so -he guessed that the flesh of man was not so much a staple diet to these -people as a food for religious purposes.</p> - -<p>All he did know was that he would have to take some meat with him. He -gathered strips of dried <i>hoober</i>, rolled them into a ball and stuffed -them in a bag. Then he took down an iron-headed spear and a sharp steel -knife from their rack on the wall. Knife in belt and spear in hand, he -went out the back door.</p> - -<p>Outside, he stopped to listen to the far-off beating of drums and the -chanting of voices. There must be quite a celebration around the wreck.</p> - -<p>"Good," he muttered to himself. "If they get drunk and pass out I'll -have time for what I want to do."</p> - -<p>Staying well within the shadows of the trees, he picked his way to the -back of the hut in which the prisoners were. From where he stood he -could see that there were only six old women—about all the island's -economy could afford, he supposed—and some ten infants, all toddlers. -Most of these, once the excitement caused by the noisy warriors had -subsided with their leavetaking, had lain down close to the fire and -gone to sleep. The only one who might give real trouble, aside from -the guard, was a boy of ten, the one who was now tapping softly on the -drum. At first Green could not understand why he hadn't gone with the -others of his age to the wreck. But the empty stare and the unblinking -way he looked into the fire showed why. Green had no doubt that if -he were to come close enough to the lad, he'd see that the eyeballs -were filmed over with white. Blindness was nothing rare on this filthy -planet.</p> - -<p>Satisfied as to everybody's location, he crept to the back of the hut -and examined the walls. They were made of thick poles driven into the -ground and bound together with rope taken from a 'roller's rigging. -There were plenty of openings for him to look through, but it was so -dark that he could see only the vague outlines moving about.</p> - -<p>He put his mouth to one of the holes and said softly, "Amra!"</p> - -<p>Somebody gasped. A little girl began to cry but was quickly hushed up. -Amra answered, faint with joy.</p> - -<p>"Alan! It can't be <i>you</i>!"</p> - -<p>"I am not thy father's ghost!" he replied, and wondered at the same -time how he could manage to inject any levity at all into the midst of -this desperate situation. He was always doing it. Perhaps it was not -the product of a true humor but more like the giggle of a person who -was embarrassed or under some other stress, more the result of hysteria -than anything else, his particular type of safety valve.</p> - -<p>"Here's what I'm going to do," he said. "Listen carefully, then repeat -it after me so I'll know you have it down."</p> - -<p>She had to hear it only once to give it back to him letter-perfect. He -nodded. "Good girl. I'm going now."</p> - -<p>"Alan!"</p> - -<p>"Yes?" he replied impatiently.</p> - -<p>"If this doesn't work ... if anything should happen to you ... or -me ... remember that I love you."</p> - -<p>He sighed. Even in the midst of this the eternal feminine emerged.</p> - -<p>"I love you, too. But that hasn't got much to do with this situation."</p> - -<p>Before she could answer and waste more valuable time he slid away, -crawling on all fours around the corner of the hut. When he was where -one more pace would have brought him into view of the guard and the -old crones, he stopped. All this while he'd been counting the seconds. -As soon as he'd clocked five minutes—which he thought would never -pass—he rose and stepped swiftly around the corner, spear held in -front of him.</p> - -<p>The guard was drinking out of his mug with his eyes closed and his -throat exposed. He fell over with Green's spear plunged through his -windpipe, just above the breastbone. The mug fell onto his lap and -gushed its amber and foam over his legs.</p> - -<p>Green withdrew the blade and whirled, ready to run upon anybody who -started to flee. But the old women were huddled on their knees around a -large board on which they were rolling some flour, cackling and talking -shrilly. The blind boy continued tapping, his open eyes glaring into -the fire. Only one saw Green, a boy of about three. Thumb in mouth, -he stared with great round eyes at this stranger. But he was either -too horrified to utter a sound or else he did not understand what had -happened and was waiting to find out his elders' reactions before he -offered his own.</p> - -<p>Green lifted one finger to his lips in the universal sign of silence, -then turned and lifted up the bar over the door. Amra rushed out and -took the guard's spear from her husband. The dead man's knife went -to Inzax and his other knife to Aga, a tall, muscular woman who was -captain of the female deck hands and who had once killed a sailor while -defending her somewhat dubious honor.</p> - -<p>At the same time, the chattering of the hags stopped. Green whirled -around, and the silence was broken by shrieks. Frantically, the hags -tried to scramble up from their stiffened knees and run away. But Green -and the women were upon them before they could take more than a few -steps. Not one of them reached the forest. It was grim work, one in -which the Effenycan woman took fierce joy.</p> - -<p>Without wasting a look on the poor old carcasses, Green rounded up -the children and the blind boy and put them in the prisoners' hut. He -had to hold Aga back from slaughtering them. Amra, he was pleased to -see, had made no motion to help them in their intended butchery. She, -understanding his brief look, replied, "I could not kill a child, even -the spawn of these fiends. It would be like stabbing Paxi."</p> - -<p>Green saw one of the women holding his daughter. He ran to her, took -Paxi out of her arms and kissed the baby. Soon, Amra's ten-year-old -child by the sculptor, came shyly and stood by his side, waiting to be -noticed. He kissed her, too. "You're getting to be a big girl, Soon," -he said. "Do you suppose you could tag along behind your mother and -carry Paxi for her? She has to carry her spear."</p> - -<p>The girl, a big-eyed, redheaded beauty, nodded and took the baby.</p> - -<p>Green eyed the long houses with the idea of setting them afire. He -decided not to when it became apparent that the wind would carry sparks -to the hut in which the savages' children were. Moreover, though a fire -would undoubtedly create consternation among the roisterers at the -wreck and keep them busy for some time, it would also cause them to -start tracking down the refugees just that much sooner. Besides, there -was the possibility of setting fire to the forest, wet though it was. -He didn't want to destroy his only hiding-place.</p> - -<p>He directed some women to go into the long house and load themselves -with as much food and weapons as they could carry. In a few minutes he -had the party ready to leave.</p> - -<p>"We'll take this path that leads out of the village away from the path -that goes to the wreck," he said. "Let's hope it goes to the other edge -of the island, where we may find some small 'rollers on which we can -escape. I presume these savages have some kind of sailing craft."</p> - -<p>This path was as narrow and winding as the other one. It worked in the -general direction of the western shore, and the savages were on the -eastern shore.</p> - -<p>Their way at first led upward, sometimes through passes formed by -two large rocks. Several times they had to skirt little lakes, catch -basins for rain. Once a fish flopped out of the water, scaring them. -The island was fairly self-sufficient, what with its fish, rabbits, -squirrels, wild fowl, pigs and various vegetables and fruit. He -estimated that if the village was in the center of the island, then the -mass should have a surface area of about one and a half square miles. -Rough though the land was and thickly covered with grass, the place -should offer cover for one refugee.</p> - -<p>For one, yes, but not for six women and eight children.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>18</h2> - - -<p>After much puffing and panting, muttered encouragements to each other, -and occasional cursing, they finally reached the summit of the tallest -hill. Abruptly, they found themselves facing a clearing which ran -around its crown. Directly ahead of them was a forest of totem poles, -all gleaming palely in the moonlight. Beyond it was the dark yawning of -a large cave.</p> - -<p>Green walked out from the shadows of the branches to take a closer -look. When he came back he said, "There's a little hut by the side of -the cave. I looked in the window. An old woman's asleep in it. But her -cats are wide-awake and likely to wake her up."</p> - -<p>"All those totem poles bear the heads of cats," said Aga. "This place -must be their holy of holies. It's probably taboo to all but the old -priestess."</p> - -<p>"Maybe so," replied Green. "But they must hold religious services of -some sort here. There's a big pile of human skulls on the other side of -the cave mouth, and also a stake covered with bloodstains.</p> - -<p>"We can do two things. Go on down the other side of this hill, jump off -onto the plain and take our chances there. Or else hide inside the cave -and hope that because it's taboo nobody will explore it to look for us."</p> - -<p>"It seems to me that's the first place they'd look into," said Aga.</p> - -<p>"Not if we don't wake the old woman. Then if the savages come along -later and ask her if anybody's come by they'll get no for an answer."</p> - -<p>"What about the cats?"</p> - -<p>Green shrugged his shoulders. "We'll have to take that chance. Perhaps, -if once we get by them and into the cave, they may quiet down."</p> - -<p>He was referring to their caterwauling, which was beginning to sound -dreadful.</p> - -<p>"No," said Aga, "that noise will be a signal to the islanders. They'll -know something's up."</p> - -<p>"Well," replied Green, "I don't know what you intend doing, but I'm -going into that cave. I'm too tired to run any further."</p> - -<p>"So are we," affirmed the other women. "We've reached the end of our -strength."</p> - -<p>There was a silence, and into that silence came a voice, a man's.</p> - -<p>It whispered, "Please do not be startled. Be quiet. It is I...."</p> - -<p>Miran stepped out of the shadows behind them, holding his finger to -his lips, his one eye round and pale in the moonlight. He was a ragged -captain, not at all the elegantly uniformed commander of the <i>Bird of -Fortune</i> and the wealthy-appearing patriarch of the Clan Effenycan. But -he carried in his other hand a canvas bag. Green, seeing it, knew that -Miran had managed somehow not only to escape with his skin but had also -carried off a treasure in jewels.</p> - -<p>"Behold," he announced, waving the bag, "all is not lost."</p> - -<p>Green thought that he was referring to the jewels. However, Miran had -turned and beckoned to someone in the darkness behind him.</p> - -<p>Out of it slipped Grizquetr. Tears shone in his eyes as he ran to his -mother and fell into her arms.</p> - -<p>Amra began weeping softly. Until now she had repressed her grief over -the children she thought forever lost to her. All thought had been -directed to saving her own life and the lives of the two girls who had -survived with her. Now, seeing her eldest son emerge from the shadows -as if from the grave had thawed the frozen well of sorrow.</p> - -<p>She sobbed, "I thank the gods that they have given me back my son."</p> - -<p>"If the gods are so wonderful why did they kill your other two -children?" asked Miran sourly. "And why did they kill my Clansmen, and -why did they smash my <i>Bird</i>? Why...?"</p> - -<p>"Shut up!" said Green. "This is no time to cry about anything. We have -to get out with whole hides. The philosophizing and tears can come -later."</p> - -<p>"Mennirox is an ungrateful god," muttered Miran. "After all I did for -him, too."</p> - -<p>Amra dried her tears and said, "How did you escape? I thought all the -males who hadn't been killed in the wreck were speared?"</p> - -<p>"Almost everybody was," replied Grizquetr. "But I crawled down into -the hold and slipped through to a hiding place beneath one of the fish -tanks, which had overturned. It was wet there, and there were dead fish -nestling beside me. The savages did not find me, though doubtless they -would have when they began salvaging. It was thinking about that that -decided me to crawl back out on the other side of the 'roller away from -the savages. I did so, and I found that I could belly my way through -the grass growing on the edge. I almost died of fright, though, because -I crawled head on into Miran. He was hiding there, too."</p> - -<p>"I was thrown off the foredeck by the impact," interrupted the -captain. "I should have broken every bone in my body, but I landed on -a hull sail, which had come down and was lying on the starboard side, -supported by the fallen mast. It was like falling into a hammock. From -there I dropped into the grass and snaked along the very edge of the -island. Several times I almost fell off, and I would have if I'd been a -pound fatter, an inch wider. As it was...."</p> - -<p>"Listen," said Grizquetr, breaking in. "This island is the <i>wuru</i>!"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" said Green.</p> - -<p>"While I was clinging to the edge of the island I thought I'd hang down -over it and see if there was any place there to hide. There wasn't, -because the underside of the island is one smooth sheet. I know, -because I could see in the moonlight clear to the other side. It was -smooth, smooth, like a slab of iron.</p> - -<p>"And that's not all! You know how the grass on the plains hereabouts -has been tall, uncut? Well, the grass just ahead of the edge was uncut. -But the grass underneath the island was being cut off. Rather, it was -vanishing! The top of the grass was just disappearing into air! Only a -lawn of grass about an inch high was left!"</p> - -<p>"Then this island <i>is</i> one big lawnmower," said Green. "More than just -interesting. But we'll have to investigate that later. Right now...."</p> - -<p>And he walked toward the little hut by the cave mouth. As he -approached it several large house cats streaked out of the doorway. A -moment later Green came out. He grinned broadly.</p> - -<p>"The priestess has passed out. The place smells like a brewery. The -cats are in their cups, too. All drinking from bowls set on the ground -for them, staggering around, yowling, fighting. If they don't wake her -up, nothing can."</p> - -<p>"I have heard that these old priestesses are often drunkards," said -Amra. "They lead a lonely life because they're taboo, and nobody even -goes near them except during certain religious customs. They have only -their bottle and their cats to keep them company."</p> - -<p>"Ah," said Miran, "you are thinking of the Tale of Samdroo, the Tailor -Who Turned Sailor. Yes, that is supposed to be a story to entertain -children, but I'm beginning to think there is a great deal to it. -Remember, the story describes just such a hill and just such a cave. It -is said that every roaming island has just such a place. And...."</p> - -<p>"You talk too much," broke in Aga harshly. "Let's get on into the cave."</p> - -<p>Green could appreciate what Aga's comment meant. Miran had lost face -because he'd allowed his vessel to be wrecked and his Clansmen murdered -en masse. To Aga and the other women he was no longer Captain Miran, -the rich patriarch. He was Miran, the shipwrecked sailor. A fat old -sailor. Just that. Nothing more.</p> - -<p>He could have redeemed himself if he had committed suicide. But his -eagerness to live had resulted in his placing himself on an even lower -level in their estimation.</p> - -<p>Miran must have realized this, for he did not reply. Instead he stood -to one side.</p> - -<p>Green walked thirty paces into the cave, then looked back over his -shoulder. The entrance was still visible, an arch outlined in the -bright moonshine.</p> - -<p>Someone coughed. Green was about to caution them to keep quiet, when -he felt his nostrils tickling and had to fight to down a loud sneeze -himself.</p> - -<p>"Dust."</p> - -<p>"Good," said Green. "Maybe they never come down here."</p> - -<p>Suddenly the tunnel turned at right angles, to the left. The little -light that penetrated from the entrance disappeared in total blackness. -The party halted.</p> - -<p>"What if there are traps set for intruders?" wailed Inzax.</p> - -<p>"That's a chance well have to take," Green growled. "We'll go in the -dark until we come to another turn. Then we'll light up a torch or two. -The natives won't be able to see the glow."</p> - -<p>He walked ahead feeling the wall with his left hand. Suddenly he -stopped. Amra bumped into him.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" she asked anxiously.</p> - -<p>"The rock wall has now become metal. Feel here."</p> - -<p>He guided her hand.</p> - -<p>"You're right," she whispered. "There's a definite seam, and I can tell -the difference between the two!"</p> - -<p>"The floor's metal, too," added Soon. "My feet are bare, and I can feel -it. What's more, the dust is all gone."</p> - -<p>Green went ahead, and after thirty more paces he came to another -ninety-degree turn, to the right. The walls and floor were composed of -the smooth, cool metal. After making sure that the entire party was -around the corner, he told a woman carrying some torches taken from -a long house to light one. Its bright flare showed the group staring -round-eyed at the large chamber in which they stood.</p> - -<p>Everywhere were bare gray metal walls and floors. No furniture of any -kind.</p> - -<p>Nor a speck of dust.</p> - -<p>"There's a doorway to another room," he said. "We might as well go on -in."</p> - -<p>He took the torch from the woman and, holding a cutlass in the other, -he led the way. Once across the threshold he halted.</p> - -<p>This room was even larger than the other. But it had furnishings of a -sort. And its further wall was not metal but earth.</p> - -<p>At the same time the room began to brighten with light coming from an -invisible source.</p> - -<p>Soon screamed and threw herself against her mother, clinging -desperately to her waist. The babies began howling, and the other -adults acted in the various ways that panic affected them.</p> - -<p>Green alone remained unmoved. He knew what was happening, but he -couldn't blame the rest for their behavior. They had never heard of an -electronic eye, so they couldn't be expected to maintain coolness.</p> - -<p>The only thing that Green feared at that moment was that the outcries -would be heard by the savages outside the cave. So he hastened to -assure the women that this phenomenon was nothing to be frightened -about. It was common in his home country. A mere matter of white magic -that anyone could practice.</p> - -<p>They quieted down but were still uneasy. Wide-eyed, they bunched up -about him.</p> - -<p>"The natives themselves aren't scared of this," he said. "They must -come here at times. See? There's an altar built against that dirt wall. -And from the bones piled beneath it I'd say that sacrifices were held -here."</p> - -<p>He looked for another door. There seemed to be none. He found it hard -to believe that there couldn't be. Somehow he'd had the feeling that -great things lay ahead of him. These rooms, and this lighting, were -evidences of an earlier civilization that quite possibly had been -on a level with his own. He'd known that the island itself must be -powered with an automatically working anti-gravity plant, fueled either -atomically or from the planet's magneto-gravitic field. Why the whole -unit should be covered with rocks and soil and trees he didn't know. -But he had been sure that somewhere in the bowels of this mass of land -was just such a place as this. And more. Where was the power plant? Was -it sealed up so that no one could get to it? Or, as was likely, was -there a door to the plant which could not be opened unless one had a -key of some sort?</p> - -<p>First he had to find the door.