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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..7f378b6 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50923 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50923) diff --git a/old/50923-h.zip b/old/50923-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2474a37..0000000 --- a/old/50923-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50923-h/50923-h.htm b/old/50923-h/50923-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b72e9d4..0000000 --- a/old/50923-h/50923-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2325 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Serpent River, by Don Wilcox. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Serpent River, by Don Wilcox - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: The Serpent River - -Author: Don Wilcox - -Release Date: January 14, 2016 [EBook #50923] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SERPENT RIVER *** - - - - -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="359" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE SERPENT RIVER</h1> - -<p>By Don Wilcox</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Other Worlds May 1957.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">The Code was rigid—no fraternization with the<br /> -peoples of other planets! Earth wanted no<br /> -"shotgun weddings" of the worlds of space!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Split" Campbell and I brought our ship down to a quiet landing on the -summit of a mile-wide naked rock, and I turned to the telescope for a -closer view of the strange thing we had come to see.</p> - -<p>It shone, eighteen or twenty miles away, in the light of the late -afternoon sun. It was a long silvery serpent-like <b>something</b> that -crawled slowly over the planet's surface.</p> - -<p>There was no way of guessing how large it was, at this distance. It -might have been a rope rolled into shape out of a mountain—or a chain -of mountains. It might have been a river of bluish-gray dough that had -shaped itself into a great cable. Its diameter? If it had been a hollow -tube, cities could have flowed through it upright without bending their -skyscrapers. It was, to the eye, an endless rope of cloud oozing along -the surface of the land. No, not cloud, for it had the compactness of -solid substance.</p> - -<p>We could see it at several points among the low foothills. Even from -this distance we could guess that it had been moving along its course -for centuries. Moving like a sluggish snake. It followed a deep-worn -path between the nearer hills and the high jagged mountains on the -horizon.</p> - -<p><b>What was it?</b></p> - -<p>"Split" Campbell and I had been sent here to learn the answers. -Our sponsor was the well known "EGGWE" (the Earth-Galaxy Good -Will Expeditions.) We were under the EGGWE Code. We were the first -expedition to this planet, but we had come equipped with two important -pieces of advance information. The Keynes-Roy roving cameras (unmanned) -had brought back to the Earth choice items of fact about various parts -of the universe. From these photos we knew (1) that man lived on this -planet, a humanoid closely resembling the humans of the Earth; and -(2) that a vast cylindrical "rope" crawled the surface of this land, -continuously, endlessly.</p> - -<p>We had intentionally landed at what we guessed would be a safe distance -from the rope. If it were a living thing, like a serpent, we preferred -not to disturb it. If it gave off heat or poisonous gases or deadly -vibrations, we meant to keep our distance. If, on the other hand, it -proved to be some sort of vegetable—a vine of glacier proportions—or -a river of some silvery, creamy substance—we would move in upon it -gradually, gathering facts as we progressed. I could depend upon -"Split" to record all observable phenomena with the accuracy of -split-hairs.</p> - -<p>Split was working at the reports like a drudge at this very moment.</p> - -<p>I looked up from the telescope, expecting him to be waiting his turn -eagerly. I misguessed. He didn't even glance up from his books. Rare -young Campbell! Always a man of duty, never a man of impulse!</p> - -<p>"Here Campbell, take a look at the 'rope'."</p> - -<p>"Before I finish the reports, sir? If I recall our Code, Section Two, -Order of Duties upon Landing: A—"</p> - -<p>"Forget the Code. Take a look at the rope while the sun's on it.... See -it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes sir."</p> - -<p>"Can you see it's moving? See the little clouds of dust coming up from -under its belly?"</p> - -<p>"Yes sir. An excellent view, Captain Linden."</p> - -<p>"What do you think of it, Split? Ever see a sight like that before?"</p> - -<p>"No sir."</p> - -<p>"Well, what about it? Any comments?"</p> - -<p>Split answered me with an enthusiastic, "By gollies, sir!" Then, with -restraint, "It's precisely what I expected from the photographs, sir. -Any orders, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Relax, Split! That's the order. Relax!"</p> - -<p>"Thanks—thanks, Cap!" That was his effort to sound informal, though -coming from him it was strained. His training had given him an -exaggerated notion of the importance of dignity and discipline.</p> - -<p>He was naturally so conscientious it was painful. And to top it all, -his scientific habit of thought made him want to stop and weigh his -words even when speaking of casual things such as how much sugar he -required in his coffee.</p> - -<p>Needless to say, I had kidded him unmercifully over these traits. -Across the millions of miles of space that we had recently traveled -(our first voyage together) I had amused myself at his expense. I -had sworn that he would find, in time, that he couldn't even trim -his fingernails without calipers, or comb his hair without actually -physically splitting the hairs that cropped up in the middle of the -part. That was when I had nicknamed him "Split"—and the wide ears that -stuck out from his stubble-cut blond hair had glowed with the pink of -selfconsciousness. Plainly, he liked the kidding. But if I thought I -could rescue him from the weight of dignity and duty, I was mistaken.</p> - -<p>Now he had turned the telescope for a view far to the right. He paused.</p> - -<p>"What do you see?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"I cannot say definitely. The exact scientific classification of the -object I am observing would call for more detailed scrutiny—"</p> - -<p>"You're seeing some sort of object?"</p> - -<p>"Yes sir."</p> - -<p>"What sort of object?"</p> - -<p>"A living creature, sir—upright, wearing clothes—"</p> - -<p>"A <b>man</b>?"</p> - -<p>"To all appearances, sir—"</p> - -<p>"You bounder, give me that telescope!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">2.</p> - -<p>If you have explored the weird life of many a planet, as I have, you -can appreciate the deep sense of excitement that comes over me when, -looking out at a new world for the first time, I see a man-like animal.</p> - -<p>Walking upright!</p> - -<p>Wearing adornments in the nature of clothing!</p> - -<p>I gazed, and my lungs filled with the breath of wonderment. A man! -Across millions of miles of space—a man, like the men of the Earth.</p> - -<p>Six times before in my life of exploration I had gazed at new realms -within the approachable parts of our universe, but never before had the -living creatures borne such wonderful resemblance to the human life of -our Earth.</p> - -<p>A man!</p> - -<p>He might have been creeping on all fours.</p> - -<p>He might have been skulking like a lesser animal.</p> - -<p>He might have been entirely naked.</p> - -<p>He was none of these—and at the very first moment of viewing him I -felt a kinship toward him. Oh, he was primitive in appearance—but had -my ancestors not been the same? Was this not a mirror of my own race -a million years or so ago? I sensed that my own stream of life had -somehow crossed with his in ages gone by. How? Who can ever know? By -what faded charts of the movements through the sky will man ever be -able to retrace relationships of forms of life among planets?</p> - -<p>"Get ready to go out and meet him, Campbell," I said. "He's a friend."</p> - -<p>Split Campbell gave me a look as if to say, Sir, you don't even know -what sort of animal he is, actually, much less whether he's friendly or -murderous.</p> - -<p>"There are some things I can sense on first sight, Campbell. Take my -word for it, he's a friend."</p> - -<p>"I didn't say anything, sir."</p> - -<p>"Good. Don't. Just get ready."</p> - -<p>"We're going to go <b>out</b>—?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," I said. "Orders."</p> - -<p>"And meet both of them?" Split was at the telescope.</p> - -<p>"Both?" I took the instrument from him. Both! "Well!"</p> - -<p>"They seem to be coming out of the ground," Split said. "I see no signs -of habitation, but apparently we've landed on top of an underground -city—though I hasten to add that this is only an hypothesis."</p> - -<p>"One's a male and the other's a female," I said.</p> - -<p>"Another hypothesis," said Split.</p> - -<p>The late evening sunshine gave us a clear view of our two "friends". -They were fully a mile away. Split was certain they had not seen our -ship, and to this conclusion I was in agreement. They had apparently -come up out of the barren rock hillside to view the sunset. I studied -them through the telescope while Split checked over equipment for a -hike.</p> - -<p>The man's walk was unhurried. He moved thoughtfully, one might -guess. His bare chest and legs showed him to be statuesque in mold, -cleanly muscled, fine of bone. His skin was almost the color of the -cream-colored robe which flowed from his back, whipping lightly in -the breeze. He wore a brilliant red sash about his middle, and this -was matched by a red headdress that came down over his shoulders as a -circular mantle.</p> - -<p>The girl stood several yards distant, watching him. This was some -sort of ritual, no doubt. He was not concerned with her, but with the -setting sun. Its rays were almost horizontal, knifing through a break -in the distant mountain skyline. He went through some routine motions, -his moving arms highlighted by the lemon-colored light of evening.</p> - -<p>The girl approached him. Two other persons appeared from somewhere back -of her.... Three.... Four.... Five....</p> - -<p>"Where do they come from?" Split had paused in the act of checking -equipment to take his turn at the telescope. If he had not done so, I -might not have made a discovery. The landscape was <b>moving</b>.</p> - -<p>The long shadows that I had not noticed through the telescope were a -prominent part of the picture I saw through the ship's window when I -looked out across the scene with the naked eye. The shadows were moving.</p> - -<p>They were tree shadows. They were moving toward the clearing where the -crowd gathered. And the reason for their movement was that the trees -themselves were moving.</p> - -<p>"Notice anything?" I asked Split.</p> - -<p>"The crowd is growing. We've certainly landed on top of a city." He -gazed. "They're coming from underground."</p> - -<p>Looking through the telescope, obviously he didn't catch the view of -the moving trees.</p> - -<p>"Notice anything else unusual?" I persisted.</p> - -<p>"Yes. The females—I'm speaking hypothetically—but they <b>must</b> be -females—are all wearing puffy white fur ornaments around their elbows. -I wonder why?"</p> - -<p>"You haven't noticed the trees?"</p> - -<p>"The females are quite attractive," said Split.</p> - -<p>I forgot about the moving trees, then, and took over the telescope. -Mobile trees were not new to me. I had seen similar vegetation on other -planets—"sponge-trees"—which possessed a sort of muscular quality. If -these were similar, they were no doubt feeding along the surface of the -slope below the rocky plateau. The people in the clearing beyond paid -no attention to them.</p> - -<p>I studied the crowd of people. Only the leader wore the brilliant garb. -The others were more scantily clothed. All were handsome of build. The -lemon-tinted sunlight glanced off the muscular shoulders of the males -and the soft curves of the females.</p> - -<p>"Those furry elbow ornaments on the females," I said to Split, -"they're for protection. The caves they live in must be narrow, so -they pad their elbows."</p> - -<p>"Why don't they pad their shoulders? They don't have anything on their -shoulders."</p> - -<p>"Are you complaining?"</p> - -<p>We became fascinated in watching, from the seclusion of our ship. If we -were to walk out, or make any sounds, we might have interrupted their -meeting. Here they were in their native ritual of sunset, not knowing -that people from another world watched. The tall leader must be making -a speech. They sat around him in little huddles. He moved his arms in -calm, graceful gestures.</p> - -<p>"They'd better break it up!" Split said suddenly. "The jungles are -moving in on them."</p> - -<p>"They're spellbound," I said. "They're used to sponge-trees. Didn't you -ever see moving trees?"</p> - -<p>Split said sharply, "Those trees are marching! They're an army under -cover. Look!"</p> - -<p>I saw, then. The whole line of advancing vegetation was camouflage for -a sneak attack. And all those natives sitting around in meeting were as -innocent as a flock of sitting ducks. Split Campbell's voice was edged -with alarm. "Captain! Those worshippers—how can we warn them? Oh-oh! -Too late. Look!"</p> - -<p>All at once the advancing sponge-trees were tossed back over the heads -of the savage band concealed within. They were warriors—fifty or more -of them—with painted naked bodies. They dashed forward in a wide -semicircle, swinging crude weapons, bent on slaughter.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">3.</p> - -<p>They were waving short clubs or whips with stones tied to the ends. -They charged up the slope, about sixty yards, swinging their weird -clubs with a threat of death.</p> - -<p>Wild disorder suddenly struck the audience. Campbell and I believed we -were about to witness a massacre.</p> - -<p>"Captain—<b>Jim</b>! You're not going to let this happen!"</p> - -<p>Our sympathies had gone to the first groups, the peaceable ones. I had -the same impulse as Campbell—to do something—anything! Yet here we -sat in our ship, more than half a mile from our thirty-five or forty -"friends" in danger.</p> - -<p>Our friends were panicked. But they didn't take flight. They didn't -duck for the holes in the rocky hilltop. Instead, they rallied and -packed themselves around their tall leader. They stood, a defiant wall.</p> - -<p>"Can we shoot a ray, Jim?"</p> - -<p>I didn't answer. Later I would recall that Split <b>could</b> drop his -dignity under excitement—his "Captain Linden" and "sir." Just now he -wanted any sort of split-second order.</p> - -<p>We saw the naked warriors run out in a wide circle. They spun and -weaved, they twirled their deadly clubs, they danced grotesquely. They -were closing in. Closer and closer. It was all their party.</p> - -<p>"Jim, can we shoot?"</p> - -<p>"Hit number sixteen, Campbell."</p> - -<p>Split touched the number sixteen signal.</p> - -<p>The ship's siren wailed out over the land.</p> - -<p>You could tell when the sound struck them. The circle of savage ones -suddenly fell apart. The dancing broke into the wildest contortions you -ever saw. As if they'd been spanked by a wave of electricity. The siren -scream must have sounded like an animal cry from an unknown world. The -attackers ran for the sponge-trees. The rootless jungle came to life. -It jerked and jumped spasmodically down the slope. And our siren kept -right on singing.</p> - -<p>"Ready for that hike, Campbell? Give me my equipment coat." I got -into it. I looked back to the telescope. The tall man of the party -had behaved with exceptional calmness. He had turned to stare in our -direction from the instant the siren sounded. He could no doubt make -out the lines of our silvery ship in the shadows. Slowly, deliberately, -he marched over the hilltop toward us.