</p> - -<p>He examined the altar, which was made of iron. It was a platform about -three feet high and ten feet square. Upon it stood a chair, fashioned -from pieces of iron. From its back rose a steel rod about half an inch -in diameter and ten feet long, its lower end held secure between two -uprights by a thick iron fork. Once the fork was withdrawn, the rod -would obviously fall over against the earth wall behind it, though the -lower end would still remain on the uprights and would, in fact, stick -against whoever was sitting in the chair at the moment.</p> - -<p>"Odd," said Green. "If it weren't for those catheaded idols on the -ends of the platform, and the bones at its foot, I'd not know this -<i>was</i> an altar. Bones! They're black, burned black."</p> - -<p>He looked again at the rod. "Now," he said, half to himself, "if I were -to withdraw the fork, and the rod fell, it would strike the wall. That -is evident. But what is it all about?"</p> - -<p>Amra brought him some long pieces of rope.</p> - -<p>"These were stacked against the wall," she said.</p> - -<p>"Yes? Ah! Now, if I were to tie one end of this rope about the apex of -that rod, and someone else were to stand upon the altar and take out -the fork, then I could control which direction the rod would fall by -pulling it toward me. Or allowing it to go away from me. And the person -who had taken the fork out would then have plenty of time to get down -from the altar and back to the region of safety, where the rope-wielder -and his friends would be stationed. Alas, the poor fellow sitting in -the chair! Yes, I see it all now."</p> - -<p>He looked up from the rope he held in his hand. "Aga!" he said sharply. -"Get away from that wall!"</p> - -<p>The tall, lean woman was walking past the altar, holding her bare -cutlass in her hand. When she heard Green she paused in her stride, -gave him an astonished look, then continued.</p> - -<p>"You don't understand," she called back over her shoulder. "This wall -isn't solid earth. It's fluffy, like a young chick's feathers. It's -dust, dust. I think we can knock it down, cut our way through. There -must be something on the other side...."</p> - -<p>"Aga!" he yelled. "Don't! Stop where you are!"</p> - -<p>But she had lifted her blade and brought it down in a hard stroke that -was to show him how easy the stuff would be to slash away.</p> - -<p>Green grabbed Amra and Paxi and dived to the floor, pulling them with -him.</p> - -<p>Thunder roared and lightning filled the room, dazzling and deafening -him! Even in its midst he could see the dark figure of Aga, transfixed, -crucified in white fire.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>19</h2> - - -<p>Then Aga was blotted out by the dense cloud of dust that billowed out -over her and filled the whole room. With it came an intense heat. Green -opened his mouth to cry out to Amra and Paxi to cover their faces and -especially their noses. Before he could do so his own open mouth was -packed with dust and his nostrils were full. He began sneezing and -coughing explosively, while his eyes ran tears in their efforts to wash -out the dirt that caked and burned them. Clods of dirt struck him, -hurled by the blast. They didn't hurt because they were so small and -so fluffy. But they fell so swiftly and in such numbers that he was -half-buried under them. Even in the midst of his shock he couldn't help -being thankful that he'd been breathing out when the heat struck him. -Otherwise he'd have sucked in air that would have seared his lungs, -and he'd have dropped dead. As it was, wherever his skin had not been -covered by cloth he felt as if he were suffering a bad case of sunburn.</p> - -<p>Painfully, he rose on all fours and began crawling toward the other -room, where he thought the dust would not be so thick. At the same -time he tugged at Amra's arm—at least he supposed it was her arm, -since she'd been so close to him when the explosion took place. His -gesture was intended to tell her that she should follow him. She rose -and followed him, touching him from time to time. Once she stopped, and -he turned to find out what was bothering her, even if he felt that he -couldn't stand much more of the almost solid dust in his lungs and had -to get out to open air or strangle. Then he knew that the woman was -Amra, for she was carrying a child in her arms. The child had a scarf -around her head and, as he remembered, Paxi was the only infant so -dressed.</p> - -<p>Coughing violently, he rose to his feet, pulling Amra to hers, and -swiftly walked toward where he hoped the exit was. He knew he'd fallen -on his face in the general direction of the doorway; if he kept in a -straight line he might make it without wandering off to one side.</p> - -<p>He found soon enough that he was going just opposite, for he fell -headlong over a body on the floor. When he got up again, he ran his -hands over the body. The skin was crusty, scaly. Aga's burned corpse. -The cutlass was lying by her side, assuring him of her identity.</p> - -<p>Re-oriented, he turned back, still pulling Amra by the hand. This time -he ran into a wall, but he had his free hand stretched out in front of -him for just such an event. Frantically, he groped to his left until -he came to the corner of the room. Then, knowing that the doorway lay -back to his right, he turned and felt along the metal until he came to -the opening. He plunged through it, almost fell into the other room, -which was as dark and dusty as the one he'd just left. He trotted on -ahead, bumped into another wall, groped to his right, found the next -exit and ran through that. Here the air was much more free of dust. He -could actually make out outlines of his companions as the light was -penetrating the fainter haze.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless he and the others were coughing and weeping as if they -were trying to eject lungs and eyeballs alike. Spasm after spasm shook -them.</p> - -<p>Green decided that this room wasn't really much better than the others, -so he led Amra and Paxi around the right-angled corner and into the -dark tunnel. Here his violent rackings began to quiet down and by rapid -blinking, which forced tears, he cleaned his eyes of much of the dust. -Anxiously, he peered down the passageway toward its end, where the cave -mouth formed a dim arch in the moonlight outside.</p> - -<p>It was as he'd feared. Somebody stood there, outlined in the beams, -bent forward, peering in.</p> - -<p>He thought that it must be the priestess, for the figure was slight and -the hair was pulled up on top of the head in a great Psyche knot with a -feather stuck through it. Moreover, around her feet were four or five -cats.</p> - -<p>His coughing betrayed him, for the priestess suddenly whirled and -trotted off on her sticklike legs. Green dropped Amra's hand and ran, -at the same time drawing his stiletto from his belt, as he'd lost his -cutlass during the explosion. He had to stop the priestess, though he -didn't know what good it would do. The savages sooner or later would -come to the sanctuary to ask if she'd seen any of the refugees. And if -they couldn't find her they would at once suspect what had happened. -The chances were that they already knew. Surely, the noise of the blast -must have penetrated even to their ears.</p> - -<p>Or had it? The air waves had to round several perpendicular turns -before reaching the cave mouth, and it might be that the noise had -seemed much greater to Green than it actually was because he'd been so -close to it. Perhaps there was some hope.</p> - -<p>He ran into the clearing before the cave mouth. The sun was just coming -over the horizon, so he could see things clearly. The old woman was -nowhere in sight. The only live things were several drunken cats. One -of these began to rub its back against Green's leg and purred loudly. -Automatically, he stooped down and caressed it, though his gaze -flickered everywhere for a sign of the priestess. The door of her hut -was open and since it was so small he could be certain that she had no -room in there to hide from him. She must have run off down the path.</p> - -<p>If so, she wasn't making any noise about it. There were no outcries -from her to call her companions to her help.</p> - -<p>He found her lying face down on the path, halfway down the hill. At -first he thought she was playing possum, so he turned her over, his -stiletto ready to shut off any outcry. A glance at her hanging jaw and -ashen color convinced him that her possum-playing days were over. At -first, he thought she'd tripped and broken her neck, but an examination -disproved this. The only thing he could think of was that her old heart -had given away under the sudden fright and the stress of running.</p> - -<p>Something brushed his ankles. So startled was he, so convinced that a -spear had just missed him, he leaped into the air and whirled around. -Then he saw that it was only the cat that had rubbed itself against -him when he'd first come out of the tunnel. It was a large female cat -with a beautiful long black silky coat and with golden eyes. It exactly -resembled the Earth cat and was probably descended from the same -ancestors as its terrestrial counterpart. Wherever Homo sapiens of the -unthinkably long ago had penetrated he seemed to have taken his canine -and feline pets.</p> - -<p>"You like me, huh?" said Green. "Well, I like you, too, but I'm not -going to if you keep on scaring me. I've been through enough tonight -for a lifetime."</p> - -<p>The cat, purring, paced delicately toward him.</p> - -<p>"Maybe you can do me some good," he said and lifted the cat to his -shoulder, where she crouched, vibrating with contentment.</p> - -<p>"I don't know what you see in me," he confided softly to her. "I must -be a frightful-looking object, what with being covered with dust, and -my eyes red and raw and running. But then, you're not so delightful -yourself, what with your beery breath blowing in my face. I like you -very much, What's-your-name. What <i>is</i> your name? Let's call you Lady -Luck. After all, when I rubbed you I found the priestess dead. If she -hadn't died she'd have got away to warn the cannibals. And obviously, -you, her luck, had deserted her for me. So Lady Luck it will be. Let's -go back up the hill and see what's happened to the rest of my friends."</p> - -<p>He found Amra sitting down at the cave's mouth, cuddling Paxi in an -effort to quiet her. Nine others were there, too, Grizquetr, Soon, -Miran, Inzax, three women, two little girls. The rest, he presumed, -were lying dead or unconscious in the altar room. They made a -dirty-looking, red-eyed, weary group, not good for much except lying -down and passing out.</p> - -<p>"Look," he said, "we have to have sleep, whatever else happens. We'll -go back into the first chamber and get some there, and...."</p> - -<p>As one, the others protested that nothing would get them to return -anywhere near that horrible fiend-haunted room. Green was at a loss. -He thought he knew exactly what had happened, but he just could not -explain to these people in terms they'd understand. And they probably -would have a dark distrust of him from then on.</p> - -<p>He decided to take the simple, if untrue, explanation.</p> - -<p>"Undoubtedly Aga provoked a host of demons by striking at the wall -behind the altar," he said. "I tried to warn her. You all heard me. But -those demons won't bother us again, for we are now under the protection -of the cat, the cannibals' totem. Moreover it is the nature of such -beings that, once they've released their fury and taken some victims, -they are harmless, quiescent, for a long time after. It takes time for -them to build up strength enough to hurt human beings again."</p> - -<p>They swallowed this offering as they would never have his other -explanation.</p> - -<p>"If you will lead the way," they said, "we will return. We put our -lives in your hands."</p> - -<p>Before going into the cave he paused to take another survey. From his -spot in the clearing, which was almost on the top of the hill, he could -look over the tree tops and see most of the island, except where other -hills barred his view. The island had stopped moving and had settled -down against the plain itself. Now, to the untutored eye, the entire -mass looked like a clump of dirt, rocks and vegetation for some reason -rising from the grassy seas. It would remain so until dusk, when it -would again launch itself upon its five-mile-an-hour journey to the -east. And once having reached a certain point there, it would reverse -itself and begin its nocturnal pilgrimage toward the west. Back and -forth, shuttling for how many thousands of years? What was its purpose, -and whom had its builders been? Surely they could not have conceived in -their wildest dreams of its present use, a mobile fortress for a tribe -of cannibals?</p> - -<p>Nor could they have seen to what uses their dust-collectors would be -put. They couldn't have guessed that, millennia thence, men ignorant of -their originally intended purpose would be using the devices as part of -their religious ritual and of human sacrifice.</p> - -<p>Green left the others in the room next to the one where the explosion -had taken place. They lay down on the hard floor and at once went to -sleep. He, however, felt that there were certain things that had to be -done and that he was the only one physically capable of doing them.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>20</h2> - - -<p>Though he hated to go back into the altar room, he forced himself. The -scene of carnage was bad enough, but not as repulsive as he'd expected. -Dust had thrown a gray veil of mercy over the bodies. They looked like -peaceful gray statues; most of them had not burned on the outside but -had died because they'd breathed the first lung-scorching wave of air -directly. Nevertheless, despite the look of peace and antiquity, the -odor of burned flesh from Aga hung heavy. Lady Luck bristled and arched -her back, and for a moment Green thought she was going to leap from his -shoulder and run away.</p> - -<p>He said, "Take it easy," then decided that she must have smelled -this often before. Her present reaction was based on past episodes; -probably, there had been great excitement then. The cats, being taboo -animals, must have been figures of some importance in the sacrificial -ceremonies.</p> - -<p>Cautiously, the man approached the wall of dirt behind the altar, even -though he did not think there would be any danger for some time to -come. The altar itself was comparatively undamaged. Surprised at this, -he ran his hand over it and found out that it was composed of baked -clay, hard as rock. The chair and metal rod had not been torn loose. -Both were tightly bolted down with huge studs which he supposed had -been taken off wrecked 'rollers.</p> - -<p>The victims that were tied in the chair by the savages must have been -sitting looking at the audience, so that their backs were to the wall -itself. That meant that when the rod was dropped to make contact -between the wall and victim, the discharge only burned the sacrifice's -head. Evidence of that was the fact that only skulls were stacked -around the altar. The charred head was severed and the body carted -outside to one destination or another.</p> - -<p>What puzzled Green was how the audience managed to escape the fury of -the blast and of the dust, even if they stood at the farthest end of -the big room. Determined to find out what happened at those times, he -returned to the doorway. Just around its corner, in the second room, he -discovered what he'd not noticed before, probably because it was placed -so upright and so firmly against one side of the wall. And because its -back, which was turned away from the wall, was also made of gray metal. -When he switched it around so he could see its other side, he was -staring into a mirror about six feet high and four feet wide.</p> - -<p>Now he could visualize the ceremony. The victim was strapped into the -chair and a rope was tied around the rod. Everybody but the priestess, -or whoever conducted the rites, retreated from the altar room. The -conductor himself, or herself, then stood in the doorway and released -the cord. Before the rod could make contact, the conductor had stepped -around the corner. And there the audience saw in the mirror, placed -in the doorway so it reflected the interior of the altar room, the -ravening discharge of a tremendous electrostatic blast. And immediately -afterward, no doubt, they saw nothing because of the dust that would -fill the two rooms.</p> - -<p>Strange and strong magic to the savages. What myths they must have -built about this room, what tales of horrible and powerful gods or -demons imprisoned in that wall of dirt! Surely their old women must -whisper to the wide-eyed children stories of how the Great Cat-Spirit -had been caught by their legendary strong man and savior, some analog -to Hercules or Gilgamesh or Thor, and how the Cat-Spirit was the -tribe's to keep prisoner with their magic and to appease from time to -time with human kills from other tribes lest it become so angry it -burst through the wall of earth and devour everybody upon the floating -island!</p> - -<p>Green knew that it was hopeless to try to dig through that wall, even -if it would be safe for days. It might only be several feet thick, or -it might be twenty or more.</p> - -<p>But however thick it was, he bet that anybody who had the tools, time -and strength to excavate would find, embedded somewhere in that mass, -several large dust-collectors. He didn't know what shape they'd take, -because that would depend on the culture that had built them, and their -tastes in decorations would differ from Green's multimillennia-later -society. But if they had architectural ideas similar to present-day -Terrans they would have constructed the collectors in the shape of -busts or of animals' heads or even of bookcases with false backs of -books filling them, books that would in reality have been both chargers -and filters. The busts or books would have been pierced with many tiny -holes, and through these holes the charged particles of dust would have -drifted. Once inside the collectors, they would have been burned.</p> - -<p>Looking at the blank dirt before him, Green could see what had happened -through the ages. Some part of the burning mechanism had gone -wrong—as was the custom of mechanisms everywhere. But the charging -effect had continued. And though the dust had piled up around the -collectors, the extraordinarily powerful fields had continued to work -even through the thick blanket. In the beginning, of course, their -field could not have caused any human being harm. But these batteries -must have been built to adjust to whatever demand was made of them, -though their builders, of course, could have had no idea of how great -that demand would some day be. Nevertheless it had come, and the -batteries had been equal to it. By the time the savages had found this -room they were blocked off by this imposing wall.</p> - -<p>Through the death of their fellows they had discovered that touching -the wall caused a terrible discharge of electrostatic electricity. The -rest of the apparatus for execution and the ritual that went with it -was foregone and logical, religiously speaking.</p> - -<p>Green swore with frustration. How he would love to get through that -dirt before another charge built up! On the other side must be another -doorway, and it must lead to the fuel and control rooms for this whole -island. If he could get inside and there figure out the controls, he'd -turn this island upside down and shake off the man-eating monsters. -There'd be no holding him then!</p> - -<p>He remembered the story of Samdroo, the Tailor Who Turned Sailor. The -legend went that Samdroo, his 'roller wrecked upon just such a roaming -island as this one, had wandered into just such a cave and through -rooms like these. But he'd found no barrier of electrically charged -dirt and had walked into a room which contained many strange things. -One of them was a great eye that allowed Samdroo to see in it what was -happening outside the cave. Another was a board which contained many -round faces over which raced little squiggles and lines. Of course, the -story had its own explanations for what these things were, but Green -could hardly fail to recognize TV, oscilloscopes and other instruments.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately his knowledge was going to do him no good. He wasn't -going to get through the dirt. Nor was he to be allowed time for -excavation and exploration. Every minute on this island meant that he -was traveling back to Quotz and its revengeful Duchess and getting -farther from Estorya, where the two spacemen and their ship were. He -had to find a way of getting off this place and onto some means of -transportation.</p> - -<p>He left the death chamber and went into the next room. After slumping -down against the wall, between Amra with Paxi in her arms, and Inzax -with Grizquetr in hers, he chewed some dried meat. Lady Luck meowed for -some and he gladly gave her all she wanted. When he'd swallowed all he -could hold without bursting and had washed that down with great drafts -of the warm and sweet beer taken from the priestess's hut, he closed -his eyes. Now, it was up to his Vigilante to take the food and rebuild -his wasted tissue, throw off the effects of autointoxication, tone -his tired muscles, relax his too-taut nerves, readjust his hormonal -balance....</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>21</h2> - - -<p>Green dreamed that his mouth and nose were clogged with dirt and that -he was suffocating. He woke to find that, while there was no earth upon -him, he was having a difficult time getting his breath. Remedying that -by removing the cat from his face, he rose.</p> - -<p>"What do you want?" he asked her. She was mewing and striking gently at -him.</p> - -<p>She padded toward the doorway to the outside, so he imagined that she -wished him to follow her. Grasping his cutlass, he walked after her and -out to the tunnel that led to the cave mouth. Not until then did he -hear the booming of cannon, far away.</p> - -<p>The cat meowed plaintively. Evidently, she'd heard cannonfire before -and had not liked the results.</p> - -<p>Once out of the cave he stopped to look up at the sun. It was on its -downward path from the zenith. About four o'clock in the afternoon. -He'd slept about ten hours.</p> - -<p>Unable to see much from where he stood, he climbed up the rocks outside -the cave and soon stood upon the very top of the hill, a little -tableland about ten feet square. From there he commanded as good a -view of the island as anyone could get.</p> - -<p>Tacking around the periphery of the island were three long, low, -black-hulled 'rollers with over-large wheels and scarlet sails. -Occasionally a lance of red spurted from one of the vessel's ports, a -boom reached Green's ears a few seconds later and he would see the iron -ball climb up and up, then fall toward the village. A tree around the -clearing would lose a limb, or a spurt of dust would show where a ball -landed in the clearing itself. Two of the long houses had big holes in -their roofs. The village itself was deserted, as no one with good sense -would have remained there. None of the cannibals were visible, but that -wasn't surprising, considering how thick the woods were.</p> - -<p>Green hoped the Vings would land soon and clean out the savages. -That would leave him and his party a clear field, unless the pirates -investigated the cave in the same day. If they didn't, then the -refugees could leave the island and take to the plains under cover of -the night.</p> - -<p>Anxiously, Green traced the path that led from the hilltop where he -stood and wound down to the village. It was a narrow trail and he often -lost sight of it. But always there was a difference in the shading of -the tree tops along the trail and the rest of the forest. With his eye -he could follow the shading to the village and beyond, toward the back -or western part of the island.</p> - -<p>It was here that he came across the first sign of hope he had had -since the wreck of the <i>Bird of Fortune</i>. It was a small break in the -vegetation, which ran uninterrupted to the very edge of the island, a -shelf of seemingly smooth earth, almost hidden from him by the slope of -the terrain. Indeed, he could barely make it out and might have missed -it altogether, but he saw the masts of three small 'rollers projecting -from above the slope and followed them down toward the hulls. All three -were yachts, obviously not of islander make. Beyond the stolen craft -were the uprights of davits. These were behind a wall of branches, -camouflage for anybody outside the island but visible to those on the -inside.</p> - -<p>It was all Green could do to keep from whooping with joy. Now he and -his party wouldn't have to cast themselves on foot on the dangerous -plains. They could sail in comparative safety. Now, while the cannibals -were cowering helplessly under the bombardment Green could lead his -people through the woods to the yachts. When dusk came and the island -began moving again they could lower a yacht from the davits and set -sail.</p> - -<p>He went back to the cave entrance, where he found everybody awake, -waiting for him.</p> - -<p>He told them what he'd seen and added, "If the Vings come aboard we'll -take advantage of the confusion and escape."</p> - -<p>Miran looked at the sun and shook his head. "The Vings won't attack -now. It's too close to dusk. They'll want a full day for fighting. -They'll follow the island tonight. When dawn comes and the island stops -they'll board."</p> - -<p>"I bow to your superior experience," Green said. "Only I'd like to ask -you one thing. Why don't the Vings launch their small craft at night -and land boarding parties from them?"</p> - -<p>Miran looked surprised. "No one does that! It's unthinkable! Don't you -know that at night the plains abound in spirits and demons? The Vings -wouldn't think of taking a chance on what the magic of the savages -might unloose against them in the darkness."</p> - -<p>"I knew of the general attitude, but it had slipped my mind," admitted -Green. "But if this is so, why did you all wander about this place the -night the <i>Bird</i> was wrecked?"</p> - -<p>"That was a situation where we preferred the somewhat uncertain -possibility of stumbling across demons to the certainty of being killed -by the cannibals," said Miran.</p> - -<p>"To be honest," said Amra, "I was too scared to think of ghosts. If I -had I might have stayed where I was.... No, I wouldn't either. I've -never seen a ghost, but I had seen those savages."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Green, "all of you might as well make up your mind that, -come ghosts, demons, or men, we're walking through the dark tonight. -All those too scared will have to stay behind."</p> - -<p>He began issuing orders, and in a short time he had the sleepy-eyed, -bedraggled and dirty-looking party ready. After that, he turned to -watch the bombardment.</p> - -<p>By then it had largely ceased. Only occasionally did one of the vessels -loose a single cannon shot. The rest of the time they spent in tacking -back and forth and in running up close to the very edge of the island.</p> - -<p>"I think they are trying the temper of the island's inhabitants," Green -said. "They don't know whether the woods conceal a hundred savages or -a thousand, or whether they're armed with cannons and muskets or just -with spears. They want to draw fire, so they can get an estimate of -what they're facing."</p> - -<p>He turned to Miran. "Which reminds me, why is it that the natives don't -use guns? They must have a chance to get their hands on many from the -wrecks."</p> - -<p>The fat merchant shrugged and rolled his one good eye to indicate that -he didn't really know but was making a guess.</p> - -<p>"Probably they've a taboo against using firearms. Whatever the reason, -they're evidently suffering because they neglect them. Look how few -they are. Only fifty men! They must have lost quite a few through -raids from other savage tribes, both from those who live upon the -plain itself and from those who live on other roaming islands. They're -down to the point now where they must die out within a generation, -even without help from such as those," he said, pointing to the Ving -'rollers.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and I suppose that during the daytime, when the island is -stopped, grass cats and dire dogs board it. These must take their toll -of the humans."</p> - -<p>He gazed again at the red sails and wheels of the Vings. "I'd think -that those pirates would take every island they could and would use -them as bases from which to operate."</p> - -<p>"They do," said Amra. "For a generation now the Vings have been -scouring the plains, locating the islands and exterminating the savages -on them. Then they've fortified the islands, so that you might say that -today the Xurdimur is dominated by them. But there's a drawback to an -island as a harbor. No large 'roller may get very close except in the -daylight. They have to put out to grass every night and follow their -base at a safe distance until dawn. However, though the Vings are well -established on many roamers, they're often attacked by the navies of -various nations and sometimes driven off. Then the nation that takes -possession of the island has a nice little base. And, of course, quite -often they use it to launch their own piratical ventures against the -craft of countries at peace with them.</p> - -<p>"Oh, the Xurdimur is a land where every man's hand is against the -other, and the devil take the ones with short sail! A man may make his -fortune or break his heart, all in a night's work. But, then, you know -that only too well."</p> - -<p>Green interrupted, "We'll leave them, and the natives, too, when -moonlight gets here. I only hope that there aren't other Ving craft in -the neighborhood."</p> - -<p>"What the gods will, happens," replied Miran. His sad face reflected -the belief that if he, the favorite of Mennirox, could come to grief, -then Green could expect even worse.</p> - -<p>When dusk came, Green walked from the cave into the dark and hard rain. -Behind him came Amra, one hand upon his shoulder, the other supporting -Paxi. The rest were stretched out in a line behind her, each person's -hand on the shoulder of the one ahead.</p> - -<p>The black cat was underneath Green's coat, riding in a large pocket of -his shirt. She had made it plain to him that where he went, she went. -And Green, to avoid a big fuss and also because he was beginning to -feel very affectionate toward her, allowed her to come along.</p> - -<p>The descent from the hilltop was an anxious and stumbling trip. Green, -after ten minutes of groping along the path, had to acknowledge he did -not know where he was. So many windings had the path taken that he -did not know whether he was going east, north, south, or in the right -direction, west.</p> - -<p>Actually, it didn't really matter, as long as it brought him to the -edge of the island. He could skirt the edge until he arrived at the -fleet craft that would give them a chance for flight.</p> - -<p>The trouble was in finding that rim. He was afraid that it would be -possible to wander in circles and figure eights until moonlight. Then, -though they'd be able to orient themselves, they'd also be exposed to -the view of the cannibals. And if they found themselves, say, at the -eastern edge, their journey around would be perilous indeed.</p> - -<p>Occasional lightning flashed, and then he could make out his immediate -environment. These brief revelations weren't much help. All he could -see were the solid-seeming walls of tree trunks and bushes.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Amra spoke. "Do you think we're getting close?"</p> - -<p>He stopped so suddenly that the entire line lurched into him. Lightning -burst again, quite close by. The cat, curled in his coat pocket, spat -and tried to shrink into an even smaller ball. Absently, Green patted -her from outside the coat. He said, "Your name <i>is</i> Lady Luck. I just -saw the village. Now we're getting some place. I really needed that -referent."</p> - -<p>He wasn't worried about the inhabitants of the village. All were -undoubtedly cowering under the roofs of their long houses, praying to -whatever gods they worshiped that they would not send the lightning -their way. There would be little danger if the whole party were to walk -through the center of the village. He planned to take no chances at -all, however, and ordered everybody to follow him around the clearing.</p> - -<p>"It won't be long now!" he said to Amra. "Pass the word back and cheer -everybody up."</p> - -<p>Half an hour later he wished he'd kept his mouth shut. It was true that -he'd followed the wandering path to the cove where their boats were -kept. But he'd at once drawn his breath in pain of surprise.</p> - -<p>A lightning bolt had illuminated the gray rock walls of the cove, its -broad shelf, and the high black iron davits.</p> - -<p>But the yachts were gone!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>22</h2> - - -<p>Later Green thought that if ever the time came when he should have -cracked up, that instant of loss, white and sudden as the lightning -itself, should have been the one.</p> - -<p>The others cried out loudly in their grief and shock, but he was as -silent as the empty stone shelf. He could not move nor utter a word; -all seemed hopeless, so what was the use of motion or talk?</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, he was human, and human beings hope even when there is no -justification for it. Nor could he remain frozen until the next stroke -of lightning would reveal to the others the state of their leader. He -<i>had</i> to act. What if his actions <i>were</i> meaningless? Mere movement -answered for the demands of the body, and at that moment it was his -body that could move. His mind was congealed.</p> - -<p>Shouting to the others to scatter and look about in the brush, but not -to scatter too far, he began climbing up the slope of the hill. When -he had reached its top he left the path and plunged into the forest to -his right on the theory that if the yachts were anywhere they must be -there. He had two ideas about where they might be. One was that the -Vings had spotted them and had sent in a party aboard a gig to push -them over the side of the island. Thus, when the island had begun its -nightly voyage it had left the 'rollers sitting upon the plain. The -other theory was also inspired by the presence of the Vings. Perhaps -the savages had hidden their craft because of just such an event as -his first theory put forth. To do that they would have had to haul the -'rollers up the less steep slant of the cove.</p> - -<p>At the point where he would have looped a rope around a tree and used -it to pull a yacht uphill, he saw all three of the missing craft. They -were nestling side by side just over the lip of the slope, their hulls -hidden by brush piled up before them. Their tall masts, of course, -would be taken for tree trunks by anybody but a very close observer.</p> - -<p>Green yelled with joy, then whirled to run back and tell the others. -And slammed into a tree trunk. He picked himself up, swearing because -he'd hurt his nose. And tripped over something and fell again. -Thereafter, he seemed to be in a night-mare of frustration, of -conspiracy between tree and night to catch and delay him. Where his -trip up had been easy, his trip back was a continued barking of shins, -bumping of nose, and tearing loose from clutching bushes and thorns. -His confusion wasn't at all helped when the lightning ceased, because -he'd been guiding himself by its frequent flashes. And Lady Luck, -alarmed at all the hard knocks she was getting, struggled out of his -shirt pocket and slipped into the forest. He called to her to come -back, but she had had enough of him, for the time being, anyway.</p> - -<p>For a brief moment he thought of the fantastic device of grabbing -hold of her tail and following her through the dark. But she was gone, -and the idea wouldn't have worked, anyway. More than likely she'd have -turned and bitten his hands until he released her.</p> - -<p>There was nothing to do but make his own way back.</p> - -<p>After ten minutes of frantic struggling, during which he suddenly -realized he'd turned the wrong way and was wandering away from the edge -of the island, he saw the clouds disappear. With the bright moon came -vision and sanity. He turned around and in a short time was back at the -cove.</p> - -<p>"What happened to you?" asked Amra. "We thought maybe you'd fallen off -the edge."</p> - -<p>"That's about all that didn't happen," he said, irritated now that he -had been so easily lost. He told them where the yachts were and added, -"We'll have to let one down by a rope before we can connect it to the -davits. It'll take a lot of pushing and pulling, a lot of muscle. -Everybody up on the hill, including the children!"</p> - -<p>Wearily, they climbed up the slope to the top and shoved one of the -'rollers up the slight incline of the depression to the lip of the -hill. Green picked up one of the wet ropes lying on the ground and -passed it around the tree. Its trunk had a groove where many ropes had -worn a path during similar operations. One end he gave to half of the -party, putting Miran in charge of them. The other end he tied in a -bowknot to a huge iron eye which projected from the stern of the craft. -Then, ordering the other half of the women to help him push, he got the -'roller over the lip and down the slope, while the rope gang slowly -released the double loop around the tree in short jerks.</p> - -<p>When the craft had halted by the davits, Green untied the rope. His -next step would be to back the yacht in between the davits so that he -could hook up its ropes and lift it. Fortunately, there was a winch and -cable for this. Unfortunately, the winch was hand-operated and had been -allowed to get rusty. It would work only with great resistance and with -loud squeaking. Not that more noise mattered, for the party had made so -much that only the fact that the wind was from the east could have kept -the savages in ignorance of the survivors' whereabouts.</p> - -<p>It was as if his thinking of them had brought them upon the scene. -Grizquetr, who'd been stationed in a tree as a sentinel, called down, -"I see a torch! It's somewhere in the woods, about half a mile away. -Oh! There's another one! And another one!"</p> - -<p>Green said, "Do you think they're on the path that leads here?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know. But they're coming this way, winding here and there, -wandering like Samdroo when he was lost in the Mirrored Mazes of -Gil-Ka-Ku, The Black One! Yes, they must be on the path!"</p> - -<p>Green began feverishly tying the davit-ropes to the axles of the craft. -He sweated with anxiety and cursed when his fumbling fingers got in the -way of his haste. But the tying of the four bowknots actually took less -than a minute, in spite of the way time seemed to race past him.</p> - -<p>That done he had to order off the yacht some of the women who had -climbed aboard. Only the women who had to take care of very small -infants and the older children were to be on that boat.</p> - -<p>"Just who do you think is going to work the winch?" he barked at the -too-eager. "Now, jump to it!"</p> - -<p>One of the women on the 'roller wailed, "Are you going to stay on the -island and leave us all alone on this 'roller in the midst of the -Xurdimur?"</p> - -<p>"No," he answered, as calmly as possible. "We're going to lower you -to the ground. Then we're going back up the hill and shove the other -'rollers over the edge so that they can't be used by the savages to -come after us. We'll jump off and walk back to you."</p> - -<p>Seeing that the women were still not convinced and softened by their -pitiable looks, he called to Grizquetr.</p> - -<p>"Come down! And get on the boat!"</p> - -<p>And when the boy had run down the slope and halted by his side, -breathing hard and looking up at him for his orders, Green said, "I'm -delegating you to guard these women and babies until we arrive. Okay?"</p> - -<p>"Okay," said Grizquetr, grinning, his chest swelling because of the -importance of the duty. "I'm captain until you climb aboard, is that -it?"