</p> - -<p>Most of his party now scampered back to the safety of their hiding -places in the ground. But a few—the brave ones, perhaps, or the -officials of his group—came with him.</p> - -<p>"He needs a stronger guard than that," Campbell grumbled.</p> - -<p>Sixteen was still wailing. "Set it for ten minutes and come on," I -said. Together we descended from the ship.</p> - -<p>We took into our nostrils the tangy air, breathing fiercely, at first. -We slogged along over the rock surface feeling our weight to be -one-and-a-third times normal. We glanced down the slope apprehensively. -We didn't want any footraces. The trees, however, were still -retreating. Our siren would sing on for another eight minutes. And -in case of further danger, we were equipped with the standard pocket -arsenal of special purpose capsule bombs.</p> - -<p>Soon we came face to face with the tall, stately old leader in the -cream-and-red cloak.</p> - -<p>Split and I stood together, close enough to exchange comments against -the siren's wail. Fine looking people, we observed. Smooth faces. -Like the features of Earth men. These creatures could walk down -any main street back home. With a bit of makeup they would pass. -"Notice, Captain, they have strange looking eyes." "Very smooth." -"It's because they have no eyebrows ... no eye lashes." "Very -smooth—handsome—attractive."</p> - -<p>Then the siren went off.</p> - -<p>The leader stood before me, apparently unafraid. He seemed to be -waiting for me to explain my presence. His group of twelve gathered in -close.</p> - -<p>I had met such situations with ease before. "EGGWE" explorers come -equipped. I held out a gift toward the leader. It was a singing -medallion attached to a chain. It was disc-shaped, patterned after a -large silver coin. It made music at the touch of a button. In clear, -dainty bell tones it rang out its one tune, "Trail of Stars."</p> - -<p>As it played I held it up for inspection. I placed it around my own -neck, then offered it to the leader. I thought he was smiling. He was -not overwhelmed by the "magic" of this gadget. He saw it for what it -was, a token of friendship. There was a keenness about him that I -liked. Yes, he was smiling. He bent his head forward and allowed me to -place the gift around his neck.</p> - -<p>"Tomboldo," he said, pointing to himself.</p> - -<p>Split and I tried to imitate his breathy accents as we repeated aloud, -"Tomboldo."</p> - -<p>We pointed to ourselves, in turn, and spoke our own names. And then, -as the names of the others were pronounced, we tried to memorize each -breathy sound that was uttered. I was able to remember four or five of -them. One was Gravgak.</p> - -<p>Gravgak's piercing eyes caused me to notice him. Suspicious eyes? I did -not know these people's expressions well enough to be sure.</p> - -<p>Gravgak was a guard, tall and muscular, whose arms and legs were -painted with green and black diamond designs.</p> - -<p>By motions and words we didn't understand, we inferred that we were -invited to accompany the party back home, inside the hill, where we -would be safe. I nodded to Campbell. "It's our chance to be guests of -Tomboldo." Nothing could have pleased us more. For our big purpose—to -understand the Serpent River—would be forwarded greatly if we could -learn, through the people, what its meanings were. To analyze the -river's substance, estimate its rate, its weight, its temperature, and -to map its course—these facts were only a part of the information we -sought. The fuller story would be to learn how the inhabitants of this -planet regarded it: whether they loved or shunned it, and what legends -they may have woven around it. All this knowledge would be useful when -future expeditions of men from the Earth followed us (through EGGWE) -for an extension of peaceful trade relationships.</p> - -<p>Tomboldo depended upon the guard Gravgak to make sure that the way was -safe. Gravgak was supposed to keep an eye on the line of floating trees -that had taken flight down the hillside. Danger still lurked there, we -knew. And now the siren that had frightened off the attack was silent. -Our ship, locked against invaders, could be forgotten. We were guests -of Tomboldo.</p> - -<p>Gravgak was our guard, but he didn't work at it. He was too anxious to -hear all the talk. In the excitement of our meeting, everyone ignored -the growing darkness, the lurking dangers. Gravgak confronted us with -agitated jabbering:</p> - -<p>"Wollo—yeeta—vo—vandartch—vandartch! Grr—see—o—see—o—see—o!"</p> - -<p>"See—o—see—o—see—o," one of the others echoed.</p> - -<p>It began to make sense. They wanted us to repeat the siren noises. The -enemy had threatened their lives. There could very well have been a -wholesale slaughter. But as long as we could make the "see—o—see—o" -we were all safe.</p> - -<p>Split and I exchanged glances. He touched his hand to the equipment -jacket, to remind me we were armed with something more miraculous than -a yowling siren.</p> - -<p>"See—o—see—o—see—o!" Others of Tomboldo's party echoed the demand. -They must have seen the sponge-trees again moving toward our path. -"<b>See—o—see—o!</b>"</p> - -<p>Our peaceful march turned into a spasm of terror. The sponge-trees -came rushing up the slope, as if borne by a sudden gust of wind. They -bounced over our path, and the war party spilled out of them.</p> - -<p>Shouting. A wild swinging of clubs. And no cat-and-mouse tricks. No -deliberate circling and closing in. An outright attack. Naked bodies -gleaming in the semi-darkness. Arms swinging weapons, choosing the -nearest victims. The luminous rocks on the ends of the clubs flashed. -Shouting, screeching, hurling their clubs. The whizzing fury filled the -air.</p> - -<p>I hurled a capsule bomb. It struck at the base of a bouncing -sponge-tree, and blew the thing to bits.</p> - -<p>The attackers ran back into a huddle, screaming. Then they came -forward, rushing defiantly.</p> - -<p>Our muscular guard, Gravgak was too bold. He had picked up one of their -clubs and he ran toward their advance, and to all of Tomboldo's party -it must have appeared that he was bravely rushing to his death. Yet -the gesture of the club he swung so wildly could have been intended as -a <b>warning</b>! It could have meant, Run back, you fools, or these -strange devils will throw fire at you.</p> - -<p>I threw fire. And so did my lieutenant. He didn't wait for orders, -thank goodness. He knew it was their lives or ours. Zip, zip, -zip—BLANG-BLANG-BLANG! The bursts of fire at their feet ripped the -rocks. The spray caught them and knocked them back. Three or four -warriors in the fore ranks were torn up in the blasts. Others were -flattened—and those who were able, ran.</p> - -<p>They ran, not waiting for the cover of sponge-trees. Not bothering to -pick up their clubs.</p> - -<p>But the operation was not a complete success. We had suffered a serious -casualty. The guard Gravgak. He had rushed out too far, and the first -blast of fire and rock had knocked him down. Now Tomboldo and others of -the party hovered over him.</p> - -<p>His eyes opened a little. I thought he was staring at me, drilling me -with suspicion. I worked over him with medicines. The crowd around us -stood back in an attitude of awe as Split and I applied ready bandages, -and held a stimulant to his nostrils that made him breath back to -consciousness.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he came to life. Lying there on his back, with the club still -at his fingertips, he swung up on one elbow. The swift motion caused -a cry of joy from the crowd. I heard a little of it—and then blacked -out. For as the muscular Gravgak moved, his fingers closed over the -handle of the club. It whizzed upward with him—apparently all by -accident. The stone that dangled from the end of the club crashed into -my head.</p> - -<p>I went into instant darkness. Darkness, and a long, long silence.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">4.</p> - -<p>Vauna, the beautiful daughter of Tomboldo, came into my life during the -weeks that I lay unconscious.</p> - -<p>I must have talked aloud much during those feverish hours of darkness.</p> - -<p>"Campbell!" I would call out of a nightmare. "Campbell, we're about to -land. Is everything set? Check the instruments again, Campbell."</p> - -<p>"S-s-sh!" The low hush of Split Campbell's voice would somehow -penetrate my dream.</p> - -<p>The voices about me were soft. My dreams echoed the soft female voices -of this new, strange language.</p> - -<p>"Campbell, are you there?... Have you forgotten the Code, Campbell?"</p> - -<p>"Quiet, Captain."</p> - -<p>"Who is it that's swabbing my face? I can't see."</p> - -<p>"It's Vauna. She's smiling at you, Captain. Can't you see her?"</p> - -<p>"Is this the pretty one we saw through the telescope?"</p> - -<p>"One of them."</p> - -<p>"And what of the other? There were two together. I remember—"</p> - -<p>"Omosla is here too. She's Vauna's attendant. We're all looking after -you, Captain Linden. Did you know I performed an operation to relieve -the pressure on your brain? You must get well, Captain." The words of -Campbell came through insistently.</p> - -<p>After a silence that may have lasted for hours or days, I said, -"Campbell, you haven't forgot the EGGWE Code?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not, Captain."</p> - -<p>"Section Four?"</p> - -<p>"Section Four," he repeated in a low voice, as if to pacify me and put -me to sleep. "Conduct of EGGWE agents toward native inhabitants: A, No -agent shall enter into any diplomatic agreement that shall be construed -as binding—"</p> - -<p>I interrupted. "Clause D?"</p> - -<p>He picked it up. "D, no agent shall enter into a marriage contract with -any native.... H-m-m. You're not trying to warn me, are you, Captain -Linden? Or are you warning <b>yourself</b>?"</p> - -<p>At that moment my eyes opened a little. Swimming before my blurred -vision was the face of Vauna. I did remember her—yes, she must have -haunted my dreams, for now my eyes burned in an effort to define her -features more clearly. This was indeed Vauna, who had been one of the -party of twelve, and had walked beside her father in the face of the -attack. Deep within my subconscious the image of her beautiful face and -figure had lingered. I murmured a single word of answer to Campbell's -question. "Myself."</p> - -<p>In the hours that followed, I came to know the soft footsteps of Vauna. -The caverns in which she and her father and all these Benzendella -people lived were pleasantly warm and fragrant. My misty impressions of -their life about me were like the first impressions of a child learning -about the world into which he has been born.</p> - -<p>Sometimes I would hear Vauna and her attendant Omosla talking together. -Often when Campbell would stop in this part of the cavern to inquire -about me, Omosla would drop in also. She and Campbell were learning to -converse in simple words. And Vauna and I—yes. If I could only avoid -blacking out.</p> - -<p>I wanted to see her.</p> - -<p>So often my eyes would refuse to open. A thousand nightmares. Space -ships shooting through meteor swarms. Stars like eyes. Eyes like stars. -The eyes of Vauna, the daughter of Tomboldo. The sensitive stroke of -Vauna's fingers, brushing my forehead, pressing my hand.</p> - -<p>I regained my health gradually.</p> - -<p>"Are you quite awake?" Vauna would ask me in her musical Benzendella -words. "You speak better today. Your friend Campbell has brought you -more recordings of our language, so you can learn to speak more. My -father is eager to talk with you. But you must sleep more. You are -still weak."</p> - -<p>It gave me a weird sensation to awaken in the night, trying to adjust -myself to my surroundings. The Benzendellas were sleep-singers. By -night they murmured mysterious little songs through their sleep. -Strange harmonies whispered through the caves.</p> - -<p>And if I stirred restlessly, the footsteps of Vauna might come to me -through the darkness. In her sleeping garments she would come to me, -faintly visible in the pink light that filtered through from some -corridor. She would whisper melodious Benzendella words and tell me to -go back to sleep, and I would drift into the darkness of my endless -dreams.</p> - -<p>The day came when I awakened to see both Vauna and her father standing -before me. Stern old Tomboldo, with his chalk-smooth face and not a -hint of an eyebrow or eyelash, rapped his hand against my ribs, shook -the fiber bed lightly, and smiled. From a pocket concealed in his -flowing cape, he drew forth the musical watch, touched the button, and -played, "Trail of Stars."</p> - -<p>"I have learned to talk," I said.</p> - -<p>"You have had a long sleep."</p> - -<p>"I am well again. See, I can almost walk." But as I started to rise, -the wave of blackness warned me, and I restrained my ambition. "I will -walk soon."</p> - -<p>"We will have much to talk about. Your friend has pointed to the stars -and told me a strange story of your coming. We have walked around the -ship. He has told me how it rides through the sky. I can hardly make -myself believe." Tomboldo's eyes cast upward under the strong ridge of -forehead where the eyebrows should have been. He was evidently trying -to visualize the flight of a space ship. "We will have much to tell -each other."</p> - -<p>"I hope so," I said. "Campbell and I came to learn about the <b>serpent -river</b>." I resorted to my own language for the last two words, not -knowing the Benzendella equivalent. <b>I</b> made an eel-like motion -with my arm. But they didn't understand. And before I could explain, -the footsteps of other Benzendellas approached, and presently I looked -around to see that quite an audience had gathered. The most prominent -figure of the new group was the big muscular guard of the black and -green diamond markings—Gravgak.</p> - -<p>"You get well?" Gravgak said to me. His eyes drilled me closely.</p> - -<p>"I get well," I said.</p> - -<p>"The blow on the head," he said, "was not meant."</p> - -<p>I looked at him. Everyone was looking at him, and I knew this was meant -to be an occasion of apology. But the light of fire in Vauna's eyes -told me that she did not believe. He saw her look, and his own eyes -flashed darts of defiance. With an abrupt word to me, he wheeled and -started off. "Get well!"</p> - -<p>The crowd of men and women made way for him. But in the arched doorway -he turned. "Vauna. I am ready to speak to you alone."</p> - -<p>She started. I reached and barely touched her hand. She stopped. "I -will talk with you later, Gravgak."</p> - -<p>"Now!" he shouted. "Alone."</p> - -<p>He stalked off. A moment later Vauna, after exchanging a word with her -father, excused herself from the crowd and followed Gravgak.</p> - -<p>From the way those in the room looked, I knew this must be a dramatic -moment. It was as if she had acknowledged Gravgak as her master—or her -lover. He had called for her. She had followed.</p> - -<p>But her old father was still the master. He stepped toward the door. -"Vauna!... Gravgak!... Come back."</p> - -<p>(I will always wonder what might have happened if he hadn't called -them! Was my distrust of Gravgak justified? Had I become merely a -jealous lover—or was I right in my hunch that the tall muscular guard -was a potential traitor?)</p> - -<p>Vauna reappeared at once. I believe she was glad that she had been -called back.</p> - -<p>Gravgak came sullenly. At the edge of the crowd in the arched doorway -he stood scowling.</p> - -<p>"While we are together," old Tomboldo said quietly, looking around at -the assemblage, "I must tell you the decision of the council. Soon we -will move back to the other part of the world."</p> - -<p>There were low murmurs of approval through the chamber.