</p> - -<p>"You're a captain and a good one too," said Green, slapping him lightly -on the shoulder. Then he ordered the winches turned until the 'roller -was hoisted into the air a few inches. As soon as the rusty machines -had groaningly fulfilled their functions he had the craft lowered over -the edge and down to the plain. The transition was smoothly made; the -yacht's wheels began turning; the nose lifted only slightly because -of the superior pull on the ropes tied to the bow; the stem ropes -were paid out a little to equalize the strain; then, obeying Green's -gesture, the women aboard it pulled at the bowknots, which untied -simultaneously. Not until then did he breathe a little easier, for if -one or more had refused to slip loose as swiftly as another, the craft -might have been pulled up on one side or dragged around by either end -and thus capsized.</p> - -<p>For a few seconds he watched the 'roller slip away, coasting on its -momentum but headed at right angles to the direction of the island. -Then it had stopped, and it began to grow smaller as the island left it -behind. From it came the thin wailing of his daughter Paxi. It broke -the spell that momentarily held him. He began running up the slope, -shouting, "Follow me!"</p> - -<p>Reaching the crest of the hill ahead of the others, he took time for a -glance through the woods. Sure enough, torches bobbed up and down and -flickered in and out as they passed between tree trunks. And there were -drums beating somewhere on the island.</p> - -<p>Lady Luck shot out of the woods, leaped upon Green's knee, scaled his -shirt front and came to rest upon his shoulder. "Ah, you wandering -wench, you," he said, "I knew you couldn't stay away from my -irresistible charm, now could you?"</p> - -<p>Lady Luck didn't reply but gazed anxiously at the forest.</p> - -<p>"Never fear, my pretty little one," he said. "They'll not touch a hair -of my fine blond head. Nor a silky black one of yours."</p> - -<p>By then the others, puffing and panting, had gained the top of the -hill. He set them to pushing on the stern of a yacht, and in a minute -they had sent it headlong down the hill. When it rushed over the edge -and disappeared with a crash on the plain below they had all they could -do to restrain their cheers. Small revenge for the suffering they'd -had to undergo. But it was something.</p> - -<p>"Now for the other," said Green. "Then everybody run as if the demons -of Gil-Ka-Ku were on your tails!"</p> - -<p>Grunting, they pushed the last 'roller up the little incline, then -gathered their strength for the final heave that would launch it, too, -upon its last voyage.</p> - -<p>And at that moment some savages who'd been running ahead of the -torch-bearers burst out of the woods.</p> - -<p>Green took one look and realized that they would get between the edge -of the island and his party. There were about ten of them; they not -only outnumbered his own force but were strong men against women. And -they had spears, whereas his people were armed mainly with cutlasses.</p> - -<p>Green didn't waste any time in meditation. "Everybody aboard except -Miran and me!" he said loudly. "Don't argue! Get in! We're riding -through them! Lie flat on the deck!"</p> - -<p>Screaming, the women scrambled over the low rail and onto the deck. -As soon as the last one was on, the Earthman and Miran put their -shoulders to the stern and pushed. For a second it looked as though -their combined strength would not be enough, as if the party should -have shoved the craft a little further over the lip of the hill before -stopping.</p> - -<p>"There's not time to get them out again to help us!" panted Green. "Dig -in, Miran, get that fat into gear, shove, damn you, shove!"</p> - -<p>It seemed to him that he was breaking his own collarbone under the -pressure and that he'd never felt such hard and cutting wood in all his -life. And it seemed that the 'roller was stubbornly refusing to move -until the cannibals arrived in time to save it, like the Marines. His -legs quivered, and his intestines, he was sure, were writhing about -like snakes, striking here and there against the wall of his belly, -seeking a weak place where they might erupt through into the open air -and leave this man who subjected them to such toil.</p> - -<p>There was a shout from the warriors assembled below and a thud of their -feet as they charged up.</p> - -<p>"Now or never!" shouted Green.</p> - -<p>His face felt like one big blood vessel, and he was sure that he was -going to blow his top, literally. But the 'roller moved forward, -crept slowly, groaned—or was that he?—and began moving swiftly, too -swiftly, down the slope. Too swiftly, because he had to run after it, -grab the taffrail and haul himself over. And while he was doing that he -had to extend a hand to Miran, who wasn't as fast on his feet.</p> - -<p>Fortunately Amra had presence of mind enough to grab Miran by the -shoulder of his shirt and help pull. Over the rail he came, crying out -in pain as his big stomach burned against the hard mahogany, but not -forgetting the bag of jewels clutched in his hand.</p> - -<p>Lady Luck had already deserted her post on Green's shoulder when he -began pushing. Now she meowed softly and pressed against him, scared -at the shaking of the deck and the rumbling of the wheels as the craft -sped downhill.</p> - -<p>He pulled her to him in the protection of the crook of his arm, and -reared up on his elbow to see what he could see. What he saw was a -spear flying straight at him. It shot by so close he fancied he could -feel the sharp edge of its blade graze him, and there was nothing -of his imagination about the woman's scream that rose immediately -afterward. It sounded so much like Amra that he was sure she'd been -hit; however, he had no time to turn and find out. An islander had -appeared by the side of the yacht, and as the deck was on a level with -his chest, the fellow could see them all easily enough. His arm flew -back, then leaped forward, and the spear he held darted straight at -Green.</p> - -<p>No, not at him, but at Lady Luck. Another warrior, a little further -down the slope, screaming something, also thrust at the cat. Evidently -felines were no longer taboo upon this island. The former worshipers -considered that their totem had deserted them and therefore deserved -death.</p> - -<p>Lady Luck, however, had the traditional nine lives. None of the razor -sharp blades came very close to her. And in the next few seconds the -savages were left howling upon the slope or lying unconscious on the -spot where the 'roller had struck them. The vessel sped down the steep -incline, bumped hard as it roared out upon the stone shelf, and flew -into the air. Green flattened himself out against the deck, hoping thus -to dampen the effect of the three-foot drop onto the plain.</p> - -<p>Somehow he became separated from the deck, was floating in the air, and -saw the planks rushing up at him.</p> - -<p>There was a brief interlude of darkness before Green awoke and realized -that the meeting of the deck and his face had done the latter no good -at all and might have resulted in considerable damage. He was sure -of it when he spit out his two front teeth. However, his pain was -overwhelmed in the rush of joy at having escaped. For the island was -retreating across the flat, moonlit Xurdimur while its inhabitants -screamed and jumped with fury and frustration on the rim, unable to -bring themselves to leap after the refugees. Home was where the island -was, and they weren't going to get left behind for the sake of revenge.</p> - -<p>"I hope the Vings exterminate you tomorrow," muttered Green. Wearily -and painfully, he rose to his feet and surveyed what was left of the -Clan Effenycan. Amra was unhurt. If it was she who'd screamed when -the spear had passed over Green, she'd done it from fright. The spear -itself was sticking out from the base of the mast, its head half-buried -in the wood.</p> - -<p>He climbed over the side and inspected the damage done by the -three-foot drop. One of the wheels had fallen off, and an axle was -bent. Shaking his head, he spoke to the others, "This roller is done -for. Let's start walking. We've a boat to catch."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>23</h2> - - -<p>Two weeks later the yacht was scudding along under a -twenty-mile-an-hour wind. It was high noon, and everybody except the -helmsmen, Amra and Miran was eating. They were lunching on steaks -carved from a <i>hoober</i> which Green had shot from the deck and which had -been cooked on the fireplace placed under a hood immediately aft of the -small foredeck. There was no lack of food despite the fact that the -yacht had not been stocked. Fortunately the savages who'd owned it had -not bothered to remove the several pistols and the keg of powder and -sack of balls from its locker. With this Green killed enough deer and -<i>hoobers</i> to keep everybody well fed. Amra supplemented their protein -diet with grass which her culinary art turned into a halfway decent -salad. At times, when they neared a grove of trees, Green would stop -the yacht. They would go foraging for berries and for a large plant -which could be beaten until soft, mixed with water, kneaded and baked -into a kind of bread.</p> - -<p>Once, a grass cat dashed out from behind a tree, making straight for -Inzax. Green and Miran, both firing at the same time, crumpled it -within ten yards of the little blonde.</p> - -<p>The grass cats, big cheetah-like creatures with long slim legs built -for running, were only a peril when the party left the yacht. Though -fully capable of leaping aboard when the 'roller was in movement, they -never did. Sometimes they might pace it for a mile or so, then they -would contemptuously walk away.</p> - -<p>Green wished he could say the same for the dire dogs. These were almost -as large as the grass cats and ran in packs of from six to twelve. -Sinister-looking with their gray-and-black spotted coats, pointed -wolfish ears and massive jaws, they would run up to the very wheels, -howling and snapping with their monstrous yellow fangs. Then one would -be inspired with the idea of leaping aboard and finding out how the -occupants tasted. Up he would come, easily sailing over the railing. -Usually the occupants would discourage him with a well-placed thrust -from a spear or an amputating swing of a cutlass. Sometimes they -missed, and he would land on the deck, which enabled the sailors to try -again, with better success. Back over the rail his body would go, back -to his fellows, many of whom would stop the chase to devour their dead -comrade. Those who persisted in the hunt would then try their luck, -bounding upon the yacht, snarling hideously, trying to scare their -quarry into a complete paralysis and sometimes succeeding.</p> - -<p>No lives were lost to the dire dogs, but almost everybody bore scars. -Only Lady Luck managed to stay unscathed. Every time she heard their -distant howling she scaled the mast and would not come down until the -danger was over.</p> - -<p>Today they'd not been bothered. Everybody relaxed, chattering and -munching happily the unexciting but nutritious meat of the <i>hoober</i>. -Miran stood upon the foredeck, sighting at the sun through his -sextant. This also had been found in the locker, along with some charts -of the Xurdimur. Though the charts had had their locations marked in -an alphabet unknown to anybody aboard, Miran had been able to compare -them in his mind to the charts he'd left on the <i>Bird of Fortune</i>. He -had crossed out the foreign names and put in names in the Kilkrzan -alphabet. He'd done this only at the insistence of Green, who didn't -trust Miran to translate for him and wanted to be able to read the maps -himself. Not only that, he'd forced the fat merchant to teach both him -and Amra how to use the clumsy and complicated but fairly accurate -sextant.</p> - -<p>A few days later, after Green and his wife had begun to study the -navigation instrument, there occurred the accident that forced Green -to take further measures to safeguard himself. He and Miran had been -standing at the stern, ready with their pistols while Amra steered -the yacht toward a group of <i>hoobers</i>. They were going through their -usual maneuver of running down a herd until the exhausted animals -could be overtaken. Just as they neared an orange-colored stallion, -galloping furiously, Green raised his pistol. At the same time he was -vaguely aware that Miran had also sighted but had stepped back, behind -and to one side of him. Sensitive about wasting any of the valuable -ammunition, Green had turned his head to warn Miran not to shoot -unless he, Green, missed. It was then that he saw the muzzle swerving -toward the back of his head. He ducked, fully expecting to get his -brains blown out before he could shout a warning. But Miran, seeing -his reaction, lowered the muzzle and puzzledly asked Green what he was -doing.</p> - -<p>Green didn't answer. Instead he took the gun away from Miran's limp -grip and silently put it away in the locker. Neither he nor the -merchant ever referred to the incident, nor did Miran ask why he was -not permitted to take part in any shooting thereafter. That convinced -Green that the fellow had fully intended to shoot him. And then claim -to the others that it had been an accident.</p> - -<p>To forestall any more attempts at "accidents" Green told Amra that if -he were to disappear some dark night, she was to see that a certain -person was shot and thrown overboard. He did not name the certain -person, but he mentioned his sex and as Miran was the only other man -on the yacht, there was no doubt about to whom he referred. Thereafter, -Miran was most cooperative, always smiling and joking. However, -Green caught him now and then with frowning brows and a thoughtful -expression. He was either fingering his stiletto or the bag of jewels -he carried inside his shirt. Green could imagine that he was planning -something for the day they reached Estorya.</p> - -<p>Now, on this day two weeks after they'd left the island, Miran was -shooting the sun, and Green was waiting until he was through, so he -could check on him. If his calculations were correct the yacht should -be directly east of Estorya two hundred miles. If they maintained their -average rate of twenty-five miles an hour they'd reach the windbreak in -a little over eight hours.</p> - -<p>The fat merchant quit looking through the eyepiece of his instrument -and walked to the cockpit where his charts and papers were. Green took -the sextant from him and made his own observations, then checked with -Miran in the narrow and crowded cockpit.</p> - -<p>"We agree," said Green, indicating with the pencil tip a round scarlet -spot on the chart. "We should be sighting this island within four -hours."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Miran. "That is an old landmark. It has been there a -hundred miles due east of Estorya since before my grandfather's time. -It was once a roaming island, but it long ago quit moving and has -stayed in that one spot. That is nothing unusual. Every captain knows -of these fixed islands scattered all over the Xurdimur, and every now -and then we have to add a new red mark to our charts because one of the -roamers has settled down."</p> - -<p>He paused, then added a statement that set Green's heart to beating -fast.</p> - -<p>"The unusual thing about this island is that it did not stop of its own -accord. It was halted by the magic of the Estoryans, and it has been -kept in that one place ever since by their magic."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" asked Green, eagerly.</p> - -<p>Miran's round, pale-blue eye stared at him blankly.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean what do I mean? I mean just what I said, nothing -more."</p> - -<p>"I mean, what magic did they contrive to halt this roamer?"</p> - -<p>"Why, they put up certain peculiar towers in its path, and when the -island began going backwards to get out of the trap and go around it, -they moved other towers to block its retreat. These towers moved fast -on many well-greased wheels. Once the circle was completed the island -couldn't move. Nor has it been able to move since."</p> - -<p>"These towers intrigue me. How did the Estoryans know how to halt these -islands? And if they've succeeded with one, why not with the others?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know. Perhaps because the towers are huge and costly and -don't move too fast. Perhaps it is not worthwhile to the Estoryans to -capture many. As for their knowledge, I think they got it from their -ancestors. It was their great-great-great-and-then-some-grandfathers -who originally built Estorya in the middle of the plain and protected -it from being crushed by these islands by placing these many towers all -around their city. But it cost them much wood and time, and perhaps -they lost interest after that."</p> - -<p>Miran indicated a castle inked in beside the red spot.</p> - -<p>"That castle means that a military or naval fortification has been -built there on the island. It is the furtherest eastern garrison of the -Estoryans. When we come within sighting distance of it we are supposed -to report. Of course, if you wish to avoid it, we may sail to the north -or south and swing around it. But then we will have to report to the -windbreak master of the city itself, and they are rather hostile to -captains who have failed to have their papers checked at the fort of -Shimdoog. Even if the craft is such a small and weak one as this. The -Estoryans are a suspicious people."</p> - -<p>Yes, thought Green, and I'll bet that you intend to inflate their -distrust with certain information about me.</p> - -<p>He rose from the cockpit, and at the same time he heard Amra hail him -from her station at the helm.</p> - -<p>"Island on the horizon," she said. "And many glittering white objects -placed before it."</p> - -<p>Green refrained from comment. But he had a hard time concealing his -excitement, which grew with every turn of the wheels. He paced back and -forth, stopping now and then to shade his eyes and look long at the -white towers. Finally, as they got so near that he could no longer be -mistaken about their size or the details of their peculiar structure, -he could contain himself no longer.</p> - -<p>He whooped with joy and kissed Amra on the cheek and danced around -and around the foredeck while the women stared with embarrassment and -concern and the children giggled, all wondering if he'd gone mad.</p> - -<p>"Spaceships! Spaceships!" he howled in English. "Dozens of them! It -must be an expedition! I'm saved, saved! Spaceships, spaceships!"</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>24</h2> - - -<p>They were a magnificent sight, those many cones pointing their -skyscraping noses upward and their spreading landing struts sinking -into the soft earth! Their white eternum metal gleamed in the sun, -dazzling the spectator who happened to catch their radiance full in the -eyes. They were glorious, embodying all the vast wisdom and skill of -the greatest civilization of the Galaxy.</p> - -<p>No wonder, thought Green, that I dance and howl while these people look -at me as if I'm mad, and Amra, tears in her eyes, shakes her head and -says something to herself. What can they know of the meaning of those -splendors?</p> - -<p>What, indeed?</p> - -<p>"Hey," shouted Green, "Hey! Here I am! An Earthman! Maybe I look like -one of these barbarians, with my long hair and bushy beard and dirty -skin, but I'm not. I'm Alan Green, an Earthman!"</p> - -<p>Of course, they couldn't have heard him at that distance, even if -somebody had been standing beneath the spaceships to hear him. But he -howled with sheer exuberance, not worrying about wasting his breath and -making himself hoarse.</p> - -<p>Finally Amra interrupted him.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter, Alan? Have you been bitten by the Green Bird of -Happiness, which sometimes flies over these plains? Or has the White -Bird of Terror nipped you while you slept last night upon the open -deck?"</p> - -<p>Green paused and looked steadily at her. Could he tell her the truth, -now he was so near salvation? It was not that he was worried about her -or the others stopping him from making contact with the expedition. -Nothing could stop him now, he was sure of that.</p> - -<p>It was just that he hesitated to tell her that he would be leaving her. -The idea of hurting her was agony to him.</p> - -<p>He started to speak in English, caught himself, and switched to her -language. "Those vessels—they have brought my people from across the -space between the stars. I came to this world in just such a vessel, -a spaceroller, you might say. My ship crashed, and I was forced to -descend upon this—your—world. Then, I heard that another ship had -landed near Estorya and that King Raussmig had put the crew in prison -and was going to sacrifice them during the Festival of the Sun's Eye. -I had little time to get to Estorya before that happened, so I talked -Miran into taking me. That was why I left you, that...."</p> - -<p>He trailed off because he did not understand the expression upon her -face. It was not the great hurt he'd expected, nor the wild fury he -thought might result from his explanation. If anything, she looked -pitying.</p> - -<p>"Why, Alan, whatever are you talking about?"</p> - -<p>He pointed at the line of spaceships.</p> - -<p>"They're from Terra, my home planet."</p> - -<p>"I don't understand what you mean by your home planet," she replied -still pityingly. "But those are not spaceships. Those are the towers -built by the Estoryans a thousand years ago."</p> - -<p>"Wha-what do you mean?"</p> - -<p>Stunned, he looked at them again. If those weren't starships he'd eat -the yacht's canvas. Yes, and the wheels, too.</p> - -<p>Under the swift wind, the 'roller swept closer and closer while he -stood behind Amra and thought that he'd break into little pieces if his -tension didn't find some release.</p> - -<p>Finally it did find an outlet. Tears welled in his eyes, and he choked. -His breast seemed as if it would swell up and burst.</p> - -<p>How cleverly the ancient builders had fashioned those towers! The -landing struts, the big fins, the long sweeping lines ending in the -pointed nose, all must have been built with a spaceship as a model. -There was no escaping such a conclusion; coincidence couldn't explain -it.</p> - -<p>Amra said, "Don't cry, Alan. Your people will think you weak. Captains -don't weep."</p> - -<p>"This captain does," he replied, and he turned and walked the length of -the yacht to the stern and leaned over the taffrail where no one could -see him as he shook with sobs.</p> - -<p>Presently he felt a hand upon his.</p> - -<p>"Alan," she said gently. "Tell me the truth. If those had been ships on -which you could leave this world and travel into the skies, would you -have taken me along? Were you still thinking that I was not—not good -enough for you?"</p> - -<p>"Let's not talk about it now," he said. "I can't. Besides, there are -too many people listening. Later, when everybody's asleep."</p> - -<p>"All right, Alan."</p> - -<p>She released his hand and left him alone, knowing that that was what -he wanted. Mentally, he thanked her for it, because he knew what it -was costing her to exercise restraint. At any other time, in a like -situation, she would have thrown something at him.</p> - -<p>After he had calmed down somewhat he returned to the helm and took -over from Miran. From then on he was too busy to think much about his -disappointment. He had to report to the port officer and tell his -story, which took hours, for the officer called in the others to hear -his amazing tale. And they questioned Miran and Amra. Green anxiously -listened to the merchant's account, fearful that the fellow would -disclose his suspicions that Green was not what he claimed to be. If -Miran had any such intentions, however, he was saving them for their -arrival in Estorya itself.</p> - -<p>The officers all agreed that they had heard many wonderful stories -from sailors but never anything to match this. They insisted upon -giving a banquet for Miran and Green. The result was that Green got -a much-needed and desired bath, hair cut and shave. But he also had -to endure a long feast in which he had to stuff himself to keep from -offending his hosts and also was forced to enter a drinking contest -with some of the younger blades of the post. His Vigilante could handle -enormous amounts of food and alcohol, so that Green appeared to the -soldiers to be something of a superman. At midnight the last officer -had dropped his head upon the table, dead drunk, and Green was able to -get up and go to his yacht.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately he had to carry the fat merchant out on his shoulders. -Outside the banquet room he found a few rickshaw boys standing around -a fire, huddled together, waiting for a customer so drunk he wouldn't -fear thieves or ghosts. He gave one of them a coin and told him to -deliver Miran to the yacht.</p> - -<p>"What about yourself, honored sir? Don't you wish to ride home, too?"</p> - -<p>"Later," said Green, looking up past the fort and at the hills behind -it. "I intend to take a walk to clear my head."</p> - -<p>Before the rickshaw men could question him further he plunged into the -darkness and began striding swiftly toward the highest peak upon the -island.</p> - -<p>Two hours later he suddenly appeared in the moonlight-drenched -windbreak, walked past the many vessels tied down for the night and -crawled aboard his own yacht. A glance around the deck convinced him -that everybody was sleeping. He stepped softly past the prostrate forms -and lay down by Amra. Face up, his hands behind his head, he stared at -the moon, a thoughtful expression upon his face.</p> - -<p>Amra whispered, "Alan, I thought you were going to talk to me tonight."</p> - -<p>He stiffened but did not turn his head to look at her.</p> - -<p>"I was, but the officers kept us up late. Didn't Miran get here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, about five minutes before you did."</p> - -<p>He rose on one elbow and looked searchingly at her. "<i>What?</i>"</p> - -<p>"Is there anything strange about that?"</p> - -<p>"Only that he was so drunk he'd passed out and was snoring like a -pig. The fat son of an <i>izzot</i>! He must have been faking! And he must -have...."</p> - -<p>"Must have what?"</p> - -<p>Green shrugged. "I don't know."</p> - -<p>He couldn't tell her that Miran must have followed him up into -the hills. And that if he had the fellow must have seen some very -disturbing things.</p> - -<p>He stood up and gazed intently at the dark forms stretched out here -and there. Miran was sleeping upon a blanket behind the helm. Or was -pretending to do so.</p> - -<p>Should he kill him? If Miran turned him in to the authorities in -Estorya....</p> - -<p>He sat down again and fingered his dagger.</p> - -<p>Amra must have guessed his thoughts, for she said, "Why do you want to -kill him?"</p> - -<p>"You know why. Because he could have me burned."</p> - -<p>She sucked her breath in with a hiss.</p> - -<p>"Alan, it can't be true! You can't be a demon!"</p> - -<p>To him the accusation was so ridiculous that he didn't bother to -answer. He should have known better, because he was well aware of how -seriously these people took such things. However, he was thinking so -furiously about what he could do to forestall Miran, that he completely -forgot about her. Not until he heard her muffled sobs did he come out -of his reverie. Surprised, he said, "Don't worry. They're not going to -burn me."</p> - -<p>"No, they're not," she said, choking on every other word. "I don't care -if you <i>are</i> a demon. I love you, and I'd go to hell for you or with -you!"</p> - -<p>It took him a few seconds to understand that she did believe he <i>was</i> -a demon and that it made no difference to her. Or, rather, she was -determined to ignore the difference. What a sacrifice of her natural -feelings she must have made for him! She, like everybody upon this -world, had been trained from childhood to develop a fierce disgust -and horror of devils and to be always upon her guard for them when -they appeared in human form. What an abyss she had to cross in order -to conquer her deep revulsion! In a way, her feat was greater than -crossing the chasm between the stars.</p> - -<p>"Amra," he said, deeply touched, and he bent down to kiss her.</p> - -<p>To his surprise she turned her face away.</p> - -<p>"You know my lips don't belch fire, like the devils' in the legends," -he said, half-jestingly, half-pityingly. "Nor will I suck your soul -into my mouth."</p> - -<p>"You have already done that," she said, still not facing him.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Amra!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, you have! Else why should I follow you when you deserted me -to run away on the <i>Bird</i>? And why should I still want to follow -you, to be with you, even if those towers had turned out to be your -what-do-you-call-'em? and you had sailed away into the skies on them? -Why would any decent human woman want to do that? Tell me!"</p> - -<p>She, too, rose on an elbow, her face now turned to him. He scarcely -recognized her, her features were so twisted and her skin was so livid.</p> - -<p>"A hundred times during this voyage I've wished you would die. Why? -Because then I wouldn't have to think about the time to come when you -would leave this world forever, leave <i>me</i> forever! But when you were -in danger, then I almost died, too, and I knew I didn't really wish -your death. It was just wounded pride on my part. And I couldn't face -the moment of your departure! Or the fact that you must come from a -superior race, a people more like gods than demons!</p> - -<p>"Oh, I didn't know what to think! Whether you were a devil, or a god, -or just a man who was somehow more of a man than any I knew. I could -ignore such things as your wounds healing up faster than they should -and scar tissues disappearing. But I couldn't ignore your knowledge -that Aga would be killed if she touched that wall in the room on the -cannibals' island. Nor the fact that your teeth grew back in after -they were knocked out during the escape from the island. Nor your too -obvious interest in those two demons held prisoner in Estorya. Or...."</p> - -<p>"Not so loud, Amra," he interrupted. "You'll wake everybody up."</p> - -<p>"All right, all right. Better to keep quiet and pretend to be stupid. -But I can't, I'm not built that way. So ... what are you going to do, -Alan?"</p> - -<p>"Do? Do?" he repeated miserably. "Why, somehow or other I'm going to -free those two poor devils and escape in their spaceship."</p> - -<p>"Devils? Then they <i>are</i> demons!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, that was just a manner of speaking. I said poor devils because -of what they must have gone through in that barbarous prison. They -might as well have been in the hands of the cannibals as at the mercy -of the priests of this wretched planet."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that's what you really think of us, isn't it? That we're all -murderous, dirty and stinking savages."</p> - -<p>"Oh, not all of you," he replied. "You're not, Amra. By any standards, -you're a wonderful woman."</p> - -<p>"Then why can't...?"</p> - -<p>She bit her lip and turned away from him. She would not humble herself -by asking him to take her with him. It was up to him to make the offer.</p> - -<p>Green did not know what to say, though he knew that it was necessary to -say something at once.</p> - -<p>He just could not make up his mind as to how she would fit into Earth -civilization.</p> - -<p>How could he teach her that if somebody whom you didn't like differed -with you, you just didn't try to tear them apart? Or that if the person -you hated was too powerful for you to settle matters with personally -you didn't resort to professional assassins?</p> - -<p>How could he teach her to love the same things he did, the music and -literature of his own culture? Her roots were in an entirely different -culture. She couldn't possibly understand what he understood, thrill to -that which thrilled him, catch the subtleties that he caught, see what -lay behind the nuances of his civilization. She'd be a stranger in a -world not made for her.</p> - -<p>Of course, he thought, there were plenty of women upon Earth and her -star-colonies who didn't share his culture, even if they'd been brought -up in it. But their case was simply a matter of taste. And they could -still share a certain amount with him, just because they'd breathed the -same atmosphere and talked the same words as he. Not that he would have -cared to live with them, because he wouldn't. But Amra, desirable in so -many ways, just would not understand what was taking place around her -or in the minds of those she would have to live with.</p> - -<p>He looked down at Amra. Her back was turned, and she seemed to be -breathing the easy breath of deep sleep. Though he doubted very much -that she could be sleeping, he decided to accept things as they looked. -He wouldn't answer her now, though he knew that when morning came her -eyes would be asking the same question, even if she didn't voice it.</p> - -<p>At least, he thought, she'd been diverted from her curiosity about what -he'd been doing that night. That was something. He didn't want anybody -to know about that. Not until the time for action came.</p> - -<p>Provided, that is, that he could do anything even then. He'd discovered -certain things tonight that could mean his salvation if he could -utilize them.</p> - -<p>That was the rub, as some poet or other had once said.</p> - -<p>Wondering just who had originated that saying, he fell asleep. -Woolgathering had always been a favorite occupation of his when people -left him alone to do it. That was the rub. They didn't.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>25</h2> - - -<p>Shortly after dawn the yacht set sail and sped toward Estorya, a -hundred miles west. The breeze was a strong thirty-five miles an -hour, precursor of the violent winds that roared across the Xurdimur -during the rainy season. Green set every inch of sail he had and took -over the helm himself. Steering was not as simple as it had been, -for traffic was getting heavy. In an hour he saw no less than forty -'rollers, ranging in size from small merchants not much larger than -his own craft to tremendous three-decker 'rollers-of-the-line from -far-off Batrim, convoying even larger merchant vessels, high-pooped and -richly decorated. Then, as they came to within fifty miles of their -destination, small pleasure yachts appeared in increasing numbers. And -by the time they saw the white rocket-shaped towers that stretched from -horizon to horizon, Green was sweating at the manner in which craft -were shooting back and forth in front of him.</p> - -<p>Miran said, "The entire nation is surrounded by these white towers and -by many fortresses interspersed between them. Inside the great circle -of towers the Estoryans have many rich farms on the plains. The city -proper, however, is built on three roaming islands that were captured -by their magic many centuries ago."</p> - -<p>Green raised his eyebrows at this information. "Indeed? And where is -the vessel that brought the two demons down from the skies?"</p> - -<p>Miran looked blankly at the Earthman, though he knew well enough that -he was keenly interested in the so-called demons.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it is located close to the palace of the king himself, but not on -the hills. It landed on the plain."</p> - -<p>"Hmm. And the strangers will be burned during the Festival of the Eye -of the Sun?"</p> - -<p>"If they have lived, they will be."</p> - -<p>Green didn't like to think about their dying. If they had, then his -problem was solved. He stayed upon this planet and did the best he -could here.</p> - -<p>There was one thing he had to admit. That was that having Amra as his -wife made such an event not so calamitous as it might have been. She'd -keep him so interested that time would pass swiftly, even on this -barbarous place.</p> - -<p>In that case, he thought, why was he hesitating about taking her to -Earth, if he got the chance? No matter where he was she'd see that life -was a whirlpool of action. And she'd only begun to disclose the deeps -within her. Give her an education, and what a creature might evolve!</p> - -<p>What's the matter with you, Green? he said to himself. Don't you know -your own mind? Are you so capable at handling physical events but a -complete muckup when it comes to psychical? Why...?</p> - -<p>"Look out!" cried Miran, and Green threw the helm hard aport to avoid -crashing into a small freighter. The captain, standing on the foredeck -behind his own helmsman, leaned over the rail and shook his fist at -Green and cursed. Green cursed back but after that he didn't allow -himself to begin thinking about Amra until he had steered the 'roller -into the 'break.</p> - -<p>The rest of the day he was busy getting cleared with the port -authorities. Fortunately he had a letter from the officer of the -island-fortress. It explained why he happened to be in possession of -a foreign craft and also recommended that Green be given a chance to -sign up in the Estoryan 'roller-fleet if he wished. Even so, he had to -tell his story so many times to an admiring and amazingly credulous -audience that it was dusk before he could get free. Outside the customs -building he found Grizquetr waiting for him.</p> - -<p>"Where's your mother?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Oh, she knew you'd be tied up for a long time, so she went ahead and -got a room in an inn. They're very hard to get during the Festival, -almost impossible. But you know Mother," said Grizquetr, winking. "She -gets what she goes after, every time."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I'm afraid so. Well, where's this inn?"</p> - -<p>"It's clear across town, but it's within sight of the wall that's built -around the demons' skyship."</p> - -<p>"Wonderful! Rooms must be twice as difficult to get there as on the -edge of town. How did Amra do it?"</p> - -<p>"She gave the innkeeper three times his asking price, which was high -enough. And he found a pretext to quarrel with a man who had long ago -reserved a room, threw him out and gave it to us!"</p> - -<p>"Ah? And where did she get this money?"</p> - -<p>"She sold a ruby to a jeweler who kept shop close to the 'break. He's -sort of shady, I guess, and he didn't give Mother what the ruby was -worth."</p> - -<p>"Now, where would she get a ruby or any kind of jewel?"</p> - -<p>Grizquetr grinned crookedly but delightedly. "Oh, I imagine that a -certain fat one-eyed merchant-captain who shall remain nameless must -have had one or two rubies within that bag he keeps inside his shirt."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I can imagine. The question that alarms me is how did she get it -off Miran? He'd sooner lose a quart of blood than one of his precious -jewels. And he'd notice its loss quicker than he would the blood."</p> - -<p>Grizquetr looked thoughtful. "I really don't know. Mother didn't say."</p> - -<p>He brightened with a smile and said, "But I'd <i>like</i> to know how she -did it! Maybe she'll teach me some day."</p> - -<p>"She seems to have a lot to teach both of us," said Green.</p> - -<p>He sighed. "Well, I'm eternally indebted to her. No getting out of it. -Let's call a rickshaw and see what kind of a place she has selected."</p> - -<p>Once both had settled in the high-backed chair of their vehicle, and -the two men who pulled it had begun their slow trotting through the -crowded streets, Green said, "Have you any idea where Miran is?"</p> - -<p>"Some. He was detained by the port-officers, too, because he had to -explain what had happened to his 'roller. Then he called a rickshaw and -left in a big hurry. He had an officer with him. Not a naval officer. A -soldier from the palace, one of the King's Own."</p> - -<p>Green felt a sinking sensation. "Already? Tell me, does he know where -we are staying?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no. When I saw him coming out of the customshouse, I hid behind -a bale of cotton. Mother had told me to stay out of his sight. She -explained how treacherous he is, and how he hates you because he thinks -you brought all his bad luck upon him."