</p> - -<p>"We will wait a few days," Tomboldo went on, "until our new friend—" -he pointed to me—"is well enough to travel. We would never leave him -here to the mercy of the savage ones. He and his helper came through -the sky in time to save us from being destroyed. We must never forget -this kindness. When we ascend the <b>Kao-Wagwattl</b>, the ever moving -<b>rope of life</b>, these friends shall come with us. On the back of -the Kao-Wagwattl <b>they shall ride with us across the land</b>."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">5.</p> - -<p>From that moment on, there was more buzzing around the caverns than -a hive of bees. It was like a spaceport before the blastoff of a big -interplanetary liner. The excitement was enough to cause a sick man to -have a relapse—or get well in a hurry to join in on the commotion. I -did my best to get well quick!</p> - -<p>"Where is Campbell? Bring me my friend Campbell, please."</p> - -<p>Omosla, the pretty attendant and companion of Vauna, was always glad, I -noticed, to be sent on an errand to Split Campbell, wherever he was.</p> - -<p>From all reports he was reinforcing the defenses at one point or -another where these caverns led up to the surface. They told me he was -a busy man. The attacks of the savage ones had grown more vicious. -They had evidently learned that the Benzendellas intended to move back -to other lands; so they had grown bold in their raids, attempting to -steal not only the Benzendellas' treasurers but also their women. They -had not been successful. My good lieutenant, navigator and scientist, -equipped with capsule explosives, had blown one group of them into a -fountain of dismembered arms and legs. I could just picture him hurling -those miniature bombs at the split-second when they would create the -most panic.</p> - -<p>The Benzendellas had been quick to recognize a good thing. They only -wished he were quadruplets or better, to stand guard continuously at -many entrances. They brought him their rare foods, and furnished him -with a comfortable couch; they offered him gifts. In short, they loved -him for his efficiency, and for himself. Especially (according to the -rumors that reached my ears) Omosla.</p> - -<p>Pretty little Omosla, I fear, loved him with a love that might have -overwhelmed a lesser man. But I knew that Split Campbell would not -be swerved. He was devoted to duty, dignity, and the Code. The Code -forbade intermarriage with the natives.</p> - -<p>Why did I keep thinking of the Code? It shouldn't have crossed my -thoughts so often. I hardly dared stop to ask myself what continually -brought it to mind. But I knew. The flare of jealously I had felt when -Gravgak had tried to call Vauna away from the crowd....</p> - -<p>"You are feeling better, Captain?" Vauna said to me as she watched me -pace the floor. "You find that you can walk, so you keep walking?"</p> - -<p>"I need to walk so I can think."</p> - -<p>"If you wish to think, you should sit out on the hillside at the time -of sunset. You understand my words?"</p> - -<p>"I understand," I smiled. Then, rashly, I added, "I understand your -words. I don't always understand you."</p> - -<p>"And you wish to understand me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>I could think of more answers than my vocabulary could handle. I said -simply, "When I go back to my own world I should be able to say that I -understand the people of this world."</p> - -<p>"But you <b>do</b> understand us. You see how we live. You hear how we -talk. There." She pressed my hand. "That is all you need to understand, -isn't it? I am the one who does not understand you."</p> - -<p>"How do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I do not see how you live. I do not hear how you talk." She gave a -little laugh. "Only see how you walk when you think, but I do not know -what you think."</p> - -<p>"I think about you," I said.</p> - -<p>"That is very nice. I think about you, too, Jim. Since the night you -saved us from the savage ones, I have thought about you."</p> - -<p>I stopped walking in circles and looked at her. The soft light from the -luminous rock walls gave an ivory tint to her bare shoulders. She wore -a dress of soft woven material, designed with a diagonal line of little -hand-painted sponge-trees. From the curve of her breasts to the lithe -gracefulness of her thighs, the close-fitting garment accentuated her -beauty.</p> - -<p>She was backing away from me, smiling as if wondering if I would follow -her. Her arms were bare except for the ornaments of fur around her -elbows. These were evidently an insignia of Benzendella womanhood, for -no woman of this realm was to be seen without them.</p> - -<p>"Come," Vauna said, beckoning me. "Put your ear against the wall. What -do you hear?"</p> - -<p>She pressed her head against the wall and I did the same. Finally I -made out the faint vibrations of some distant rumbling. I asked, "What -is it?"</p> - -<p>"Kao-Wagwattl."</p> - -<p>"The round river that moves like a serpent?"</p> - -<p>"It is an endless rope," she said. "It is life."</p> - -<p>"Life?"</p> - -<p>"It gathers water and food within itself. It gives life to those who -seek life. It gives life—"</p> - -<p>She stopped, and her pretty poetic expression vanished. My hands -touched her hands, my fingers moved gently along her wrists, her -forearms—then as my touch neared her fur-covered elbows, a look of -shock came into her eyes. "Jim!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Vauna?"</p> - -<p>"I was trying to tell you—"</p> - -<p>"<b>What?</b>"</p> - -<p>For a moment she only looked at me, searching my eyes. "We <b>don't</b> -understand each other, do we?"</p> - -<p>Finally I said, "Then why don't we ask each other questions?"</p> - -<p>"Yes.... Yes, ask me questions."</p> - -<p>"All right." I had an impulse to start pacing again. I walked about for -a moment. "Tell me, Vauna. When your friend Gravgak demanded that you -come and talk with him alone, what would have happened if your father -hadn't called you back?"</p> - -<p>She smiled faintly. "I will tell you a secret, Jim. I had already made -my father promise to call me back. I whispered to him, 'Call me back.'"</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>She gave an evasive little laugh. "You understand enough already. Now -it is my question. Tell me, Captain Jim, why do you keep saying that -you are going back to another world?"</p> - -<p>"Because I am. That's my duty."</p> - -<p>"When you ride with us on the Kao-Wagwattl you will come with us to -another part of this world. It is more beautiful than here. We are only -a few. Our race lives in the other part. My father came here only to -study, but soon the Kao-Wagwattl will take us all back. And you and -your friend Campbell will go with us and belong to us."</p> - -<p>The self-discipline of an EGGWE agent is supposed to be his defense -against any natives' invitations, no matter how beautiful or charming -the native. All I could say was, "You don't understand us, do you, -Vauna?"</p> - -<p>"Don't I?"</p> - -<p>"Your people I love. And you, Vauna. But our orders are to return. I -must not think of disobeying my orders. And I assure you Campbell is -one who would never disobey."</p> - -<p>"The big silver shell will take you away from us?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"You will remember me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, always."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Jim." She was weeping. I started to take her in my arms, -but thought better of it. She dried her eyes. "I will remember you too. -When I see Campbell and Omosla, I will have a dream of this hour, and -how we didn't understand."</p> - -<p>I was quick to make a correction. "You'll not be seeing Campbell. I'll -have to take him back with me, you know."</p> - -<p>"No, he will be here. It is our rule that he should stay."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because he has become the mate of our girl, Omosla."</p> - -<p>I looked at her, not believing I had heard her words correctly. A -fever swept my brain. In my own language I said harshly, "It's a lie! -Campbell would never violate—"</p> - -<p>"I do not understand your words," Vauna said softly.</p> - -<p>Then in my broken Benzendella accents I asserted, calmly but -decisively, "I don't believe what you say. I don't believe that -Campbell has become the mate of Omosla."</p> - -<p>"You will believe," Vauna said, "when Omosla's baby is born."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">6.</p> - -<p>I had already sent for Campbell. Mentally I chastized myself for having -sent Omosla. For if what I had been told was true, his life had become -complicated enough already. (I must admit that for the moment I had -something less than proper consideration for <b>her</b>.)</p> - -<p>Omosla didn't return from the errand for Campbell. Maybe the news of -my concern for him had frightened her away. One of her friends told me -that Campbell was out on the surface somewhere; that he couldn't be -located just now. When he returned they would send him to <b>me</b>.</p> - -<p>I then sought the counsel of Tomboldo.</p> - -<p>"It can't be true, this story about Campbell," I said. "There's been -some mistake."</p> - -<p>Tomboldo's answer was soft spoken. "Much has happened. You have been -ill for many weeks. You must take our word. Do you find the news not to -your liking? Omosla is a devoted girl. And if our hero Campbell became -her husband, all of us would be proud."</p> - -<p>There was no use talking of the EGGWE Code to him, that was plain. All -I could say at the moment was, "I'll talk with Campbell."</p> - -<p>For the next few nights, after the whole cavern city seemed to be -asleep, I would walk forth a little distance. This was more than -pacing. It was a test of my strength and my wits, and most of all my -confidence that I would not black out. It was proof to myself that I -was a well man again. It was a willful act of striking out on my own -purposes. I would find Campbell.</p> - -<p>Each night I ventured a little farther. The artificial lights burned -low. All was quiet. The luminous rock walls stared out from among -the cavern furnishings. I walked steadily. I was getting used to the -planet's stronger gravity. I was learning to like the sandals they had -given me to wear, cushioned with shreds of sponge-tree vegetation.</p> - -<p>Tonight as always I walked to the right from the arch, through one -of Tomboldo's rooms, and on past the storage rooms. The way opened -into a long amber-lighted tunnel. The city branched off in little -tunneled avenues from this passageway. Would Campbell be found on guard -tonight—this way—or this way—or—</p> - -<p>I heard light footsteps, sounds of two persons somewhere in the -distance. I moved back toward Tomboldo's part of the cave to wait until -the ways had cleared.</p> - -<p>Two men were coming through the corridor, conversing in low whispers.</p> - -<p>I moved back into the shadows, scarcely breathing.</p> - -<p>The glow of amber light from the corridor revealed them, silhouetted. -The taller man was driving the smaller one ahead of him, threatening -him with a short-bladed knife.</p> - -<p>They slowed their steps. Their low whispers were audible.</p> - -<p>"If you breathe a word I'll rip you." The agitated words of the tall -guard, Gravgak. The light revealed the lines of green-and-black -diamonds painted on his thighs.</p> - -<p>The smaller man, also a guard, muttered, "Have I ever told anything?"</p> - -<p>"You understand, then," said Gravgak. "If anything happens, you'll -swear there was an intruder—one of the savages."</p> - -<p>"I'll swear it. I'll say that I—"</p> - -<p>"Say that he knocked you down and forced his way in. Like this!" -Gravgak struck him with his fist. The guard tumbled in a heap against -the cavern wall. He lay there, eyes closed. Gravgak tiptoed past my -hiding place. His eyes glinted with purpose. He paused at Tomboldo's -door, weighed the knife in his hand, then sheathed it. He went on -toward Vauna's room.</p> - -<p>I skipped to one side of the storage room where I had seen my equipment -coat hanging. Without it I could have been no match for this man. -My fingers caught it off the wall, I got into it as I hurried back. -Automatically my hands checked the contents, everything in place—</p> - -<p>Gravgak was conversing with Vauna through the partly opened door. "I -told you I would come."</p> - -<p>"You have no right. I told you—" There was strength, not fear, in -Vauna's low voice.</p> - -<p>"Your father means for me to win you, if necessary by force."</p> - -<p>"You lie. Go or I'll sound the alarm."</p> - -<p>"You are in love with that stranger." His voice trembled with rage. -"See, you don't answer. If you want him to live, get rid of him. Send -him back in his silver shell."</p> - -<p>"You threaten my father's guest?"</p> - -<p>"The great Tomboldo will not live long. I have heard the savages plan -to come in some night soon and murder him."</p> - -<p>At that instant old Tomboldo's voice sounded from the next room. "Who's -there, Vauna?"</p> - -<p>"Gravgak!" It was Gravgak himself who answered. "I came to protect you, -Tomboldo. There's danger—"</p> - -<p>Tomboldo's voice thundered with anger at this unaccountable intrusion. -"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"They mean to kill you, and if they do—"</p> - -<p>"Who?"</p> - -<p>"The savages. And if they succeed, I am your successor. Tell your -daughter it's so. Tell her that if a knife blade descends from some -dark corner—<b>look out</b>! Someone behind you!"</p> - -<p>It was a ruse to cause old Tomboldo to whirl about and turn his back -to Gravgak. Tomboldo didn't whirl. But he must have seen what I saw, -glittering in the dim light—the knife in Gravgak's hand. It flashed -up—</p> - -<p>I flung a capsule bomb at the arch. Fire flashed, and the voices were -swallowed up in the concussion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">7.</p> - -<p>The swirl of yellow dust sifted through the cavern passages. Coughing -and puffing hard, I fought my way into the heap—in time to catch sight -of Gravgak staggering off toward an exit tunnel.</p> - -<p>The three of us stood together. A strange trio. Two Benzendellas, one -Earth man. Bound together in an allegiance that all the space in the -universe could never divide. Vauna was weeping softly, holding her arms -tight about herself, her hands cupped over the fur wrappings of her -elbows.</p> - -<p>She said she could not understand Gravgak's behavior. Once he had had -a chance to become the leader. Was it all because he was insane with -jealousy—because she loved me?</p> - -<p>Her father thought it was more than this. He had evidently read signs -of disloyalty in Gravgak, even before my coming. Too many plans had -filtered out to the savage enemies. For a long time Gravgak had been -impatient for a chance to succeed Tomboldo; my coming had thwarted the -original plan—the murderous attack on the sunset meeting. Yes, Gravgak -had been twisting the sponge-tree bands into his own schemes even then.</p> - -<p>The fine boldness showed in Tomboldo's eyes as he talked. People had -gathered, and they saw clearly the truth of his charges.</p> - -<p>But now there were delays in getting ready to go to the better land on -another side of this planet. Part of the delay was caution. Gravgak -would probably lie in waiting for the Benzendella migration to the -serpent river. He would plan an attack. Some waiting, some scouting and -much preparation would be a matter of wisdom. Meanwhile, if Gravgak -could be found, let him be killed on sight.</p> - -<p>Several weeks passed. Secret preparations for the twenty mile migration -were completed. I was pleased to hear that Campbell had had a share in -these plans. He had made several night hikes back to the ship, and had -kept watch through the telescope by day, and made valuable observations -by means of infra-red photography by night. He knew where the nests of -the savage bands were located. Moreover, I learned that he and a few -of Tomboldo's choice scouts, under cover of darkness, crossed through -the sponge-tree area to examine the Serpent River at close range and -determine upon a suitable place for getting the Benzendella tribe -aboard.