</p> - -<p>"That's only the half of it," Green replied. He was silent for a -while, thinking, his gaze roving idly over the crowds. There were many -foreigners in town, sailors from every nation that had a border on -the Xurdimur, pilgrims who belonged to the far-flung cult of the Fish -Goddess and had come here for the Festival. The majority, however, -were Estoryans, a fairly tall people, brown or red-haired, green or -blue-eyed, with big noses, thick lips and a slight epicanthic fold. -They spoke a guttural polysyllabic semi-analytic language. They wore -broad-rimmed hats shaped like open umbrellas, tight-necked shirts with -long stringties and pants that were skin-tight from crotch to knee, -then ballooned out into many ruffles. Little bells tinkled on their -ankles, and the women carried canes. All had a fish, a star, or a -rocket-shaped tower tattooed on their cheeks.</p> - -<p>Along the narrow winding street were many little shops, flowering with -a variety of articles. Green was intrigued by the magical charms being -hawked everywhere. Many of these were little towers, replicas of the -large ones that encircled the country. On Earth they could have passed -for toy spaceships. He bought one. It was made of white-painted wood -and was about seven inches long. The big flaring fins and landing -struts were well reproduced, but there weren't any of the fine details -that he could have found in such a toy on Earth. There were no holes -in the stern or nose for the drive-exhaust or any indications of doors -or detector apparatus.</p> - -<p>He gave it to Grizquetr and leaned back to do some more thinking. -The charm hadn't disappointed him, because he had not expected any -more than what he'd seen. If, in the beginning, those models had been -furnished with every little detail, the passage of many thousands of -years would have seen them blunted and reduced to their present state -of fuzzy symbolic images. Time ate down to the skeleton of things.</p> - -<p>He wondered how the charm could have survived up to the present, -because it surely must have been over twenty thousand years ago that -the prototype, the real spaceship, disappeared and man sank back to -savagery again. Then, why had this lasted here, whereas it had not done -so on other planets, Earth included?</p> - -<p>Abruptly, he noticed that his rickshaw had stopped.</p> - -<p>"A procession of priests, going to the palace of the King, where -they will spend all night preaching to the demon," said one of their -rickshaw boys. He yawned and stretched. "I suppose that it will be a -fine burning, since the priests have predicted that the sun will shine -at high noon. They are safe doing that, as it has not failed to shine -on Festival Day for a thousand years."</p> - -<p>Green leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of his chair, and -said, "Demon? You meant demons, didn't you? Weren't there two of them?"</p> - -<p>"Oh yes, there were. But one died two days ago. Hung himself, I heard, -though I can't swear to it since the priests have released no details. -The holy ones have been giving the demons a rough time."</p> - -<p>"Demons?" said Grizquetr, snorting with disbelief and disgust. "Doesn't -the very fact that one killed himself prove they're not fiends? -Everyone knows that a demon can't kill himself."</p> - -<p>"Quite true, my small friend," replied the taxi man. "The priests have -admitted their error. They are truly sorry—so they say."</p> - -<p>"Then aren't they letting the other man loose?"</p> - -<p>"Oh no. Because <i>he</i> may still be a demon. Tomorrow, at high noon, the -prisoner goes under the Sun's Eye and there meets the only death a -demon may know. <i>By fire he was born, by fire he shall perish.</i> Chapter -Twenty, Verse Sixty-Two. Or so I remember the High Grauchning saying in -his sermon yesterday. Myself, I'm not much for reading. Too busy making -a living, running my legs off, killing myself so my wife and kids may -eat and have clothes on their backs."</p> - -<p>Green scarcely heard the garrulous rickshaw man, so shocked was he at -the news. Had he been too late? What if the man who'd died was the -pilot and the other one unable to handle the ship?</p> - -<p>The rest of the ride he was sunk in such deep gloom he hardly saw any -of the many sights that Grizquetr kept pointing out. But he did rouse -when the boy said, "Look, Father, there's the King's palace, on top of -the hill! Beyond that is the ship of the demon. You can't see it from -here, but you will tomorrow when you go to the burning."</p> - -<p>"Don't be so heartless," said Green, but he looked carefully at the -great marble structure that rambled all over the hill. Somewhere below -that, probably filled with dirt, undoubtedly forgotten, was just such -an entrance as he'd found on the island of the cannibals. He'd also -discovered a similar one upon the fortress of Shimdoog, the night -before when he'd gone exploring and Miran had followed him.</p> - -<p>The palace, he thought, looked quite romantic and beautiful, enveloped -in a dim red haze cast by the setting sun, which lay directly behind -it. Probably it would look different in the harsh glare of day, when -the dirt and garbage would be so apparent.</p> - -<p>The area in which Amra had rented the room was one which had once -belonged to the rich and the noble but had decayed when the aristocracy -moved their homes elsewhere. The inn before which the rickshaw boys -stopped was a three-story pile of granite blocks. It had an enormous -porch and six huge pillars in the images of the Fish Goddess. Green -could not help admiring the building even in its present state of -decay, because he knew that it must have cost a fortune to build it. -The granite would have had to be transported by 'roller across the -Xurdimur, since there would be no stone in this neighborhood. He -imagined that the landlord charged high rents and that Amra must have -paid a pretty price indeed if she'd given him three times the usual -amount. One thing you could say for her, when she traveled she did it -in style.</p> - -<p>The caryatids of the Fish Goddess also interested him, and at another -time he'd have examined them closely by the light of the torches in -the hands of the servants standing by them. The cult of the Goddess -indicated that the original Estoryans must have migrated from the -oceanside to the center of the vast and level plains. And here they -must have built this imposing city, which was to become such a great -focus of trade. Its central location made it a great clearing house for -goods from every country bordering the Xurdimur.</p> - -<p>He wondered whether it was pure accident that they had brought with -them the charms in the shapes of spaceships? And if they'd also -accidentally discovered that towers modeled after the charms would stop -the roaming islands?</p> - -<p>Whatever the answer, it lay buried in the prehistoric.</p> - -<p>"Hurry up," said Grizquetr, pulling on Green's hand. "Mother has a -surprise for you, but don't tell her I told you."</p> - -<p>"That's nice," replied Green absently, his mind still upon the news -of the Earthman's death. Hang it all, why must he always be kept in -suspense, must always be improvising from moment to moment, always in -the dark, never knowing what was coming next nor what he was going to -have to do? Oh, for one day of peace and assurance!</p> - -<p>"Father!"</p> - -<p>"What, what?" said Green, startled out of his reverie and stopping -halfway up the steps to the porch. Suddenly something black and small -launched itself at him and landed on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Lady Luck! Why are you shivering so?"</p> - -<p>"Better run, Dad!" said Grizquetr. "There's Miran coming out of the -door! And soldiers behind him!"</p> - -<p>He ended with a wail, "<i>Motherr-r-r-r!</i>"</p> - -<p>The sight of Amra, Inzax, and the children being marched out between -musketmen was enough for Green. He turned away and spoke softly but -savagely.</p> - -<p>"Keep your backs to them! Don't look back! We're far enough away in the -dark so they might not recognize us. Especially in this crowd!"</p> - -<p>A minute later he and the boy and the cat were looking around the -corner of a large building. They saw the soldiers commandeer a rickshaw -and put the prisoners in it. Then four of them walked behind the -vehicle as it was pulled away.</p> - -<p>"They—they'll be put in the Tower of the Grass Cat," said the boy, -shaking with fury. "Oh, that devil Miran! That fat old devil! He's the -one who's accused Mother of witchcraft! I know! I know!"</p> - -<p>"He didn't accuse her," said Green, "but me. She's guilty through -association with me. Well at least we'll know where they are for a -while."</p> - -<p>"There go Miran and the soldiers back into the hotel."</p> - -<p>"Waiting for us," said Green. "They'll have a long wait. Well, let's -go. First things first. We'll buy a ticket, see the ship. I have to -know where it's located, what type it is, et cetera. Luckily I've -enough money on me to do that. But we'll be broke then. You have any?"</p> - -<p>"Ten <i>axar</i>."</p> - -<p>"That's not much, but it's enough to pay for a rickshaw ride to the -windbreak."</p> - -<p>At the box-office, Green bought two tickets, then walked up the steep -flight of steps with Grizquetr. At the top he found himself in a large -group standing on a platform beneath a wooden roof. This was for the -curious who wanted to get a preview of the demons' vessel. Tomorrow the -gates would be opened to admit a vast crowd, who would sit on the hard -wooden seats of the amphitheatre that had been built fairly close to -the ship.</p> - -<p>The ship itself was an Earth naval vessel, a two-man scout. It pointed -its needle nose upward, resting upon eight jetstruts, gleaming in the -moonlight. Its naval insignia, a green globe crossed with rocket and -olive branch, was a smudge in the shadows. Nevertheless he could make -it out. He felt his breast swell and he choked with homesickness.</p> - -<p>"Ah, so near, yet so far," he murmured. "Even if I get to you, then -what? What if the poor devil of a survivor turns out to be a navigator? -Still, he ought to know enough to get her off the ground and into -space. And from there on, with interstellar drive, we ought to be able -to get home, somehow."</p> - -<p>He sounded plaintive, even to himself, for he knew how vast space was -and how complicated astromathematics was. And of course there was no -guarantee that the Earthman would even be a navigator. He might just be -an officer or perhaps a civilian official who was being ferried in one -of the swifter small ships.</p> - -<p>Then there was the awful possibility that the vessel might have landed -here because there was something wrong with it, and that it could not -rise again even if it had a full crew. In fact, that was the most -logical explanation.</p> - -<p>He sighed and turned to the boy.</p> - -<p>"This may be for nothing, but we can't just sit down and watch. Let's -take off for the windbreak."</p> - -<p>"What are we going to do there?" asked Grizquetr, as they walked down -the steps.</p> - -<p>"Well, we're not going back to the yacht," Green answered. "Soldiers'll -be waiting there to arrest us. No, we'll go to the other side of the -'break. Stealing another 'roller isn't going to get us in any more -trouble than we're already in."</p> - -<p>The boy's eyes widened. "What're we doing that for?"</p> - -<p>"We must return to the island-fortress of Shimdoog."</p> - -<p>"What? Why, that's a hundred miles away!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know. And we won't be able to make the speed going back that we -did coming. We'll have to do quite a lot of tacking to sail against the -wind, and that'll eat up our time. But there's nothing else to do."</p> - -<p>"If you say so, father, I believe you. But what is there on Shimdoog?"</p> - -<p>"Not on. <i>In.</i>"</p> - -<p>Grizquetr was a bright lad. He was silent for a minute, so silent Green -could imagine he heard the wheels turning within his head. Then he -said, "There must be a cave on Shimdoog like the one on the cannibals' -island. And you must have gone into it that night we stayed in the -'break. I remember waking up and hearing you and Mother say something -about your being gone and about Miran following you."</p> - -<p>Grizquetr paused, then said, "If there is a cave-entrance there, why -haven't other people gone into it?"</p> - -<p>"Because it has been declared taboo, off limits, by the priests of -Estorya. It was done so long ago that I imagine that the priests -themselves have forgotten why they forbade its access to men. But it's -not hard to reconstruct the historical causes. Once, I suppose, the -island was populated by cannibals. At the time the Estoryans captured -the island they exterminated the aborigines. They found the cave mouth -was a holy place for the savages. So, thinking that it held demons—and -it does, in a way—they built a wall around it and set up a statue of -the Fish Goddess, facing inward and holding in her hand a symbol to -restrain the imprisoned fiends from breaking loose. That symbol, of -course, is the same charm that is sold on the streets of Estorya, that -circumscribes the country and the island of Shimdoog. It is the same as -the spaceship that landed near the King's palace."</p> - -<p>Green hailed a rickshaw and continued his account while they rode -through the still-crowded streets. There was so much noise that he felt -quite safe talking, provided he kept his voice soft.</p> - -<p>By the time they had reached the northern end of the windbreak, Green -had told the boy all he thought he should hear at that time. If, later -on, his trip to Shimdoog proved successful he would enlighten him even -more.</p> - -<p>For the present he was concerned with the problem of getting -transportation. Fortunately they found almost at once a nice little -yacht with speedy lines and a tall mast. The craft must have belonged -to a wealthy man, for a watchman sat close to it before a little fire -just outside his shed. Green walked up to him, and when the fellow -rose, his hand suspiciously resting upon his spear, Green struck him -on the jaw, then followed with a hard right to the pit of his stomach. -Grizquetr completed the job by hitting him over the head with a length -of pipe he'd picked up off the ground.</p> - -<p>Green emptied the handbag of the watchman and was pleased to see -several coins of respectable denominations.</p> - -<p>"Probably his life-savings," he said. "I hate to rob him, but we -have to have money. Grizquetr, do you remember those slaves who were -drinking and gambling outside the Striped Ape Inn? Run to them and -offer them six <i>danken</i> if they'll tow us out of the 'break. Tell them -we're paying them so much because it's so late at night, and also to -keep their mouths shut."</p> - -<p>Grinning, the boy ran off. Green hauled the limp body of the -unconscious watchman behind the hut, bound and gagged him and threw a -tarpaulin over him.</p> - -<p>Grizquetr returned, leading six noisy and reeling men, sturdily built, -with legs and backs big-muscled from hauling 'rollers.</p> - -<p>At first Green thought he ought to try to make them keep quiet, then -decided that it would look more natural if he let them talk as loudly -as they wished. There was a festive air over the city tonight, and more -than one yacht was going out for a moonlight cruise.</p> - -<p>Once out on the plain, Green threw the promised money to the slaves and -cried, "Have a good time!" To himself he muttered, "Because tomorrow -may be your last day." Already, he had a presentiment of what might -happen if he succeeded in tonight's work. There was no telling what -forces he might be unloosing. As he'd said to the boy, there were -demons imprisoned in the bowels of the island of Shimdoog.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>26</h2> - - -<p>Just before dawn the yacht coasted to a stop outside the high stone -walls of the north side of the island of Shimdoog. Green had dropped -the sail and, judging his speed exactly, had steered the craft until -its side was almost scraping the wall. As soon as the roller stopped, -Green put Lady Luck in a bag tied to his belt and cautioned her to keep -quiet. Then he began climbing up the rungs nailed to the mast. The boy -followed him, and both crawled out upon the spar. Green tied one end of -a long rope around the end of the spar. Then he let himself down on it -to the ground on the other side of the wall.</p> - -<p>After the boy had also descended they paused for a moment, crouched, -ready to run at the first sign they'd been seen. But there was no -outcry.</p> - -<p>The big moon, though dropping to the horizon, was bright enough for -them to make good progress. Green led the way up a series of hills, -heading in a circuitous fashion toward the highest. Twice he had to -stop and warn Grizquetr about the towers ahead, where sentries were -stationed. Lady Luck seemed to know she should be silent. Her eyes -glowed and her teeth flashed, but she was only making a soundless snarl.</p> - -<p>They saw the fires of the guards and heard their muttered voices, -but none saw them. It was doubtful that the sentinels ever did look -out, for they did not think that any man in his right senses would be -roaming about in the darkness, where it was well known that ghosts and -demons waited for foolish mortals.</p> - -<p>Just before they began climbing the slope of the peak that was their -goal, Green whispered. "This island is built much like the first one -we encountered. I think that all of these islands are more or less -similar, all being composed of a base of a mile and a half square of -eternum metal or something like eternum. And all covered with rock and -dirt and trees and vegetation and stocked with birds and beasts. I -suppose that the original builders landscaped these craft for aesthetic -reasons. After all, a sheet of metal with a few metal chambers on -it doesn't look very pretty and would make a blinding glare in the -sunshine."</p> - -<p>"Uh," replied the boy, who didn't understand.</p> - -<p>"Do you know, it's strange that I was right the first time when I -sarcastically referred to the roaming islands as glorified lawn-mowers?"</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, in the beginning there must have been many more than there are -now, enough to keep the vast plains looking neat and well-kept, the -grass clipped, the forests prevented from encroaching well-defined -limits, and so on. But when there were no longer any maintenance men to -keep them going, they stopped, one by one, until at this present time -there are perhaps a few hundred. Though, I don't know, there may be -more. Anyway, whenever one did run down or break down for some reason -or other it was soon erased by a still-functioning island."</p> - -<p>"Erased?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, for it's quite obvious to me that the islands not only cut grass, -they kept the plains free of obstructions that weren't supposed to be -there. And a dead island would constitute just such a hazard."</p> - -<p>Grizquetr spoke in a thin voice, "Perhaps, Father, I may yet understand -you. I must be stupid."</p> - -<p>"Far from it. You'll learn in time. Anyway, I should have known what -they really were when I heard the tales of the sailors. Remember -that one about the big hole made by the meteorite? And how something -mysterious filled it in and covered it with turf? And then there was -the way that wrecked 'rollers would vanish down to the last nut and -bolt and the skeletons of the dead aboard. And there was the legend -of Samdroo the Tailor Turned Sailor and what he found in the metal -chambers inside an island. The great white eye through which he saw -what was outside the island. And the other paraphernalia. They weren't -the property of a wicked magician, as the tale would have it. Any -Earthman would recognize TV and radar and dials and controls."</p> - -<p>"Tell me more."</p> - -<p>"I will when we get over this wall."