</p> - -<p>For these observations, and for an abundance of scientific data which -he picked up about the Serpent River itself, I was deeply grateful. If -this expedition succeeded in its purposes, the success would be to his -credit, not mine.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, when I was at last conducted to his quarters at the end -of one of the tunnels—my long awaited visit—I did not spend all my -time complimenting him for his fine achievements.</p> - -<p>"You're going to be ready to make the trip with the tribe, I presume?" -I asked, when we got around to the plans for the migration.</p> - -<p>"And leave the ship here? I shall follow orders, Captain, but I should -prefer to stay with the ship, and to proceed with the remainder of the -scientific assignments."</p> - -<p>He handed his field glasses over to one of the relief guards, and led -me to a bench in his primitive quarters. A slice of sunlight knifed -through from the out-of-doors, the first I had seen for a long time.</p> - -<p>"A little sunlight's not a bad thing," I said casually. "I've been -needing a little light."</p> - -<p>He looked up at me as if he knew what was coming. "If you've been -hearing a rumor, don't believe it."</p> - -<p>"You've heard it too?"</p> - -<p>"They say I'm supposed to become the husband of Omosla."</p> - -<p>"All I want is your word, Lieutenant Campbell," I said.</p> - -<p>"My word. Captain." Split said dryly. "You know I wouldn't break the -Code."</p> - -<p>"I believe you.... Okay, we're in a spot. The fact is, the girl's going -to have a baby. When she does, she'll declare you her mate. And the -tribe will be proud. Have you thought this through?"</p> - -<p>"I've tried to."</p> - -<p>I began to pace. "You know we can't afford to offend the tribe. If you -bluntly deny that you've had anything to do with the girl, they'll be -insulted. They're ready to believe her, not you."</p> - -<p>"How soon will the child be born?"</p> - -<p>"Within a few days."</p> - -<p>"How long have we been here?"</p> - -<p>"Long enough."</p> - -<p>"Why doesn't her true mate speak up, whoever he is?"</p> - -<p>I said, "That's one of the strange circumstances. I haven't heard them -mention any other man but you. You see, Split, you're the hero of the -hour. You're the one they want."</p> - -<p>"I hope you're not suggesting that <b>I</b> marry this girl."</p> - -<p>"I <b>haven't</b> suggested it, have <b>I</b>? But I will ask this: Do -you like the girl?... Love her??... Enough to marry her?"</p> - -<p>"Under more favorable conditions—yes. I've never loved anybody before. -But Omosla—from the first time I saw her, that evening, in the -sunset—"</p> - -<p>"All right, Split. But you still tell me you haven't made love to her?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely, <b>no</b>. You may not know it, Jim, but I was with you -almost constantly for days and nights after your knockout. You came -through the operation—the riskiest thing I ever tried in my life. When -you began to pull out of it, I could have gladly taken you back to the -ship and blasted off for home. But they were giving you care—Vauna and -Omosla—and damned intelligent care, according to my orders. By that -time the savages were knocking on our doors again, and I went onto the -defense job with my pockets full of scare bombs, and the other kind -too. From then on, I couldn't have held to tighter discipline if I'd -been in a planetary war, I swear it."</p> - -<p>I beat my fist lightly on Split's shoulder. The fellow was great, no -doubt about it, and I felt like a fool asking him questions about -matters outside the bounds of duty. "You're okay, Split. You could -violate a hundred codes, as far as I'm concerned, and I'd swear before -any court in the world that you're tops. But we've still got a problem -with this tribe—and this girl."</p> - -<p>"I'm not asking for compliments," Split said. "For the record I'm -telling you what <b>did</b> happen, and what didn't. And here's what -did." Now it was his turn to pace twice around the bench. "How do I -begin?"</p> - -<p>"With Omosla."</p> - -<p>"Omosla comes to me often. She brings me food and drink. She hangs -around like a pet. She doesn't touch me—anymore. I put a stop to -that soon after the first time she put her arms around me. Yes, she -did that. I was busy watching the sponge-trees move down the valley. -She was nearby, murmuring words, most of which I could only half -understand. I didn't stop her when she slipped her arms around me—not -for quite awhile. I remember plenty well the way those pins in her -elbow furs scratched my arms. They stuck in like thorns. Look, you can -still see the marks." He rolled up his sleeves to show me the slight -scars on his upper arms, just above the elbows. "I figured either she -didn't know those pins were sticking me, or else it was some sort of -tricky test that girls use on men to test their metal. So I took it, -and didn't wince. Sure, I was enjoying letting her hug me. But after -that one time I always kept my distance. This all happened when we -first came. You'd think she'd have forgotten. Especially if she had a -real husband somewhere on the scene."</p> - -<p>I groaned. "Every tribe has strange customs. When the baby comes, -that's when they'll insist on a husband."</p> - -<p>"I wonder who it really is."</p> - -<p>"Unfortunately we can't prove anything by giving the baby a blood test. -These primitives wouldn't understand."</p> - -<p>"Proofs are out," Campbell said.</p> - -<p>"However, we still have the eyelash test," I suggested.</p> - -<p>"You mean—"</p> - -<p>"I mean that you and I are the only two human animals on this planet -with eyebrows and eyelashes. When Omosla's baby arrives without a trace -of an eyelash, that might go a long way toward convincing—"</p> - -<p>"You'll help me fight it, then?"</p> - -<p>"If you're sure you don't want to change your mind, throw out the Code, -and claim the girl."</p> - -<p>A look of disdain was all the answer Campbell gave me, at first. -Finally he said, "You'd had ample reasons for nicknaming me Split, -Captain. But so far, I've given you no grounds for applying the term to -my personality. I prefer to remain a member of EGGWE, in good standing, -and to return to Earth with a clear record. Let Omosla name the true -father, whoever he is."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">8.</p> - -<p>The whole Benzendella tribe made its way across to the Kao-Wagwattl -with only one casualty reported. Leeger, the short, slight guard who -had once been brutally knocked out by Gravgak, was reported missing.</p> - -<p>Everyone else came through without a scratch. It was a triumph for old -Tomboldo. His superhuman courage had carried the day. Children were -delighted over the adventure. Old folks were happy over achieving what -they had feared would be an impossible undertaking. They could believe, -now, that they would live all through to the end of the journey—for -Kao-Wagwattl, the serpent river, was a legendary giver of life.</p> - -<p>Campbell did not come. That was according to plan. He kept in touch -with me by radio through the final hours of the twenty-mile crossing. -"... Do you read me, Captain? I've drawn them to the north with fire -bombs from the ship's guns.... They've never guessed your course."</p> - -<p>"No signs of Gravgak? Or Leeger?"</p> - -<p>"Not a sign. The city's empty."</p> - -<p>"Keep on the radio, Campbell."</p> - -<p>"Right, Captain. By the way, how is Omosla?"</p> - -<p>"Expecting. I'll let you know. She still talks about the bravest man on -the planet, someone named Campbell."</p> - -<p>"H-m-m. You'll sort of look after her, won't you?"</p> - -<p>It was two hours before dawn when the last of the tribe (Leeger -excepted) gathered at the mountainside station to board Kao-Wagwattl. -We waited for daylight. Strange smells filled our nostrils. Smells of -wood fires, sparked to life by friction under the pressures of the -crawling monster. Smells of rocks being ground to powder. Smells of -the saccharine-sweet breathing from the pores of the thing itself, the -giant Kao-Wagwattl.</p> - -<p>The faint gray of dawn gradually changed to pink. In the growing -light we could make out the contour of the vast misty creeping form. -Its rounded sides moved along only yards from where we stood. As the -light of morning came on we could distinguish the immense box-shaped -scales that covered its sides. Clouds of sponge-trees rose and fell -around it. Unrooted vegetation would sift downward, to be bumped into -the air again, or to be rolled under. Small fires were continually -being ignited by friction, and often smothered before they were well -started. Sometimes the burning would creep up around the curved sides, -only to be snuffed out by the surface-breathing of the massive thing.</p> - -<p>I was relieved to note that the curved top—the "spine", so to -speak—was so gradually rounded that there could be no danger of -anyone's falling off. Its immensity had to be seen to be appreciated.</p> - -<p>As to its length, I took the word of Tomboldo and others. It was -endless. It wound around the whole planet like a fifty-thousand mile -serpent that had swallowed its own tail. An unbroken rope of life, -forever crawling.</p> - -<p>A gigantic creature? A gargantuan vine? A living thing! I should -not say that it was more animal than plant. When I asked Tomboldo's -counsellors, Was it animal or vegetable, their answer was, Yes. Yes, -<b>what</b>? Yes, it was animal or vegetable. They stressed the OR. -Must it be one and not the other? Evidently the Kao-Wagwattl was not to -be compared, not to be classified, but to be accepted—and utilized.</p> - -<p>For this wandering tribe it was a means of escape from enemies, and a -mode of travel. With the coming of daylight, they went to work.</p> - -<p>Crude cranes. Swinging baskets. Hoists. One group after another was -tossed up into the rubbery purplish-gray scales that covered the -Kao-Wagwattl's spine.</p> - -<p>No one cried out. The landing was soft. And harmless. The speed of -the crawl was not great. It must have averaged not more than ten or -fifteen miles an hour. But there were variations, to be taken advantage -of. The outsides of a curve moved swiftly. Foresighted Tomboldo had -selected the inside of a curve for our mounting, where the movement -was sluggish. Younger members could leap across from an overhanging -platform. Once safely in the folds of the surface, they could climb the -rounded wall at their leisure.</p> - -<p>Three or four hours were required for the entire tribe to get aboard. -This meant that a long line was formed. Over a span of many miles this -headless, tailless serpent became inhabited with tiny human fleas, -figuratively speaking.</p> - -<p>Among the stragglers who boarded last were a few older persons who -had to be coaxed and pampered before they would get into the swinging -basket.</p> - -<p>Then, too, there was Omosla, looking very pretty and thoroughly -frightened. She caused a slight delay at the very last by deciding it -was time for her to have her baby.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">9.</p> - -<p>Finally we were all aboard, and the mighty Kao-Wagwattl, unaffected by -this addition of a few specks of human dust, moved on at its dogged -pace through the mountain valleys.</p> - -<p>No lives had been lost. No one had been seriously injured. Tomboldo was -the heroic leader. I went forward over the lumpy slabs of scales, to -find him and congratulate him. He said, "The glad feelings are to be -shared," and he spoke with high praise of my own help and that of my -friend Campbell. "But we are not yet out of danger. Pass the word."</p> - -<p>Pass the word. Keep down. Out of sight. For several days we would be -crawling through the lands of savages.</p> - -<p>Vauna found me. She had made sure that Omosla and the baby would have -the best of care, and now she meant to look after me. "My dear one," -she called me.</p> - -<p>"Here, my dear one. I have your valuable coat. Come out of sight. The -enemy must not see you."</p> - -<p>I glanced up the long curved spine of Kao, moving steadily through the -sunshine. Little groups of Benzendellas could be seen ahead, as far as -the eye could reach. The young children of the party had never had such -a trip before, and the older ones found it a strenuous game to keep -them down out of sight. Following Tomboldo's order, they rapidly ducked -down into hiding. The great rubber-like scales resembled up-ended -boxes, set in criss-cross rows. The deep flexible crevices thus formed -were ideal for hiding.</p> - -<p>I needed my radio. I must talk with Campbell. Vauna had taken my coat.</p> - -<p>She called to me. "Come, my dear one." She slipped down into a crevice -a little to one side of the crest. "Come, I hear the voice of your -friend Campbell in the box."</p> - -<p>"I'm coming. Speak to him, Vauna. Tell him to wait."</p> - -<p>"Shall I tell him the news?"</p> - -<p>I didn't answer. The vertical surfaces of the scales folded together, -parted, folded again, with the motions of the great creature, and for -a moment I lost sight of Vauna. But I could hear her voice as I fought -my way down to her hiding place. She was talking through the radio with -Campbell.</p> - -<p>"You are safe on the big silver ship?... Yes, we are on Kao-Wagwattl. I -have been looking after Omosla...."</p> - -<p>I could hear the eagerness in Campbell's voice as he asked about -Omosla. Vauna answered him in accents of joy. "She has had her -baby ... A little girl! Very beautiful. Already she looks like you. -<b>She has precious little lines of hair on her eyelids, and above her -eyes, just like yours.</b>"</p> - -<p>The damage was done! There was no point in my lying to Campbell to -spare his feelings. Her words were the simple innocent truth. She was -happy and proud to tell the wonderful news. Her words implied that -Campbell would of course come and join us when his work was done, so he -could be Omosla's husband, as all the Benzendellas expected.</p> - -<p>About all I could say to Campbell was, "What she says is true, Split. -It's a beautiful baby. Any father should be proud. I have nothing to -add."</p> - -<p>For hours afterward I could think of nothing else. I sat hidden among -the deep soft scales, listening. Now and then the gentle movement would -cause the crevices around me to gape open, wide enough to reveal a -strip of sky. I wondered if sometime I might catch sight of a space -ship bolting off into the blue. The only sounds I heard were the -faint muffled rumblings of the Kao-Wagwattl moving along, like gentle -thunder echoing up from somewhere down in the earth. It lulled me into -relaxation, yet I could not dispel the mental image of Campbell sitting -there in the ship, alone, brooding over the news. And tempted, no -doubt, to touch the controls and leave this planet behind him.</p> - -<p>Later I talked with him again, but we did not mention Omosla. He said -he was busy with his scientific findings. I relayed to him descriptions -of the Kao-Wagwattl—the "inside" story, from one who was concealed -within its scales. We were back to our original assignment, now. For -days and days to come, we pursued the scientific facts, comparing -notes by radio.</p> - -<p>At air-cruise speed, Campbell made trips around the planet, and -completed his charts and maps. He reported that the beautiful land -toward which we were moving was indeed a land of promise. But he -gave slower estimates of the Kao-Wagwattl's speed, and he estimated -that it would take us the larger part of a year to reach our -destination. However, he managed to get an inside view of the larger -Benzendella tribes who dwelt there. They were truly waiting for old -Tomboldo's return, and were firm in their faith that the rope of life, -Kao-Wagwattl, would bring him.</p> - -<p>Such were the scientific and ethnological studies that Campbell and I -were to share, by radio, in the weeks and months to come....</p> - -<p>Now Vauna was beside me. We, like the others, were settled down for the -long journey.