</p> - -<p>Green had stopped before a barrier of stone, reaching at least forty -feet high. A grim crown, it completely encircled the top of the hill. -"Once it must have been difficult to scale, but mortar has crumbled -here and there, and vines grow all the way up. Follow me. I remember -exactly the path I took."</p> - -<p>He jumped up on a little ledge, seized a thick vine and hauled himself -up to another minor projection. Unhesitatingly, the boy swarmed up -after him.</p> - -<p>Panting, they reached the top, where they rested a moment and wiped -the blood from their lacerated fingertips. The cat was the only one -that seemed unperturbed. Silently, Green pointed out the twenty foot -high statue of the Fish Goddess below, her back turned to them as she -gestured at the cave mouth with the rocket-shaped charm.</p> - -<p>For the first time Grizquetr seemed scared. Like all his fellows, he -had an unhealthy awe for the supernatural. This place, so walled off, -so utterly ancient-looking, so invested with all the attributes of -taboo, so invocative of the horrible tales of demons and angry gods, -depressed him. Only his father's seeming indifference to any fiends -they might encounter kept him from turning tail and backing down the -wall.</p> - -<p>"One thing I'll bet, and that is that Miran didn't follow me this far -but stayed down on the ground. With that belly of his he'd never have -made it; he'd have tumbled off like a big fat bug and been squashed -like one, too. Wouldn't that have been awful! However, he didn't have -to go all the way with me. The very fact that I would dare to enter -a taboo area is enough to condemn me. I should have slit his throat -when Amra told me he'd been shadowing me. But I couldn't do it without -absolutely convincing evidence, and even if I'd had that I suppose I'm -too civilized to kill him in cold blood."</p> - -<p>"You should have told me how you felt," said Grizquetr. "I would have -slipped a dagger through the tallow over his ribs."</p> - -<p>"No doubt, and so would your mother. Well, down we go."</p> - -<p>And he set the example by throwing his leg over the edge of the wall -and letting himself down, somewhat gingerly. The descent was even worse -than the ascent, but he didn't bother telling the boy that. By the time -he found out he'd be at the bottom.</p> - -<p>Even so, when he reached ground, he thought that the lad couldn't be -one whit more shaky than he. Forty feet was a long, long way when you -were up on top looking down, especially in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>"This is the second time I've done it, but I don't think I'd have guts -enough for a third time," said Green.</p> - -<p>"But we have to climb back out, don't we?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, we'll have to go over it, but I hope it won't be so high by then," -said Green, looking mysterious.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Well I hope those stones will all be tumbled to the ground. In fact, -it's a necessity, if we're to do what I expect to do."</p> - -<p>He took the bewildered boy by the hand and led him past the cold and -silent statue and into the cave's entrance. "We could use a light," he -said, "but a torch would have been too awkward to carry up that wall, -and we can grope our way to the rooms that are lighted."</p> - -<p>Wonder why the passageway wasn't lighted, too? he thought. Or had this -cave been added by the savages who used to live on the island, so that -the <i>sanctum sanctorum</i> would have to be approached through darkness? -Perhaps it was, the primitives having constructed such a chamber so -that the initiate into the religion could go through darkness both -literal and symbolical and come into a light that also embraced both -worlds? He didn't and couldn't know; he could only guess.</p> - -<p>But I can take advantage of what I do have on hand, he said to himself, -gritting his teeth with determination.</p> - -<p>The dust beneath his feet gave way to clean metal. They rounded a -corner and found themselves in a chamber much like the one upon their -first island, except that this had furniture. A skeleton lay in the -middle of the floor, face down. The back of the skull exhibited a great -hole.</p> - -<p>"He may have been here for a thousand years or more," said Green. "I'd -like to know his story. But I never will."</p> - -<p>"Do you think the Goddess killed him?"</p> - -<p>"No, nor the demons either. It was the hand of man struck him down, my -boy. If it's violent death you're trying to explain, don't drag in the -supernatural. There's enough murder in the hearts of humankind to take -care of every case."</p> - -<p>In the third room Green said, "There's no wall of dust to stop us. The -ionic charges haven't stopped working. Notice how clean everything is. -Ah, here we are! Before the door!"</p> - -<p>Grizquetr looked puzzled. "Door? I see only a blank wall."</p> - -<p>"That's all I saw too," said Green, "and that is all I would ever have -seen, if it hadn't been for the tale of Samdroo."</p> - -<p>"Let me tell you how you got in!" chattered the boy excitedly. "I know -what you were thinking of, what you did. You stood before the wall -and you made a sign like this on it!"—He traced a rough outline of a -rocket against the cool white metal—"and the wall suddenly slid to one -side, and you had an entrance. See!"</p> - -<p>A whole section had moved noiselessly into the wall, leaving a round -doorway.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I remembered the story of Samdroo and, though it was ridiculous -to think that it would work, I did what the Sailor did. Remember that -the cannibals were after him, and he ran into the cave and came to just -such a blank wall. And he, wishing to protect himself against the evil -spirits that he was sure lived in the cave, traced the sign that is -supposed to prevent them from touching a man. And the door slid open -and he plunged on into the chambers of the wicked magician, the savages -howling frustratedly after him.</p> - -<p>"And," continued Green, "I did just what he did, and the sign proved to -be an <i>Open, O Sesame</i> for me."</p> - -<p>"A what?"</p> - -<p>"Never mind. The point is that the ancient maintenance men must -have used just such a gesture to open the door, or else used it in -conjunction with other means. And if they did, then they must also have -been repair technicians for the ships that landed here. Perhaps the -sign of the rocket was a secret symbol for their guild. I don't know, -but it sounds reasonable."</p> - -<p>Ignoring the boy's flood of questions, he walked into a great room. -It was more bare than he'd expected when he had found it the first -time; it contained four machines or their fuel supplies, all concealed -in four large square metal containers. In the center of the room was -a chair and an instrument panel. The panel contained six TV windows, -several oscilloscopes, and dials whose purpose he didn't know. But the -controls attached to the arms of the chair seemed simple enough.</p> - -<p>"The only trouble," he said, "is that I don't know where the activating -switch is. I tried to find it the other night and couldn't. Yet, it -must be so obvious that I'll feel like a fool when I do locate it."</p> - -<p>Vainly he pulled at the little levers set in the arms.</p> - -<p>"My failure to activate this was the main reason I returned to the -yacht and sailed on to Estorya. Of course, I had to go and find out -just what the situation was and get a good idea of my plan of campaign. -Perhaps if I'd stayed here and taken a chance on going into the city -blind, we'd have been better off. At least, your mother wouldn't now be -in prison, and we wouldn't have the additional worry of rescuing her."</p> - -<p>He rose from the chair and began pacing back and forth.</p> - -<p>"How ironic if I'd come this far and could get no farther! But then, -what else could I expect? It's up to me to solve this, and I'm not -infallible, omniscient. It should be functioning as of now. I know -that the ring of rocket-shapes has got it paralyzed so it can't act. -Nevertheless, unless it's blown a fuse, gone neurotic from frustration, -or just worn out, there should be some indication that it is still in -operation."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" said Grizquetr. "How can the island be paralyzed?"</p> - -<p>Green stopped pacing to gesture at the radarscopes. "See those? Well, -there should be some funny lines squiggling across it, or little dots -moving, or arcs sweeping across it. They would be indicating the shapes -of things in the immediate neighborhood outside the island, and the lay -of the land. Thus, I imagine that in the ancient days, when it spotted -a rocket shape, which would then have been a genuine spaceship and -not a mockup, it would have detoured around it. The whole island was, -in one of its functions, a field attendant, a scavenger. It removed -anything from the plain that wasn't supposed to be there. There's why -they now attack 'rollers and crush them and disintegrate the parts that -fall beneath their bases. That also explains why the island is trapped -by a ring of rocket-shaped towers. The radar detects a complete circle -and, being unable to molest any object shaped like a rocket, it squats -in one place until it runs down or the rocket shapes are removed.</p> - -<p>"Of course, it worked automatically. But there were controls for a man -to operate it when there was a special job to do or if he had to take -it to another place it ordinarily wouldn't go when on automatic. These -controls must be the ones.</p> - -<p>"The question is, does the island switch itself off and on at certain -intervals, scanning the area around it to see if the inhibiting objects -have gone? If so, there's no telling how long we may have to wait -before its next sweep. And we just can't afford to wait!"</p> - -<p>He was in agony. As long as he could keep his body and brain in action, -he felt he was progressing. But as soon as he had to wait upon some -inanimate object that he couldn't attack, or came across a seemingly -unsolvable problem, he was lost. He just didn't have the patience.</p> - -<p>Lady Luck whined. She was tired of being imprisoned in the bag at -Green's waist and felt that she had been a good girl long enough.</p> - -<p>Absently, he lifted her out and put her on the table. She stretched, -yawned, licked her lips, and then padded across the table. Her tail -switched back and forth, and its tip brushed the surface of the -centrally located TV screen.</p> - -<p>Immediately, a metal ball on the panel glowed red and a sharp whistle -sounded. Two seconds later, light sprang into being in all of the -viewers.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>27</h2> - - -<p>"Oh, you beauty, you doll, you lovely Lady Luck! Whatever would I do -without you!" shouted Green. He started forward to caress the cat but, -alarmed, she jumped from the table and sped across the room.</p> - -<p>"Come back, come back!" he called. "I wouldn't hurt a single one of -your lovely black hairs! I'll feed you on beer and fish the rest of -your life, and you'll never have to put in a day's work!"</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" said Grizquetr.</p> - -<p>Green hugged him, then sat down in the chair.</p> - -<p>"Nothing, except that that wonderful cat showed me how to activate the -equipment. You do so by brushing your hand across this screen. See, -I'll bet you do the same when you want to de-activate it!"</p> - -<p>He touched the screen. The whistle sounded again, the metal ball ceased -glowing and the screens went dead. Once again he touched it, and life -came back.</p> - -<p>"Nothing to it. But chances are I'd never have found out how simple it -was."</p> - -<p>He began sobering up. "Down to work. Let's see...."</p> - -<p>The six TV windows showed them the north, east, south, west, above and -below. As the island was resting upon solid dirt there was, of course, -nothing to see beneath.</p> - -<p>"We'll remedy that. But first I think we'd better see if these screens -give expanding and contracting views."</p> - -<p>He fiddled around with the levers. When he depressed the second one, -the room jumped. Hastily replacing it in neutral, Green said, "Well, -we know what that one does. I'll bet the people outside think they had -a slight earthquake. They've seen nothing yet. Hmmm. Here, I think, is -the one I want."</p> - -<p>He twisted a knob on the right-hand arm. All the TV's began narrowing -their field of vision. Reversing the knob, however, made them spread -out their view, though the objects in them, of course, became smaller.</p> - -<p>It took him five minutes more of cautious testing before he felt -justified in beginning operations. Then he raised the island off the -ground about twenty feet and rocked it back and forth. Lady Luck leaped -for his lap and cowered down in it. Grizquetr, bracing himself against -the table, turned pale.</p> - -<p>"Relax, kid," called Green. "As long as you're going along on the ride -you might as well enjoy it."</p> - -<p>Grizquetr grinned feebly, but when his father told him to stand behind -him so he, too, could learn how to operate, he gained color and -confidence.</p> - -<p>"When we get to Estorya I may have to leave this chamber, and I'll need -somebody who can see me through the TV's and answer my signals. You're -the candidate. You may be only a kid, but anybody who can calmly talk -of slipping a knife through a man's ribs has what it takes."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," breathed Grizquetr in all sincerity.</p> - -<p>"Here's what I'll do," said Green. "I'll roll this island back and -forth until the soldiers are thoroughly panicky and seasick. And the -walls around the cave are tumbled down. Then we'll lower to earth again -and give the rats a chance to desert the ship. But we're no sinking -ship, not us. After everybody that's able has fled to the plains, we'll -take off at top speed for Estorya."</p> - -<p>Fascinated, the boy watched the screens and saw the soldiers run off -into the early morning light, yelling, their eyes and mouths bulging -with horror. Some, wounded, crawled off.</p> - -<p>"I feel sorry for them," said Green, "but somebody's got to get hurt -before this is over and I'd rather it wasn't us."</p> - -<p>He pointed to the 'scopes, which still indicated the ring of towers.</p> - -<p>"As long as this island was on automatic it couldn't pass those -inhibitories. But I've by-passed that with this switch. Now, we go -ahead, and not over the towers, as we could easily do, but through -them. I think we've got the weight behind us."</p> - -<p>There was a slight shock, the rooms trembled, then the towers before -them were gone and they were speeding across the plain. Minute by -minute Green increased their rate, until he thought they must be making -about a hundred and twenty-five miles an hour.</p> - -<p>"Those dials are probably telling me my speed," he said to Grizquetr. -"But I can't read their alphabet or numerical system. It doesn't -matter."</p> - -<p>He laughed as he watched 'rollers wheel hard aport or hard to starboard -in a frenzy to get out of their way. The rails and ratlines were lined -with white faces, like rags of terror fluttering in the breeze of the -island's passage.</p> - -<p>"If there were time to send a message, I imagine we'd encounter the -whole Estoryan fleet," said Green. "What a battle that would be! -Rather, what a massacre, for this craft is built for eating up whole -navies."</p> - -<p>"Father," said Grizquetr, "we could be king over the whole world, we -could rule the Xurdimur and take tribute off every 'roller that sailed!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I suppose we could, you little barbarian, you," replied Green. -"But we won't. We're using this for just one purpose, rescuing the -Earthman and your mother and sisters. After that...."</p> - -<p>"Yes?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>He fell into a reverie as the plain beneath raced past, the white -sails of the 'rollers blooming from small patches to great flags, then -dwindling as swiftly.</p> - -<p>Finally, rousing from his thoughts, he began to explain a little to the -boy.</p> - -<p>"You see, many thousands of years ago there was a great civilization -that had many machines that would seem to you even more magical than -this one. They traveled to the stars and there found worlds much like -this one, and they put colonies upon them. They had swift ships that -could jump across the vast abyss between these worlds and so keep in -fairly close touch.</p> - -<p>"But something happened, some catastrophe. I can't imagine what it -could be, but it must have happened. While it would be interesting to -know the cause, all we can know is the effect. Travel ceased, and as -time went by the colonies, which were probably rather small to begin -with, lost their civilization. The colonies must have been rather -dependent upon supplies shipped to them, and they must have had a -limited number of highly trained scientists and specialists among -them. Anyway, whatever the reason, they relapsed into savagery. And -it was not until ages had passed that some of these colonies, utterly -without memory of their glorious heritage, except perhaps disguised -in myth and legend, attained a high technology again. Others stayed -in savagery; some, like your world, Grizquetr, are in the transition -stage. Your culture is roughly analogous to the ones that existed on -Earth between 100 A.D. and 1000 A.D. Those dates mean nothing to you, -I know, but let me assure you that we present-day Terrestrials regard -those times as being, well, rather hazardous and, uh, unreasonable in -their conduct."</p> - -<p>"I only half-understand you," replied the boy. "But didn't you say that -nothing of the wisdom of the ancients survived on your planet? Well, -why had it done so on ours? These islands must be the work of the old -ones."</p> - -<p>"Correct! And that's not all. So is the Xurdimur itself."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, it's obvious to me that this planet must once have been a -tremendous clearing-house and landing field for spacecraft. These -plains couldn't be natural; they must have been leveled out by -machinery. A laboratory-born grass was planted that had all the -characteristics needed to hold the soil together and keep erosion -away. Plus the fact that the islands themselves were, you might say, -caretakers, and kept the whole field spruced up.</p> - -<p>"Gods! I can imagine what a traffic this planet must have had to build -such a landing-field! Ten thousand miles across! The mind boggles -before the thought. They must have done things on a big scale then. -Which makes it all the more difficult to figure out how they could have -come to ruin. Will we ever know what force wrecked them?"</p> - -<p>Grizquetr, of course, had even less of an answer than Green. Both -were silent for a while; then they cried out simultaneously when the -pointed tips of the white towers surrounding Estorya glittered upon the -horizon. One of the screens began flashing a series of cone shapes that -indicated the towers.</p> - -<p>"If the island were still on automatic it would be forced to go around -the entire nation," said Green. "But I'm running it now, and we're -paying no attention to those towers."</p> - -<p>"Knock 'em down!"</p> - -<p>"That's just what I intend to do. But not right now. Let's see. Wonder -how high we can go. Only one way to find out. Upsydaisy!"</p> - -<p>He pulled back the lever and the island began rising, though still -maintaining its horizontal attitude.</p> - -<p>"The ancients, like us moderns, knew how to build anti-gravity -machines. And they also must have kept building their spaceships in the -conventional rocket-form long after there was any need for it. Perhaps, -though, they did so in order for the islands to have a more definite -radar image. Maybe. No one really knows."</p> - -<p>He spoke to himself, meanwhile glancing at the screen which showed him -the plains and the city of Estorya beneath, ever-dwindling as their -height increased.</p> - -<p>"Do me a favor, Grizquetr. Run out to the cave's mouth and tell me if -those walls have fallen over. And on your way back, close the door to -this room. It's going to get colder very quickly, and the air will be -thin. But I imagine that this room is equipped with automatic heat and -oxygen. If it isn't I want to find out now."