</p> - -<p>Innocent Vauna! She was trying so hard to please me. She sat very -close, whispering to me.</p> - -<p>I listened, and smiled, and tried to take my thoughts away from the -image of Campbell, his honor shattered by her recent words to him about -the baby—a baby with eyelashes—a baby that resembled him.</p> - -<p>If I remained silent, Vauna would tease me into talking with her. "Do -my words displease you, Captain?"</p> - -<p>"Your words please me very much."</p> - -<p>"You do not look at me. You only look away. Do you want me to sit close -beside you?"</p> - -<p>I drew her in my arms and held her. In silence I thought a thousand -thoughts that I had brought with me across millions of miles of space.</p> - -<p>Later I said to her, "Your arms are warm. Why don't you take these fur -things off your elbows, to be more comfortable?"</p> - -<p>She smiled, and kissed me as I had taught her to kiss. "You want me -to?" And she removed the furry white elbow ornaments. It was very -strange.... While we hovered close, she whispered to me of the secrets -of life on this planet, unlike any other world I had known. And there -were curious legends of Kao-Wagwattl, things she had carried in her -heart to tell me if such a time as this should ever come.</p> - -<p>As she talked, the pressure of the scale walls around us increased. -The great Kao-Wagwattl was evidently moving through a dip, so that its -upper surfaces were compressed. There was no lack of air for breathing, -but the darkness and the pressure added strangeness to the sensation. -The tightness of Vauna's arms against my own caused my head to spin. -Perhaps it was the fever returning from my recent illness. My arms felt -the stinging sensation of being penetrated by needles. My thoughts -flicked back to something Split Campbell had once told me....</p> - -<p>Later, when the Kao curved over a summit, and the patches of sunlight -dashed in, I suggested that Vauna go forward to see about her father. -She answered me with a curious smile. I snuggled deeper into the shade -of the scales and slept. Hours later, when I awakened, she was again -beside me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">10.</p> - -<p>If Omosla's baby had been a boy, I believe that old Tomboldo would -have named it for the highest honor in the Benzendella world. He -was searching for a successor. Not among the grown-up warriors and -counsellors. Among the infants. He sought a child favored by nature. -Omosla was a beauty and a court favorite, even though she had been -a servant. And Campbell, who was considered to be her mate, (though -marriage had been delayed by circumstances) was of course a renowned -hero. If the child had only been a boy!</p> - -<p>I was kept busy reporting the reasons for Campbell's absence. He had -stayed with our ship to guarantee Benzendella safety. Yes, it was true -that he could fly through the air and catch up with us. But there were -duties which kept him away.</p> - -<p>My excuses wore thin. Vauna and her father begged me to tell him, over -the radio, that Omosla was growing into a person of sorrow. The shadow -of tragedy hovered over her.</p> - -<p>I complied. I talked, by radio, with Campbell. He was in another -part of the land, now, pursuing the purposes for which we had come. -My mention of Omosla's plight aroused his defiance. He said he would -rather be a deserter than serve a captain who did not accept his word. -"For the last time, Captain Linden, I repeat that I am not the mate of -Omosla. Do you believe me?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what to believe," I said.</p> - -<p>His radio clicked off.</p> - -<p>Vauna and her father and I secluded ourselves among the scales and -talked. My one question was, Could there have been any other person -among them who had come from another planet?</p> - -<p>"You and Campbell. No others."</p> - -<p>"How can you be sure?" I pursued. "Suppose someone from my world -wished to pass for a native. Suppose he should pluck the hairs from -his eyelids and cut away his eyebrows. Would you know him to be an -outsider?"</p> - -<p>"Come," Vauna said. "We'll walk from one end of the tribe to the other."</p> - -<p>While the great endless Kao-Wagwattl carried us on, through deep -valleys and across wide plains, Vauna and I went about, day by day, -studying the looks of each male member of the tribe.</p> - -<p>I scrutinized the eyes of each. I listened to the native enunciations. -I got acquainted with each man by name and personality. Vauna's -friendship to all was a help. Through her I began to gain a bond of -affection for all these people, deep and solid. Their ways became -natural to me. In the night their sleep-singing could be heard, welling -up softly through the scales within which they rested. In the mornings -one could see the parties of agile ones gathering food and liquid -fruits that rolled within reach along the sides of the moving Kao.</p> - -<p>We crossed a series of islands. For long spaces there would be danger -of dips under the surfaces of waters. We would close ourselves tightly -within the waterproof interstices until the danger had passed. Later, -when the slimy surfaces of the scales had dried off, we would emerge.</p> - -<p>And now, out of a chance conversation, I learned of another danger -which had been with us all along. Gravgak was also on the Kao-Wagwattl.</p> - -<p>"How did you know this?" I asked Vauna sharply.</p> - -<p>"Didn't my father tell you? I received a warning soon after we began -the journey."</p> - -<p>"Warning—from whom?"</p> - -<p>"From Leeger."</p> - -<p>"Leeger! I thought he was missing."</p> - -<p>"He reappeared. He had known of our plan. He had boarded, somewhere. He -was back there, beyond the end of our party. He shouted the warning to -me. That is why you and I moved up the line, and have kept ourselves -hidden."</p> - -<p>"He shouted a warning to you—"</p> - -<p>"That Gravgak is also on board, looking for me."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">11.</p> - -<p>Weeks earlier, a search party had given up. It had all happened -quietly. Tomboldo had kept a few of his top scouts on the job (as I now -learned) and for months after our journey had begun they had scoured -the scaly surfaces of Kao-Wagwattl, looking in vain for Gravgak.</p> - -<p>Could we rest assured, then, that Gravgak had been bluffed out? That -he had given up his purpose of trying to take Vauna? That he had long -since climbed off the Kao-Wagwattl and gone back home?</p> - -<p>We hoped so. Nevertheless we moved cautiously as our searches took us -back through the long line of Benzendellas.</p> - -<p>Then, without warning, we suddenly came upon Leeger. He saw us from a -distance of fifty yards or less. We had come to the end of our tribe's -settlement—evidently beyond the end; for in the last quarter of a mile -we had found no persons dwelling among the scales.</p> - -<p>"He motioned to us," Vauna said. "I'm sure it was Leeger."</p> - -<p>But Leeger had disappeared from view. Back of us now was the wilderness -of scales, their curved surface glistening and alive with color as the -endless crawling spine followed us out of the distant blue haze. Miles -of Kao-Wagwattl, and nothing showing on the surface.</p> - -<p>We were down, now, almost out of sight, yet peering over. Suddenly the -form of Leeger bobbed up again, only a few feet from us.</p> - -<p>"Go back!" Leeger cried, flinging a hand at us. "Go back! He's coming!"</p> - -<p>It all happened in less time than it can be told. Leeger rose up to -warn us. We saw the knife fly through the air at him. He fell with the -blade through his throat.</p> - -<p>On the instant we saw the dark muscular form of Gravgak rearing up -among the scales. The green-and-black diamond-shaped markings on his -arms and legs glinted in the light. He had hurled his knife true. -Triumph shone in his murderous eyes. He had killed the man who had -stalked him to protect Vauna and Tomboldo. And now he must have -believed that one of his prizes was within easy reach.</p> - -<p>His arm flashed upward. It held one of those rockstrung clubs that the -savages used so skillfully.</p> - -<p>The weighted club whizzed through the air. I swung Vauna off her feet. -I'll swear the rolling movement of Kao-Wagwattl helped me or I wouldn't -have succeeded. We tumbled into the crevice.</p> - -<p>Then I scrambled upward. Another glimpse of Gravgak. He dived down -among the crevices, moving in our direction. A moment of darkness. The -scale-tops closed out the light. When they opened, he was there, coming -at us.</p> - -<p>I locked with him. We fought. The movement of the surfaces gave us an -upward thrust. I kicked and tumbled to the surface. He caught my wrist, -but the upthrust of the Kao favored me and I jerked him upward, onto -the top of the scales.</p> - -<p>We fought in the open. The rubbery footing was deadly, but it played -no favorites. I struck a heavy blow that made the green-and-black lined -arms shudder. Gravgak's eyes flashed as he plunged back at me. I struck -him again, with the full force of my body. He bounced and tumbled. He -rolled out of sight. But not for long. It was an intentional trick. He -disappeared in the crevice where Leeger had fallen. When he came up, -the bloody knife was in his hand. I heard Vauna's warning cry.</p> - -<p>I leaped down into the crevice. She was trying to get my coat. She knew -there were explosives in it, if she could only get them into my hands.</p> - -<p>No time for that. Gravgak leaped down at me. The knife was rigid from -his hand, coming down with a plunge. I kicked back, floundering against -the tricky walls of the scales, and Gravgak fell down deep where I had -been. I saw it happen. A sight I never expect to see repeated.</p> - -<p>His descent to the base of the scales, where the walls joined, might -have been a harmless fall. Yet who knows how sensitive is the material -of the vast living thing called Kao-Wagwattl? The knife plunged into -deep <b>Kao flesh</b> beneath our feet. The flesh opened. Gravgak -whirled, tried to escape the opening. His arm twisted under him. And -went down. As if something drew it. His back—his whole body, from -hips to shoulders—was caught in the gaping hole that he had seemingly -opened with a plunge of the knife blade. It closed on him. It severed -him. Part of him was gone. Before our eyes there remained his legs, cut -clean away. And his head, and part of one shoulder.</p> - -<p>The rest of him? It would not return to sight. Kao-Wagwattl was a -living thing. When it wished it could devour.</p> - -<p>Many of the tribe came back to this spot to examine what remained of -the traitorous guard. I too observed him closely. I examined his eyes -with a glass. Also the eyes of the murdered Leeger. Neither showed any -traces of eyelashes or eyebrows.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">12.</p> - -<p>The tribe rode on tranquilly. There would be new legends of -Kao-Wagwattl, after what had occurred. Many were the stories, and I -relayed them to Campbell, at the ship, who faithfully recorded them all.</p> - -<p>There was a tragedy to be added. It could not have been otherwise. For -some months the news of Omosla and her little daughter had been vague. -It was the Benzendella tradition that weddings should not be delayed -for long after the arrival of the first-born child. It was rumored that -this young mother now faced the shame of having been left without a -mate. It was hard to get exact information. Even though Vauna and I had -always sought an understanding between us, some things were not talked -about freely. Deepest, most important truths in new worlds are often -the most elusive. Now I questioned Vauna closely, and I learned of the -tragic end of Omosla.</p> - -<p>"She and her baby are no longer with us," Vauna said quietly. "It -happened one night when the stars seemed very close. They say she had -studied the sky each night, wondering which of the worlds beyond was -the world of Campbell."</p> - -<p>"And then?"</p> - -<p>"Two of her caretakers saw it happen, but they could not stop it. With -the babe in her arms, she walked over the side of Kao-Wagwattl. And -went down. Under."</p> - -<p>Vauna went on to tell me that Tomboldo had urged silence about it. -He would always believe that the girl had lost faith too soon—that -Campbell might have come back when his work was done. Moreover, -Tomboldo felt that it was important to the morale of the tribe that -both Campbell and I be held in high esteem.</p> - -<p>When Vauna finished telling me these things, she said she would ask me -the questions she had been saving for many days. "Did you believe, Jim, -that you would find some other person among us from your world?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't know."</p> - -<p>"If you had found such a person, what would you have believed then?"</p> - -<p>"That he, and not Campbell, was the father of Omosla's child."</p> - -<p>"And what," Vauna asked, "are you going to believe about us when our -child is born?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">13.</p> - -<p>We were around on the other side of the planet by now. I estimated that -we had traveled more than seven thousand hours.</p> - -<p>By this time many things had happened. So much that I doubted my -ability to convey all the news to Campbell so that he would get a clear -understanding. I had lain awake nights trying to formulate my message. -If my words failed, I only hoped that my tone of voice would convey my -appreciation. My appreciation of him. Of what he had gone through. Of -what he must yet go through.</p> - -<p>He talked with me quietly through the radio, and I could visualize him -as if I were sitting beside him again in the space ship.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Linden. Go on. I'm listening."</p> - -<p>I told him of the death of Omosla and the child. He was deeply grieved. -It was a long time before he found voice to speak.</p> - -<p>"Go ahead, Linden. I'm listening."</p> - -<p>"I have more news," I said. "But tell me of yourself, Campbell. Have -you gone ahead, playing your lone hand?"</p> - -<p>"I've found my way into the customs of the savages, Linden. They -have their own legends of Kao-Wagwattl. I can predict that in time -the gap can be bridged between them and the Benzendellas. If we work -carefully—men like you, Linden, working from within, and other agents -from EGGWE that are sure to follow. I believe this planet can be spared -the torments of great wars."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Campbell ... and you, personally ... are you well? Are you still -bristling with your usual self-discipline?"</p> - -<p>"In case you have any doubts about the matter," his voice was slightly -caustic, "I haven't broken the Code."</p> - -<p>"In Omosla's case I wish you had," I said.</p> - -<p>"I wish it too," Campbell's voice came back, now in a lowered tone. "I -loved Omosla. I would have been her mate, gladly."</p> - -<p>"But you were, Campbell."</p> - -<p>"Now, don't start that again, Linden, or I'll—"</p> - -<p>"Wait, Campbell, don't cut me off. You must hear all of my news, first. -Most important of all, old Tomboldo has chosen my own son to be his -successor. He'll be groomed for the job all through his childhood, and -I've decided to stay right here, Code or no Code, and see him through."</p> - -<p>"Your <b>son</b>?" Campbell's voice was mostly breath. "Who are you -talking about?"</p> - -<p>"Our baby—Vauna's and mine. It's several days old. Doing fine. Has -eyebrows just like mine. Chalk-dust skin like hers."</p> - -<p>Campbell blurted. "Do you mean to tell me that as soon as you and Vauna -boarded the Kao—"</p> - -<p>"The ways of life on this planet are something you and I ought to know -about, Campbell. Listen closely—"</p> - -<p>"Shoot!"