</p> - -<p>The boy began running back. "The walls are all shaken down, all right!" -he said, breathlessly. "And the Fish Goddess fell over, and her head -almost blocks up the cave's mouth. I wriggled through without any -trouble. I think you can squeeze through."</p> - -<p>Green felt a little sick. That possibility had not occurred to him. -It would have been ironic if the statue had completely blocked the -entrance and he'd had to stay inside until he starved to death. The -Estoryans, of course, would have considered his death a case of -poetical justice.... No, he wouldn't have died, either! He'd just have -gone back to the controls and rolled the island over on one side until -the statue's head came loose. But what if the big stone blocks from -the tumbled wall had fallen down behind the statue so that they wedged -her too tightly to be released? He sweated at the thought and glanced -fondly at the black cat. He wasn't superstitious, not at all, but it -seemed to him that his luck had been better since she'd adopted him. Of -course, that wasn't the scientific attitude to take; nevertheless he -felt comforted just knowing she was around.</p> - -<p>By now, the whole nation of Estorya could be encompassed in one glance. -And the sky was getting darker.</p> - -<p>"We're high enough." He stopped the island. "If anybody didn't get off, -he must be dead by now, the air's so thin. And I was right. We do have -automatic heat and air-providers. Very comfortable in here. I only wish -we had something to eat."</p> - -<p>"Why not lower us to the height where I can go out and find food in the -garrison's kitchens?" said Grizquetr. "Nobody'll be alive to stop me."</p> - -<p>Green thought that was an excellent suggestion. He was very hungry, -for he always had to eat for two, himself and the Vigilante. If the -symbiote within his body provided him with more than normal strength -and powers, it also demanded fuel on which to operate. And, deprived -of food, it would survive by living upon Green's tissue. A Vigilante -wasn't all advantage; it had its dangers.</p> - -<p>He lowered the island to about two thousand feet, set the controls on -neutral, then decided that it would be safe to go out with the boy. -Just as he got to the doorway, however, he began feeling uneasy and -wondering what he would do if, somehow, the door closed and he couldn't -get it open again. That would be a fine situation, to be stuck two -thousand feet in the air, and no parachute!</p> - -<p>Perhaps he was silly, absurdly apprehensive, but he wasn't going to -take any more chances. Grinning sheepishly, he told the boy to go on by -himself. He'd decided to study the controls more closely and think out -his strategy in finer detail.</p> - -<p>When Grizquetr returned with a basket loaded with food and wine, Green -swore at himself for his moment's weakness, then forgot it. After all, -discretion was the better part and all that, and he was only playing it -smart.</p> - -<p>Greedily, he devoured the food and drank half a bottle of wine, knowing -the Vigilante would use alcohol before food and that little of it would -remain in his bloodstream before being consumed. Between bites, he told -Grizquetr what he planned.</p> - -<p>"We'll descend as soon as we're finished eating. I'll write a note, and -you'll drop it over the side upon the steps of the palace. The note -will inform the King he'd better release his prisoners, unharmed, just -outside the windbreak. There we may easily pick them up and then take -off like the proverbial big bird. If he refuses we will proceed to -lower the island upon the Temple of the Fish Goddess, crushing it and -her jewel-encrusted golden idol. And if he still isn't convinced we'll -then smash the palace, not to mention toppling over the entire ring of -towers around the country. Of course, before we drop the note we'll -knock over a few anyway just to show him we're not bluffing."</p> - -<p>Grizquetr's eyes shone. "Can the island crush a big building?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, though I think that there's a possibility we could as easily -disintegrate it. I've wondered how the island cut the grass, and can -only conclude that it must use a device similar to one we have on -Earth. It cuts through objects by breaking up their atomic structure -with a beam that is only a molecule-thick. When on grass-cutting duty, -the island must emit such a beam, and only beneath its base. Of course, -it must have other machines, too, for cleaning up wreckage and debris -and other stuff that its memory banks tell it has no business being on -the field. But I don't know how to operate these."</p> - -<p>Grizquetr looked reproachfully at Green.</p> - -<p>"Well, I don't know everything. I'm not a superman, am I?"</p> - -<p>The boy did not reply, but his expression conveyed the idea that he had -thought his foster-father was just that. Green shrugged his shoulders -and sent the boy out to get paper, pen and ink from the garrison. By -the time the boy returned, Green had lowered the island to about fifty -feet above the palace. He hastily wrote a note, put it in the basket, -which had a cover that could be snapped shut, and told Grizquetr to -throw it over the side, aiming at the steps.</p> - -<p>"I know you're going to be worn out with all this running back and -forth," he said, "but you can do it. You're big and strong."</p> - -<p>"Sure I am," said the boy. Chest expanded, he dashed from the room, -almost tripped going through the door, recovered, and disappeared. -Grinning, Green began to watch the crowds that had gathered below. -Presently he saw the basket hurtle toward a group of priests upon the -great stairway. His grin broadened when the group disintegrated in -panic and several of them lost their footing and rolled down the steps.</p> - -<p>He waited until one of them got enough courage to return and open the -basket. Then he lowered the island another twenty feet. At the same -time, he saw a cannon being hauled into the square before the palace -and its nose being raised so that it could fire upon him.</p> - -<p>"Have to give the beggars credit for guts," he murmured. "Or for sheer -folly, I don't know which. Well, fire away, friends."</p> - -<p>They didn't, because a priest came running to stop them. Evidently, his -note, though written in Huinggro, had been translated swiftly enough, -and the Estoryans were taking no hasty action.</p> - -<p>"While we're waiting for them to make up their minds we'll give them a -taste of the feast they can expect if they aren't reasonable," Green -said.</p> - -<p>He then proceeded to push over about twenty towers just outside the -windbreak. It was great fun, and he'd have liked to knock down a -hundred or so more, but he was too anxious to find out about Amra and -the Earthman. He returned to his former vigil above the palace steps.</p> - -<p>Impatiently, he waited for ten minutes that seemed like ten hours. -Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he growled, "I'm going to -squat on the roof of the Temple and make them hurry up. Do they think -this is a diplomatic conference or something, that they can dillydally -about like this?"</p> - -<p>"No, father," said Grizquetr. "There they come! Mother and Paxi and -Soon and Inzax! And a strange man! He must be the demon!"</p> - -<p>"Demon, your horned hoof!" snorted Green. "That man's as human as I am. -And the poor fellow must have gone through hell. Even from this height -I can see he looks bad. Look how he has to be supported between two -soldiers."</p> - -<p>Amra and the others, he was happy to note, seemed to be unharmed.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless he was anxious about them during their ride through the -city's streets and out to the windbreak. The Estoryans might have -plans for a sudden attack, though he didn't see how they could expect -to surprise him, since from his vantage point, he would notice any -concentration of troops immediately. Or, a fanatical priest might take -it into his head to kill them.</p> - -<p>Neither of these possibilities happened. The prisoners were released -outside the fallen towers, and the soldiers retreated into the city. -Grizquetr left the control room to guide them onto the island. In -fifteen minutes he ran back.</p> - -<p>"Here they are, Father! Saved! Now, get off the ground before the -Estoryans change their minds."</p> - -<p>"We're going back," replied Green, looking in vain for the others and -then deciding that the boy had outstripped them in his haste to report. -He shoved the lever forward and the ship—he was beginning to think of -the island as a ship—soared toward the cone of the spacecraft, which -he could see glittering in the sun inside its wall near the palace. -When Amra and the girls ran into the chamber and wished to throw their -arms around him, he told them he'd be very glad to give each a big warm -kiss later on. Right now he had work to do.</p> - -<p>Amra's smile was replaced by a frown.</p> - -<p>"Do you mean you're still thinking of leaving on the demon's ship?" she -said harshly.</p> - -<p>"That depends on certain factors about which I don't have enough -information as yet to act on," he replied, somewhat stiffly.</p> - -<p>The Earthman limped in. He was a tall, broad-shouldered but emaciated -man. His bushy beard made his long, lean, big-eared, hawk-nosed face -resemble Lincoln's.</p> - -<p>"Captain Walzer of the Terrestrial Interstellar Fleet, Intelligence, he -said, weakly.</p> - -<p>"Alan Green, marine food specialist. I've a long story to tell and no -time to tell it. I would like to know if you can pilot that spacer and -if it's in operating condition. Otherwise we might as well forget it -and go elsewhere."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I'm the pilot. Hassan was the navigator and communications -officer. Poor devil, he died in agony! Those beasts...!"</p> - -<p>"I know how you feel, but we've no time to go into that. Is the ship -ready to take off?"</p> - -<p>Walzer sat down and leaned his head wearily to one side. Grizquetr -offered him wine, and he took two long swallows and smacked his lips -before replying.</p> - -<p>"Ah, that's the first drink I've had for two years! Yes, the bird's -ready to take off on a moment's notice. We'd been on a mission whose -purpose I can't tell you. Security, you know. We were returning when -we encountered this system. Since it's part of our duty to report any -T-type planet if we've time, we decided to stop off and stretch our -legs. We'd been in space so long we were beginning to suffer from -claustrophobia and were ready to fly at each other's throats. You know -how it is if you've made any very long voyages. And those scouts have -especially cramped quarters. They're not made for long trips, but the -nature of our mission required the use of one ... well, we won't go -into that.</p> - -<p>"Anyway, we were wild to breathe fresh air again, to see a horizon, to -feel grass beneath our bare feet, to go swimming, to eat freshly killed -meat and freshly picked fruit. We rationalized ourselves into the idea -that it was our duty to land. We decided on this city because it was -so conspicuous, stuck out here in the middle of this incredible plain. -And, of course, when we got close enough to see that it seemed to be -surrounded by a ring of spaceships we had to enter the city itself -and inquire about this phenomenon. We were greeted friendlily enough, -lulled into being off guard, then attacked. The rest of the story you -know."</p> - -<p>Green nodded and said, "Here we are. Just above the ship."</p> - -<p>He rose from the chair and faced the group. "But before we take any -further steps I think we ought to thrash out something right now that -has been bothering Amra and me. Tell me, Walzer, is there enough room -for Amra, Paxi, Soon, Grizquetr and myself? And perhaps for Inzax, if -she wished to come along?"</p> - -<p>Walzer's eyes widened. "No, man, absolutely not! There's barely space -for you, let alone anybody else."</p> - -<p>Green held out his hands to Amra. "You see? I was afraid of this all -the time. I'll have to go without you."</p> - -<p>He paused, swallowed, then said, "But I'll return! I swear I will! I'll -get the Interstellar Archaeology Bureau interested in this planet. -When I tell them of the Xurdimur, of the rocket-shaped towers, of the -islands with their anti-gravity machines, they'll not hesitate a moment -in organizing an expedition. The chance of solving the mystery of how -man spread all over the Galaxy in prehistoric times will be too strong -for them.</p> - -<p>"And I'll come back with them. And I'll make this planet my life work. -I've a Ph.D. in ichthyology, and I can get accredited as a scientific -member of the expedition. There's no doubt about it!"</p> - -<p>Amra fell into his arms, weeping, crying that she had known all the -time that he couldn't leave her. Then in the next breath she was -swearing that he was just promising to return so he would avoid a scene.</p> - -<p>"I know men well, Alan Green, and I know you, especially. You won't -come back!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I will, I swear it. If you know men so well, you ought to know -that no man who is worthy of being called a man could even think of -leaving a woman like you."</p> - -<p>She smiled through her tears and said, "That's what I wanted to hear -you say. But, oh, Alan, it'll be so long. Won't it take at least two -years?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, at least. But it can't be helped. I'll worry about you while I'm -gone. Or I would if I didn't know how capable you were."</p> - -<p>"I can learn how to run this island," she said half-sobbing, -half-smiling. "By the time you get back I'll probably be Queen of the -Xurdimur. I could contact the Vings, and together we could have the -whole plain and every city along its border under our thumbs. And...."</p> - -<p>He laughed and said, "That was what I was afraid of."</p> - -<p>Turning to Walzer, he said, "Look, you're too weak to consider another -long trip immediately. Why don't you just follow this island in your -ship until we get to a safe distance from here, say about a thousand -miles due north? We'll live on the island until you get your strength -back and get over your claustrophobia. I imagine it wasn't helped any -by being cooped up in that dungeon. When you're ready we'll take off. -In the meantime I can be showing Amra and Grizquetr just what can be -done with the island. She can be living on it while I'm gone. We'll -trap wild life to replace the animals that were strangled when I went -up too high for them to breathe. She can shuttle back and forth over -the Xurdimur, or over the whole planet if she wishes. And she will, I -hope, stay out of mischief until I get back."</p> - -<p>"That's fine," said Walzer. "I'll get in the ship and follow you."</p> - -<p>Three weeks later, the two Earthmen boarded the scout and closed the -port behind them, the port that would not open again until they were -on Earth, some four months subjective time away. They sat down in the -control cabin, and Walzer began pushing buttons and throwing switches.</p> - -<p>Green wiped the sweat from his brow, the tears from his eyes, and said, -"Whew!"</p> - -<p>"A fine woman," said Walzer, sympathetically. "A rare beauty. She has a -tremendous impact upon one."</p> - -<p>"Something like crashing into a planet head-on," said Green. "She -has the faculty of wringing out every last bit of energy left in the -particular emotion she happens to be feeling at the moment. A great -actress who believes in her roles."</p> - -<p>"Her children are fine children, too," Walzer added, slowly and as if -he were about to say something that might hurt Green's feelings but was -anxious not to do so. "You will be glad to see them again, of course."</p> - -<p>"Of course. After all, Paxi's my daughter, I love the others as if they -were also mine."</p> - -<p>"Ah," breathed Walzer. "Then you <i>are</i> going back to her?"</p> - -<p>Green didn't express surprise or anger, because he had guessed from -Walzer's actions just what he was thinking.</p> - -<p>"You can't imagine my wanting to live on that barbaric planet with that -woman, can you?" he said, evenly. "That after all, there are serious -gaps in our ways of thinking, in our behavior, in our education. Isn't -that what you meant by your statement?"</p> - -<p>Walzer glanced out of the corners of his eyes at Green, then replied -warily, "Well, yes. But you know what you want far better than I do." -He paused, then added, "I must say I admire your courage."</p> - -<p>Green shrugged.</p> - -<p>"After all I've been through I'm not afraid to take one more chance."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph3">NOW you can get ADVANCE COPIES of the best <i>New</i> Science Fiction Books!</p> - - -<p>You can be sure of getting the best in adult science fiction—new books -by the top-ranking authors—when you join the Science Fiction Preview -Club. As a member you will receive novels and story collections by such -authors as:</p> - -<p class="ph4">Arthur C. 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Y.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph3">THE FROZEN YEAR</p> - -<p class="ph4">by James Blish</p> - - -<p>"I'm Julian Cole. I'm a science writer. I've read about every theory of -history you can name, and only one makes sense: the one which assumes -that every historical event is aimed personally at my very own head."</p> - -<p>Sounds paranoid, doesn't it? But wait. Suppose you had the job given -to Julian Cole: official historian to a grand-stand Arctic explorer -who sets off on a disastrously ridiculous expedition to the far North. -Suppose <i>you</i> had to cope with the explorer's highly pneumatic wife and -an assortment of characters one of whom is either a Martian or insane? -And, to cap it all, suppose you held in your hands proof of the biggest -science story of the century—and nobody would believe you?</p> - -<p>Wouldn't you feel just a little like Julian Cole?</p> - -<p><i>JAMES BLISH is no newcomer to the field of science fiction. Indeed, -his is one of the names which has long signified quality to a -discerning audience.</i> THE FROZEN YEAR <i>is a highly topical novel set -against the back-ground of the International Geophysical Year. It has -biting and acid reflections to make on public relations, the inner -workings of large foundations—and demonstrates the surprising and -wonderful ways in which human beings react to the unexpected.</i></p> - -<p class="ph4">Paperbound: 35c<br /> -Hardbound: $2.75</p> - -<p class="ph4">BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC.<br /> -101 Fifth Avenue<br /> -New York 3, N.Y.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p><b>PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER....</b></p> - -<p>created a furore—and an important name in science fiction—with the -publication of his very first story, The Lovers.</p> - -<p>To his first eager audience, and to the many followers he has gained -since then, he now brings a full-length novel—and it happily fulfills -his reputation for the unexpected.</p> - - -<p><b>THE GREEN ODYSSEY....</b></p> - -<p>is an uproarious, hell-bent adventure story, combining fantasy, -imagination and science, with a liberal dash of humor. It is in the -best tradition of adventure science fiction, a swashbuckling tale of a -resourceful spaceman who is, however, uneasily aware that he may have -been miscast. Fortunately, he has the assistance of a large, gorgeous, -energetic and adoring female who is supremely confident of his ability -to handle all comers. With her help, that is.</p> - -<p>The tale of their adventures is reading for sheer fun.</p> - -<p class="ph4">35c<br /> -This is an original novel—not a reprint.<br /> -Printed in U.S.A</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Green Odyssey, by Philip José Farmer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREEN ODYSSEY *** - -***** This file should be named 50571-h.htm or 50571-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/5/7/50571/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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