</p> - -<p>In words of one syllable I explained, then, what I had at last learned: -that the human beings of this planet were not precisely like those -of the Earth. They were unquestionably related, somewhere back down -through the ages. But Nature had worked a significant change in the -process by which new life could be started. Fertilization in the female -was accomplished by her own action and her own preference. Nature had -equipped her arms—</p> - -<p>"Arms, did you say?" Campbell fairly shouted through the radio. "Go on."</p> - -<p>I continued. Nature had equipped her arms, I explained, with tiny -thorn-like projections which could penetrate the arms or sides of the -male like needles. By this means she drew blood from his bloodstream. A -very slight transfusion of male blood into the female bloodstream was -the act that accomplished fertilization.</p> - -<p>"You see, Campbell, woman does not bear a child except by her own -premeditated choice," I explained. "You and I were puzzled by the elbow -furs all these women wear. Now you see. It's a natural bit of extra -clothing. The dictates of modesty."</p> - -<p>"Well!" Campbell said. "Then you and I allowed ourselves—"</p> - -<p>"We were simply chosen. Not knowing the score, we were innocent -bystanders—well, more or less innocent—and pitifully ignorant. -Unfortunately for us, these were matters the Benzendellas don't talk -about freely."</p> - -<p>Campbell paused for a moment of confused thinking. "Just a minute, -Captain. I've been observing these savages—home life and all. There's -no lack of normal affections among them, in our own sense of the word. -They're equipped physically, just as we are—plus the arm thorns. They -have the same organs, the same functions—"</p> - -<p>"For purposes of affection, yes. But the arms—that's separate—for -conception."</p> - -<p>"Well I'll be blasted!" Campbell was speechless for a long moment. -Then, "I think I'll go back to Earth."</p> - -<p>I was not surprised at his decision. It was what I expected, what -I would have advised. He had had more than one man's share of this -planet, for one who didn't expect to take root here. But my own life -here was just beginning.</p> - -<p>I had thought it out. My guess was that my long record of service for -the EGGWE could withstand some variation. An application for release -would very likely win an approval, especially in view of my change to -serve the EGGWE purposes even better by becoming a Benzendella.</p> - -<p>When I announced this plan, by radio, to the new Captain Campbell, -formerly known as Split, but now commonly referred to on this planet as -the hero of the Benzendella migration, he said he was not surprised. -"Congratulations, Linden, for knowing what you wanted. Stay aboard that -Kao-Wagwattl. There's a beautiful land waiting for you up ahead."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Serpent River, by Don Wilcox - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SERPENT RIVER *** - -***** This file should be named 50923-h.htm or 50923-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/2/50923/ - -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 public domain print editions 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/license - - -Title: The Serpent River - -Author: Don Wilcox - -Release Date: January 14, 2016 [EBook #50923] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SERPENT RIVER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE SERPENT RIVER - - By Don Wilcox - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Other Worlds May 1957. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - The Code was rigid--no fraternization with the - peoples of other planets! Earth wanted no - "shotgun weddings" of the worlds of space! - - -"Split" Campbell and I brought our ship down to a quiet landing on the -summit of a mile-wide naked rock, and I turned to the telescope for a -closer view of the strange thing we had come to see. - -It shone, eighteen or twenty miles away, in the light of the late -afternoon sun. It was a long silvery serpent-like _something_ that -crawled slowly over the planet's surface. - -There was no way of guessing how large it was, at this distance. It -might have been a rope rolled into shape out of a mountain--or a chain -of mountains. It might have been a river of bluish-gray dough that had -shaped itself into a great cable. Its diameter? If it had been a hollow -tube, cities could have flowed through it upright without bending their -skyscrapers. It was, to the eye, an endless rope of cloud oozing along -the surface of the land. No, not cloud, for it had the compactness of -solid substance. - -We could see it at several points among the low foothills. Even from -this distance we could guess that it had been moving along its course -for centuries. Moving like a sluggish snake. It followed a deep-worn -path between the nearer hills and the high jagged mountains on the -horizon. - -_What was it?_ - -"Split" Campbell and I had been sent here to learn the answers. -Our sponsor was the well known "EGGWE" (the Earth-Galaxy Good -Will Expeditions.) We were under the EGGWE Code. We were the first -expedition to this planet, but we had come equipped with two important -pieces of advance information. The Keynes-Roy roving cameras (unmanned) -had brought back to the Earth choice items of fact about various parts -of the universe. From these photos we knew (1) that man lived on this -planet, a humanoid closely resembling the humans of the Earth; and -(2) that a vast cylindrical "rope" crawled the surface of this land, -continuously, endlessly. - -We had intentionally landed at what we guessed would be a safe distance -from the rope. If it were a living thing, like a serpent, we preferred -not to disturb it. If it gave off heat or poisonous gases or deadly -vibrations, we meant to keep our distance. If, on the other hand, it -proved to be some sort of vegetable--a vine of glacier proportions--or -a river of some silvery, creamy substance--we would move in upon it -gradually, gathering facts as we progressed. I could depend upon -"Split" to record all observable phenomena with the accuracy of -split-hairs. - -Split was working at the reports like a drudge at this very moment. - -I looked up from the telescope, expecting him to be waiting his turn -eagerly. I misguessed. He didn't even glance up from his books. Rare -young Campbell! Always a man of duty, never a man of impulse! - -"Here Campbell, take a look at the 'rope'." - -"Before I finish the reports, sir? If I recall our Code, Section Two, -Order of Duties upon Landing: A--" - -"Forget the Code. Take a look at the rope while the sun's on it.... See -it?" - -"Yes sir." - -"Can you see it's moving? See the little clouds of dust coming up from -under its belly?" - -"Yes sir. An excellent view, Captain Linden." - -"What do you think of it, Split? Ever see a sight like that before?" - -"No sir." - -"Well, what about it? Any comments?" - -Split answered me with an enthusiastic, "By gollies, sir!" Then, with -restraint, "It's precisely what I expected from the photographs, sir. -Any orders, sir?" - -"Relax, Split! That's the order. Relax!" - -"Thanks--thanks, Cap!" That was his effort to sound informal, though -coming from him it was strained. His training had given him an -exaggerated notion of the importance of dignity and discipline. - -He was naturally so conscientious it was painful. And to top it all, -his scientific habit of thought made him want to stop and weigh his -words even when speaking of casual things such as how much sugar he -required in his coffee. - -Needless to say, I had kidded him unmercifully over these traits. -Across the millions of miles of space that we had recently traveled -(our first voyage together) I had amused myself at his expense. I -had sworn that he would find, in time, that he couldn't even trim -his fingernails without calipers, or comb his hair without actually -physically splitting the hairs that cropped up in the middle of the -part. That was when I had nicknamed him "Split"--and the wide ears that -stuck out from his stubble-cut blond hair had glowed with the pink of -selfconsciousness. Plainly, he liked the kidding. But if I thought I -could rescue him from the weight of dignity and duty, I was mistaken. - -Now he had turned the telescope for a view far to the right. He paused. - -"What do you see?" I asked. - -"I cannot say definitely. The exact scientific classification of the -object I am observing would call for more detailed scrutiny--" - -"You're seeing some sort of object?" - -"Yes sir." - -"What sort of object?" - -"A living creature, sir--upright, wearing clothes--" - -"A _man_?" - -"To all appearances, sir--" - -"You bounder, give me that telescope!" - - -2. - -If you have explored the weird life of many a planet, as I have, you -can appreciate the deep sense of excitement that comes over me when, -looking out at a new world for the first time, I see a man-like animal. - -Walking upright! - -Wearing adornments in the nature of clothing! - -I gazed, and my lungs filled with the breath of wonderment. A man! -Across millions of miles of space--a man, like the men of the Earth. - -Six times before in my life of exploration I had gazed at new realms -within the approachable parts of our universe, but never before had the -living creatures borne such wonderful resemblance to the human life of -our Earth. - -A man! - -He might have been creeping on all fours. - -He might have been skulking like a lesser animal. - -He might have been entirely naked. - -He was none of these--and at the very first moment of viewing him I -felt a kinship toward him. Oh, he was primitive in appearance--but had -my ancestors not been the same? Was this not a mirror of my own race -a million years or so ago? I sensed that my own stream of life had -somehow crossed with his in ages gone by. How? Who can ever know? By -what faded charts of the movements through the sky will man ever be -able to retrace relationships of forms of life among planets? - -"Get ready to go out and meet him, Campbell," I said. "He's a friend." - -Split Campbell gave me a look as if to say, Sir, you don't even know -what sort of animal he is, actually, much less whether he's friendly or -murderous. - -"There are some things I can sense on first sight, Campbell. Take my -word for it, he's a friend." - -"I didn't say anything, sir." - -"Good. Don't. Just get ready." - -"We're going to go _out_--?" - -"Yes," I said. "Orders." - -"And meet both of them?" Split was at the telescope. - -"Both?" I took the instrument from him. Both! "Well!" - -"They seem to be coming out of the ground," Split said. "I see no signs -of habitation, but apparently we've landed on top of an underground -city--though I hasten to add that this is only an hypothesis." - -"One's a male and the other's a female," I said. - -"Another hypothesis," said Split. - -The late evening sunshine gave us a clear view of our two "friends". -They were fully a mile away. Split was certain they had not seen our -ship, and to this conclusion I was in agreement. They had apparently -come up out of the barren rock hillside to view the sunset. I studied -them through the telescope while Split checked over equipment for a -hike. - -The man's walk was unhurried. He moved thoughtfully, one might -guess. His bare chest and legs showed him to be statuesque in mold, -cleanly muscled, fine of bone. His skin was almost the color of the -cream-colored robe which flowed from his back, whipping lightly in -the breeze. He wore a brilliant red sash about his middle, and this -was matched by a red headdress that came down over his shoulders as a -circular mantle. - -The girl stood several yards distant, watching him. This was some -sort of ritual, no doubt. He was not concerned with her, but with the -setting sun. Its rays were almost horizontal, knifing through a break -in the distant mountain skyline. He went through some routine motions, -his moving arms highlighted by the lemon-colored light of evening. - -The girl approached him. Two other persons appeared from somewhere back -of her.... Three.... Four.... Five.... - -"Where do they come from?" Split had paused in the act of checking -equipment to take his turn at the telescope. If he had not done so, I -might not have made a discovery. The landscape was _moving_. - -The long shadows that I had not noticed through the telescope were a -prominent part of the picture I saw through the ship's window when I -looked out across the scene with the naked eye. The shadows were moving. - -They were tree shadows. They were moving toward the clearing where the -crowd gathered. And the reason for their movement was that the trees -themselves were moving. - -"Notice anything?" I asked Split. - -"The crowd is growing. We've certainly landed on top of a city." He -gazed. "They're coming from underground." - -Looking through the telescope, obviously he didn't catch the view of -the moving trees. - -"Notice anything else unusual?" I persisted. - -"Yes. The females--I'm speaking hypothetically--but they _must_ be -females--are all wearing puffy white fur ornaments around their elbows. -I wonder why?" - -"You haven't noticed the trees?" - -"The females are quite attractive," said Split. - -I forgot about the moving trees, then, and took over the telescope. -Mobile trees were not new to me. I had seen similar vegetation on other -planets--"sponge-trees"--which possessed a sort of muscular quality. If -these were similar, they were no doubt feeding along the surface of the -slope below the rocky plateau. The people in the clearing beyond paid -no attention to them. - -I studied the crowd of people. Only the leader wore the brilliant garb. -The others were more scantily clothed. All were handsome of build. The -lemon-tinted sunlight glanced off the muscular shoulders of the males -and the soft curves of the females. - -"Those furry elbow ornaments on the females," I said to Split, -"they're for protection. The caves they live in must be narrow, so -they pad their elbows." - -"Why don't they pad their shoulders? They don't have anything on their -shoulders." - -"Are you complaining?" - -We became fascinated in watching, from the seclusion of our ship. If we -were to walk out, or make any sounds, we might have interrupted their -meeting. Here they were in their native ritual of sunset, not knowing -that people from another world watched. The tall leader must be making -a speech. They sat around him in little huddles. He moved his arms in -calm, graceful gestures. - -"They'd better break it up!" Split said suddenly. "The jungles are -moving in on them." - -"They're spellbound," I said. "They're used to sponge-trees. Didn't you -ever see moving trees?" - -Split said sharply, "Those trees are marching! They're an army under -cover. Look!" - -I saw, then. The whole line of advancing vegetation was camouflage for -a sneak attack. And all those natives sitting around in meeting were as -innocent as a flock of sitting ducks. Split Campbell's voice was edged -with alarm. "Captain! Those worshippers--how can we warn them? Oh-oh! -Too late. Look!" - -All at once the advancing sponge-trees were tossed back over the heads -of the savage band concealed within. They were warriors--fifty or more -of them--with painted naked bodies. They dashed forward in a wide -semicircle, swinging crude weapons, bent on slaughter. - - -3. - -They were waving short clubs or whips with stones tied to the ends. -They charged up the slope, about sixty yards, swinging their weird -clubs with a threat of death. - -Wild disorder suddenly struck the audience. Campbell and I believed we -were about to witness a massacre. - -"Captain--_Jim_! You're not going to let this happen!" - -Our sympathies had gone to the first groups, the peaceable ones. I had -the same impulse as Campbell--to do something--anything! Yet here we -sat in our ship, more than half a mile from our thirty-five or forty -"friends" in danger. - -Our friends were panicked. But they didn't take flight. They didn't -duck for the holes in the rocky hilltop. Instead, they rallied and -packed themselves around their tall leader. They stood, a defiant wall. - -"Can we shoot a ray, Jim?" - -I didn't answer. Later I would recall that Split _could_ drop his -dignity under excitement--his "Captain Linden" and "sir." Just now he -wanted any sort of split-second order. - -We saw the naked warriors run out in a wide circle. They spun and -weaved, they twirled their deadly clubs, they danced grotesquely. They -were closing in. Closer and closer. It was all their party. - -"Jim, can we shoot?" - -"Hit number sixteen, Campbell." - -Split touched the number sixteen signal. - -The ship's siren wailed out over the land. - -You could tell when the sound struck them. The circle of savage ones -suddenly fell apart. The dancing broke into the wildest contortions you -ever saw. As if they'd been spanked by a wave of electricity. The siren -scream must have sounded like an animal cry from an unknown world. The -attackers ran for the sponge-trees. The rootless jungle came to life. -It jerked and jumped spasmodically down the slope. And our siren kept -right on singing. - -"Ready for that hike, Campbell? Give me my equipment coat." I got -into it. I looked back to the telescope. The tall man of the party -had behaved with exceptional calmness. He had turned to stare in our -direction from the instant the siren sounded. He could no doubt make -out the lines of our silvery ship in the shadows. Slowly, deliberately, -he marched over the hilltop toward us. - -Most of his party now scampered back to the safety of their hiding -places in the ground. But a few--the brave ones, perhaps, or the -officials of his group--came with him. - -"He needs a stronger guard than that," Campbell grumbled. - -Sixteen was still wailing. "Set it for ten minutes and come on," I -said. Together we descended from the ship. - -We took into our nostrils the tangy air, breathing fiercely, at first. -We slogged along over the rock surface feeling our weight to be -one-and-a-third times normal. We glanced down the slope apprehensively. -We didn't want any footraces. The trees, however, were still -retreating. Our siren would sing on for another eight minutes. And -in case of further danger, we were equipped with the standard pocket -arsenal of special purpose capsule bombs. - -Soon we came face to face with the tall, stately old leader in the -cream-and-red cloak. - -Split and I stood together, close enough to exchange comments against -the siren's wail. Fine looking people, we observed. Smooth faces. -Like the features of Earth men. These creatures could walk down -any main street back home. With a bit of makeup they would pass. -"Notice, Captain, they have strange looking eyes." "Very smooth." -"It's because they have no eyebrows ... no eye lashes." "Very -smooth--handsome--attractive." - -Then the siren went off. - -The leader stood before me, apparently unafraid. He seemed to be -waiting for me to explain my presence. His group of twelve gathered in -close. - -I had met such situations with ease before. "EGGWE" explorers come -equipped. I held out a gift toward the leader. It was a singing -medallion attached to a chain. It was disc-shaped, patterned after a -large silver coin. It made music at the touch of a button. In clear, -dainty bell tones it rang out its one tune, "Trail of Stars." - -As it played I held it up for inspection. I placed it around my own -neck, then offered it to the leader. I thought he was smiling. He was -not overwhelmed by the "magic" of this gadget. He saw it for what it -was, a token of friendship. There was a keenness about him that I -liked. Yes, he was smiling. He bent his head forward and allowed me to -place the gift around his neck. - -"Tomboldo," he said, pointing to himself. - -Split and I tried to imitate his breathy accents as we repeated aloud, -"Tomboldo." - -We pointed to ourselves, in turn, and spoke our own names. And then, -as the names of the others were pronounced, we tried to memorize each -breathy sound that was uttered. I was able to remember four or five of -them. One was Gravgak. - -Gravgak's piercing eyes caused me to notice him. Suspicious eyes? I did -not know these people's expressions well enough to be sure. - -Gravgak was a guard, tall and muscular, whose arms and legs were -painted with green and black diamond designs. - -By motions and words we didn't understand, we inferred that we were -invited to accompany the party back home, inside the hill, where we -would be safe. I nodded to Campbell. "It's our chance to be guests of -Tomboldo." Nothing could have pleased us more. For our big purpose--to -understand the Serpent River--would be forwarded greatly if we could -learn, through the people, what its meanings were. To analyze the -river's substance, estimate its rate, its weight, its temperature, and -to map its course--these facts were only a part of the information we -sought. The fuller story would be to learn how the inhabitants of this -planet regarded it: whether they loved or shunned it, and what legends -they may have woven around it. All this knowledge would be useful when -future expeditions of men from the Earth followed us (through EGGWE) -for an extension of peaceful trade relationships. - -Tomboldo depended upon the guard Gravgak to make sure that the way was -safe. Gravgak was supposed to keep an eye on the line of floating trees -that had taken flight down the hillside. Danger still lurked there, we -knew. And now the siren that had frightened off the attack was silent. -Our ship, locked against invaders, could be forgotten. We were guests -of Tomboldo. - -Gravgak was our guard, but he didn't work at it. He was too anxious to -hear all the talk. In the excitement of our meeting, everyone ignored -the growing darkness, the lurking dangers. Gravgak confronted us with -agitated jabbering: - -"Wollo--yeeta--vo--vandartch--vandartch! Grr--see--o--see--o--see--o!" - -"See--o--see--o--see--o," one of the others echoed. - -It began to make sense. They wanted us to repeat the siren noises. The -enemy had threatened their lives. There could very well have been a -wholesale slaughter. But as long as we could make the "see--o--see--o" -we were all safe. - -Split and I exchanged glances. He touched his hand to the equipment -jacket, to remind me we were armed with something more miraculous than -a yowling siren. - -"See--o--see--o--see--o!" Others of Tomboldo's party echoed the demand. -They must have seen the sponge-trees again moving toward our path. -"_See--o--see--o!_" - -Our peaceful march turned into a spasm of terror. The sponge-trees -came rushing up the slope, as if borne by a sudden gust of wind. They -bounced over our path, and the war party spilled out of them. - -Shouting. A wild swinging of clubs. And no cat-and-mouse tricks. No -deliberate circling and closing in. An outright attack. Naked bodies -gleaming in the semi-darkness. Arms swinging weapons, choosing the -nearest victims. The luminous rocks on the ends of the clubs flashed. -Shouting, screeching, hurling their clubs. The whizzing fury filled the -air. - -I hurled a capsule bomb. It struck at the base of a bouncing -sponge-tree, and blew the thing to bits. - -The attackers ran back into a huddle, screaming. Then they came -forward, rushing defiantly. - -Our muscular guard, Gravgak was too bold. He had picked up one of their -clubs and he ran toward their advance, and to all of Tomboldo's party -it must have appeared that he was bravely rushing to his death. Yet -the gesture of the club he swung so wildly could have been intended as -a _warning_! It could have meant, Run back, you fools, or these -strange devils will throw fire at you. - -I threw fire. And so did my lieutenant. He didn't wait for orders, -thank goodness. He knew it was their lives or ours. Zip, zip, -zip--BLANG-BLANG-BLANG! The bursts of fire at their feet ripped the -rocks. The spray caught them and knocked them back. Three or four -warriors in the fore ranks were torn up in the blasts. Others were -flattened--and those who were able, ran. - -They ran, not waiting for the cover of sponge-trees. Not bothering to -pick up their clubs. - -But the operation was not a complete success. We had suffered a serious -casualty. The guard Gravgak. He had rushed out too far, and the first -blast of fire and rock had knocked him down. Now Tomboldo and others of -the party hovered over him. - -His eyes opened a little. I thought he was staring at me, drilling me -with suspicion. I worked over him with medicines. The crowd around us -stood back in an attitude of awe as Split and I applied ready bandages, -and held a stimulant to his nostrils that made him breath back to -consciousness. - -Suddenly he came to life. Lying there on his back, with the club still -at his fingertips, he swung up on one elbow. The swift motion caused -a cry of joy from the crowd. I heard a little of it--and then blacked -out. For as the muscular Gravgak moved, his fingers closed over the -handle of the club. It whizzed upward with him--apparently all by -accident. The stone that dangled from the end of the club crashed into -my head. - -I went into instant darkness. Darkness, and a long, long silence. - - -4. - -Vauna, the beautiful daughter of Tomboldo, came into my life during the -weeks that I lay unconscious. - -I must have talked aloud much during those feverish hours of darkness. - -"Campbell!" I would call out of a nightmare. "Campbell, we're about to -land. Is everything set? Check the instruments again, Campbell." - -"S-s-sh!" The low hush of Split Campbell's voice would somehow -penetrate my dream. - -The voices about me were soft. My dreams echoed the soft female voices -of this new, strange language. - -"Campbell, are you there?... Have you forgotten the Code, Campbell?" - -"Quiet, Captain." - -"Who is it that's swabbing my face? I can't see." - -"It's Vauna. She's smiling at you, Captain. Can't you see her?" - -"Is this the pretty one we saw through the telescope?" - -"One of them." - -"And what of the other? There were two together. I remember--" - -"Omosla is here too. She's Vauna's attendant. We're all looking after -you, Captain Linden. Did you know I performed an operation to relieve -the pressure on your brain? You must get well, Captain." The words of -Campbell came through insistently. - -After a silence that may have lasted for hours or days, I said, -"Campbell, you haven't forgot the EGGWE Code?" - -"Of course not, Captain." - -"Section Four?" - -"Section Four," he repeated in a low voice, as if to pacify me and put -me to sleep. "Conduct of EGGWE agents toward native inhabitants: A, No -agent shall enter into any diplomatic agreement that shall be construed -as binding--" - -I interrupted. "Clause D?" - -He picked it up. "D, no agent shall enter into a marriage contract with -any native.... H-m-m. You're not trying to warn me, are you, Captain -Linden? Or are you warning _yourself_?" - -At that moment my eyes opened a little. Swimming before my blurred -vision was the face of Vauna. I did remember her--yes, she must have -haunted my dreams, for now my eyes burned in an effort to define her -features more clearly. This was indeed Vauna, who had been one of the -party of twelve, and had walked beside her father in the face of the -attack. Deep within my subconscious the image of her beautiful face and -figure had lingered. I murmured a single word of answer to Campbell's -question. "Myself." - -In the hours that followed, I came to know the soft footsteps of Vauna. -The caverns in which she and her father and all these Benzendella -people lived were pleasantly warm and fragrant. My misty impressions of -their life about me were like the first impressions of a child learning -about the world into which he has been born. - -Sometimes I would hear Vauna and her attendant Omosla talking together. -Often when Campbell would stop in this part of the cavern to inquire -about me, Omosla would drop in also. She and Campbell were learning to -converse in simple words. And Vauna and I--yes. If I could only avoid -blacking out. - -I wanted to see her. - -So often my eyes would refuse to open. A thousand nightmares. Space -ships shooting through meteor swarms. Stars like eyes. Eyes like stars. -The eyes of Vauna, the daughter of Tomboldo. The sensitive stroke of -Vauna's fingers, brushing my forehead, pressing my hand. - -I regained my health gradually. - -"Are you quite awake?" Vauna would ask me in her musical Benzendella -words. "You speak better today. Your friend Campbell has brought you -more recordings of our language, so you can learn to speak more. My -father is eager to talk with you. But you must sleep more. You are -still weak." - -It gave me a weird sensation to awaken in the night, trying to adjust -myself to my surroundings. The Benzendellas were sleep-singers. By -night they murmured mysterious little songs through their sleep. -Strange harmonies whispered through the caves. - -And if I stirred restlessly, the footsteps of Vauna might come to me -through the darkness. In her sleeping garments she would come to me, -faintly visible in the pink light that filtered through from some -corridor. She would whisper melodious Benzendella words and tell me to -go back to sleep, and I would drift into the darkness of my endless -dreams. - -The day came when I awakened to see both Vauna and her father standing -before me. Stern old Tomboldo, with his chalk-smooth face and not a -hint of an eyebrow or eyelash, rapped his hand against my ribs, shook -the fiber bed lightly, and smiled. From a pocket concealed in his -flowing cape, he drew forth the musical watch, touched the button, and -played, "Trail of Stars." - -"I have learned to talk," I said. - -"You have had a long sleep." - -"I am well again. See, I can almost walk." But as I started to rise, -the wave of blackness warned me, and I restrained my ambition. "I will -walk soon." - -"We will have much to talk about. Your friend has pointed to the stars -and told me a strange story of your coming. We have walked around the -ship. He has told me how it rides through the sky. I can hardly make -myself believe." Tomboldo's eyes cast upward under the strong ridge of -forehead where the eyebrows should have been. He was evidently trying -to visualize the flight of a space ship. "We will have much to tell -each other." - -"I hope so," I said. "Campbell and I came to learn about the _serpent -river_." I resorted to my own language for the last two words, not -knowing the Benzendella equivalent. _I_ made an eel-like motion -with my arm. But they didn't understand. And before I could explain, -the footsteps of other Benzendellas approached, and presently I looked -around to see that quite an audience had gathered. The most prominent -figure of the new group was the big muscular guard of the black and -green diamond markings--Gravgak. - -"You get well?" Gravgak said to me. His eyes drilled me closely. - -"I get well," I said. - -"The blow on the head," he said, "was not meant." - -I looked at him. Everyone was looking at him, and I knew this was meant -to be an occasion of apology. But the light of fire in Vauna's eyes -told me that she did not believe. He saw her look, and his own eyes -flashed darts of defiance. With an abrupt word to me, he wheeled and -started off. "Get well!" - -The crowd of men and women made way for him. But in the arched doorway -he turned. "Vauna. I am ready to speak to you alone." - -She started. I reached and barely touched her hand. She stopped. "I -will talk with you later, Gravgak." - -"Now!" he shouted. "Alone." - -He stalked off. A moment later Vauna, after exchanging a word with her -father, excused herself from the crowd and followed Gravgak. - -From the way those in the room looked, I knew this must be a dramatic -moment. It was as if she had acknowledged Gravgak as her master--or her -lover. He had called for her. She had followed. - -But her old father was still the master. He stepped toward the door. -"Vauna!... Gravgak!... Come back." - -(I will always wonder what might have happened if he hadn't called -them! Was my distrust of Gravgak justified? Had I become merely a -jealous lover--or was I right in my hunch that the tall muscular guard -was a potential traitor?) - -Vauna reappeared at once. I believe she was glad that she had been -called back. - -Gravgak came sullenly. At the edge of the crowd in the arched doorway -he stood scowling. - -"While we are together," old Tomboldo said quietly, looking around at -the assemblage, "I must tell you the decision of the council. Soon we -will move back to the other part of the world." - -There were low murmurs of approval through the chamber. - -"We will wait a few days," Tomboldo went on, "until our new friend--" -he pointed to me--"is well enough to travel. We would never leave him -here to the mercy of the savage ones. He and his helper came through -the sky in time to save us from being destroyed. We must never forget -this kindness. When we ascend the _Kao-Wagwattl_, the ever moving -_rope of life_, these friends shall come with us. On the back of -the Kao-Wagwattl _they shall ride with us across the land_." - - -5. - -From that moment on, there was more buzzing around the caverns than -a hive of bees. It was like a spaceport before the blastoff of a big -interplanetary liner. The excitement was enough to cause a sick man to -have a relapse--or get well in a hurry to join in on the commotion. I -did my best to get well quick! - -"Where is Campbell? Bring me my friend Campbell, please." - -Omosla, the pretty attendant and companion of Vauna, was always glad, I -noticed, to be sent on an errand to Split Campbell, wherever he was. - -From all reports he was reinforcing the defenses at one point or -another where these caverns led up to the surface. They told me he was -a busy man. The attacks of the savage ones had grown more vicious. -They had evidently learned that the Benzendellas intended to move back -to other lands; so they had grown bold in their raids, attempting to -steal not only the Benzendellas' treasurers but also their women. They -had not been successful. My good lieutenant, navigator and scientist, -equipped with capsule explosives, had blown one group of them into a -fountain of dismembered arms and legs. I could just picture him hurling -those miniature bombs at the split-second when they would create the -most panic. - -The Benzendellas had been quick to recognize a good thing. They only -wished he were quadruplets or better, to stand guard continuously at -many entrances. They brought him their rare foods, and furnished him -with a comfortable couch; they offered him gifts. In short, they loved -him for his efficiency, and for himself. Especially (according to the -rumors that reached my ears) Omosla. - -Pretty little Omosla, I fear, loved him with a love that might have -overwhelmed a lesser man. But I knew that Split Campbell would not -be swerved. He was devoted to duty, dignity, and the Code. The Code -forbade intermarriage with the natives. - -Why did I keep thinking of the Code? It shouldn't have crossed my -thoughts so often. I hardly dared stop to ask myself what continually -brought it to mind. But I knew. The flare of jealously I had felt when -Gravgak had tried to call Vauna away from the crowd.... - -"You are feeling better, Captain?" Vauna said to me as she watched me -pace the floor. "You find that you can walk, so you keep walking?" - -"I need to walk so I can think." - -"If you wish to think, you should sit out on the hillside at the time -of sunset. You understand my words?" - -"I understand," I smiled. Then, rashly, I added, "I understand your -words. I don't always understand you." - -"And you wish to understand me?" - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -I could think of more answers than my vocabulary could handle. I said -simply, "When I go back to my own world I should be able to say that I -understand the people of this world." - -"But you _do_ understand us. You see how we live. You hear how we -talk. There." She pressed my hand. "That is all you need to understand, -isn't it? I am the one who does not understand you." - -"How do you mean?" - -"I do not see how you live. I do not hear how you talk." She gave a -little laugh. "Only see how you walk when you think, but I do not know -what you think." - -"I think about you," I said. - -"That is very nice. I think about you, too, Jim. Since the night you -saved us from the savage ones, I have thought about you." - -I stopped walking in circles and looked at her. The soft light from the -luminous rock walls gave an ivory tint to her bare shoulders. She wore -a dress of soft woven material, designed with a diagonal line of little -hand-painted sponge-trees. From the curve of her breasts to the lithe -gracefulness of her thighs, the close-fitting garment accentuated her -beauty. - -She was backing away from me, smiling as if wondering if I would follow -her. Her arms were bare except for the ornaments of fur around her -elbows. These were evidently an insignia of Benzendella womanhood, for -no woman of this realm was to be seen without them. - -"Come," Vauna said, beckoning me. "Put your ear against the wall. What -do you hear?" - -She pressed her head against the wall and I did the same. Finally I -made out the faint vibrations of some distant rumbling. I asked, "What -is it?" - -"Kao-Wagwattl." - -"The round river that moves like a serpent?" - -"It is an endless rope," she said. "It is life." - -"Life?" - -"It gathers water and food within itself. It gives life to those who -seek life. It gives life--" - -She stopped, and her pretty poetic expression vanished. My hands -touched her hands, my fingers moved gently along her wrists, her -forearms--then as my touch neared her fur-covered elbows, a look of -shock came into her eyes. "Jim!" - -"Yes, Vauna?" - -"I was trying to tell you--" - -"_What?_" - -For a moment she only looked at me, searching my eyes. "We _don't_ -understand each other, do we?" - -Finally I said, "Then why don't we ask each other questions?" - -"Yes.... Yes, ask me questions." - -"All right." I had an impulse to start pacing again. I walked about for -a moment. "Tell me, Vauna. When your friend Gravgak demanded that you -come and talk with him alone, what would have happened if your father -hadn't called you back?" - -She smiled faintly. "I will tell you a secret, Jim. I had already made -my father promise to call me back. I whispered to him, 'Call me back.'" - -"Why?" - -She gave an evasive little laugh. "You understand enough already. Now -it is my question. Tell me, Captain Jim, why do you keep saying that -you are going back to another world?" - -"Because I am. That's my duty." - -"When you ride with us on the Kao-Wagwattl you will come with us to -another part of this world. It is more beautiful than here. We are only -a few. Our race lives in the other part. My father came here only to -study, but soon the Kao-Wagwattl will take us all back. And you and -your friend Campbell will go with us and belong to us." - -The self-discipline of an EGGWE agent is supposed to be his defense -against any natives' invitations, no matter how beautiful or charming -the native. All I could say was, "You don't understand us, do you, -Vauna?" - -"Don't I?" - -"Your people I love. And you, Vauna. But our orders are to return. I -must not think of disobeying my orders. And I assure you Campbell is -one who would never disobey." - -"The big silver shell will take you away from us?" - -"Yes." - -"You will remember me?" - -"Yes, always." - -"Thank you, Jim." She was weeping. I started to take her in my arms, -but thought better of it. She dried her eyes. "I will remember you too. -When I see Campbell and Omosla, I will have a dream of this hour, and -how we didn't understand." - -I was quick to make a correction. "You'll not be seeing Campbell. I'll -have to take him back with me, you know." - -"No, he will be here. It is our rule that he should stay." - -"Why?" - -"Because he has become the mate of our girl, Omosla." - -I looked at her, not believing I had heard her words correctly. A -fever swept my brain. In my own language I said harshly, "It's a lie! -Campbell would never violate--" - -"I do not understand your words," Vauna said softly. - -Then in my broken Benzendella accents I asserted, calmly but -decisively, "I don't believe what you say. I don't believe that -Campbell has become the mate of Omosla." - -"You will believe," Vauna said, "when Omosla's baby is born." - - -6. - -I had already sent for Campbell. Mentally I chastized myself for having -sent Omosla. For if what I had been told was true, his life had become -complicated enough already. (I must admit that for the moment I had -something less than proper consideration for _her_.) - -Omosla didn't return from the errand for Campbell. Maybe the news of -my concern for him had frightened her away. One of her friends told me -that Campbell was out on the surface somewhere; that he couldn't be -located just now. When he returned they would send him to _me_. - -I then sought the counsel of Tomboldo. - -"It can't be true, this story about Campbell," I said. "There's been -some mistake." - -Tomboldo's answer was soft spoken. "Much has happened. You have been -ill for many weeks. You must take our word. Do you find the news not to -your liking? Omosla is a devoted girl. And if our hero Campbell became -her husband, all of us would be proud." - -There was no use talking of the EGGWE Code to him, that was plain. All -I could say at the moment was, "I'll talk with Campbell." - -For the next few nights, after the whole cavern city seemed to be -asleep, I would walk forth a little distance. This was more than -pacing. It was a test of my strength and my wits, and most of all my -confidence that I would not black out. It was proof to myself that I -was a well man again. It was a willful act of striking out on my own -purposes. I would find Campbell. - -Each night I ventured a little farther. The artificial lights burned -low. All was quiet. The luminous rock walls stared out from among -the cavern furnishings. I walked steadily. I was getting used to the -planet's stronger gravity. I was learning to like the sandals they had -given me to wear, cushioned with shreds of sponge-tree vegetation. - -Tonight as always I walked to the right from the arch, through one -of Tomboldo's rooms, and on past the storage rooms. The way opened -into a long amber-lighted tunnel. The city branched off in little -tunneled avenues from this passageway. Would Campbell be found on guard -tonight--this way--or this way--or-- - -I heard light footsteps, sounds of two persons somewhere in the -distance. I moved back toward Tomboldo's part of the cave to wait until -the ways had cleared. - -Two men were coming through the corridor, conversing in low whispers. - -I moved back into the shadows, scarcely breathing. - -The glow of amber light from the corridor revealed them, silhouetted. -The taller man was driving the smaller one ahead of him, threatening -him with a short-bladed knife. - -They slowed their steps. Their low whispers were audible. - -"If you breathe a word I'll rip you." The agitated words of the tall -guard, Gravgak. The light revealed the lines of green-and-black -diamonds painted on his thighs. - -The smaller man, also a guard, muttered, "Have I ever told anything?" - -"You understand, then," said Gravgak. "If anything happens, you'll -swear there was an intruder--one of the savages." - -"I'll swear it. I'll say that I--" - -"Say that he knocked you down and forced his way in. Like this!" -Gravgak struck him with his fist. The guard tumbled in a heap against -the cavern wall. He lay there, eyes closed. Gravgak tiptoed past my -hiding place. His eyes glinted with purpose. He paused at Tomboldo's -door, weighed the knife in his hand, then sheathed it. He went on -toward Vauna's room. - -I skipped to one side of the storage room where I had seen my equipment -coat hanging. Without it I could have been no match for this man. -My fingers caught it off the wall, I got into it as I hurried back. -Automatically my hands checked the contents, everything in place-- - -Gravgak was conversing with Vauna through the partly opened door. "I -told you I would come." - -"You have no right. I told you--" There was strength, not fear, in -Vauna's low voice. - -"Your father means for me to win you, if necessary by force." - -"You lie. Go or I'll sound the alarm." - -"You are in love with that stranger." His voice trembled with rage. -"See, you don't answer. If you want him to live, get rid of him. Send -him back in his silver shell." - -"You threaten my father's guest?" - -"The great Tomboldo will not live long. I have heard the savages plan -to come in some night soon and murder him." - -At that instant old Tomboldo's voice sounded from the next room. "Who's -there, Vauna?" - -"Gravgak!" It was Gravgak himself who answered. "I came to protect you, -Tomboldo. There's danger--" - -Tomboldo's voice thundered with anger at this unaccountable intrusion. -"What do you mean?" - -"They mean to kill you, and if they do--" - -"Who?" - -"The savages. And if they succeed, I am your successor. Tell your -daughter it's so. Tell her that if a knife blade descends from some -dark corner--_look out_! Someone behind you!" - -It was a ruse to cause old Tomboldo to whirl about and turn his back -to Gravgak. Tomboldo didn't whirl. But he must have seen what I saw, -glittering in the dim light--the knife in Gravgak's hand. It flashed -up-- - -I flung a capsule bomb at the arch. Fire flashed, and the voices were -swallowed up in the concussion. - - -7. - -The swirl of yellow dust sifted through the cavern passages. Coughing -and puffing hard, I fought my way into the heap--in time to catch sight -of Gravgak staggering off toward an exit tunnel. - -The three of us stood together. A strange trio. Two Benzendellas, one -Earth man. Bound together in an allegiance that all the space in the -universe could never divide. Vauna was weeping softly, holding her arms -tight about herself, her hands cupped over the fur wrappings of her -elbows. - -She said she could not understand Gravgak's behavior. Once he had had -a chance to become the leader. Was it all because he was insane with -jealousy--because she loved me? - -Her father thought it was more than this. He had evidently read signs -of disloyalty in Gravgak, even before my coming. Too many plans had -filtered out to the savage enemies. For a long time Gravgak had been -impatient for a chance to succeed Tomboldo; my coming had thwarted the -original plan--the murderous attack on the sunset meeting. Yes, Gravgak -had been twisting the sponge-tree bands into his own schemes even then. - -The fine boldness showed in Tomboldo's eyes as he talked. People had -gathered, and they saw clearly the truth of his charges. - -But now there were delays in getting ready to go to the better land on -another side of this planet. Part of the delay was caution. Gravgak -would probably lie in waiting for the Benzendella migration to the -serpent river. He would plan an attack. Some waiting, some scouting and -much preparation would be a matter of wisdom. Meanwhile, if Gravgak -could be found, let him be killed on sight. - -Several weeks passed. Secret preparations for the twenty mile migration -were completed. I was pleased to hear that Campbell had had a share in -these plans. He had made several night hikes back to the ship, and had -kept watch through the telescope by day, and made valuable observations -by means of infra-red photography by night. He knew where the nests of -the savage bands were located. Moreover, I learned that he and a few -of Tomboldo's choice scouts, under cover of darkness, crossed through -the sponge-tree area to examine the Serpent River at close range and -determine upon a suitable place for getting the Benzendella tribe -aboard. - -For these observations, and for an abundance of scientific data which -he picked up about the Serpent River itself, I was deeply grateful. If -this expedition succeeded in its purposes, the success would be to his -credit, not mine. - -Nevertheless, when I was at last conducted to his quarters at the end -of one of the tunnels--my long awaited visit--I did not spend all my -time complimenting him for his fine achievements. - -"You're going to be ready to make the trip with the tribe, I presume?" -I asked, when we got around to the plans for the migration. - -"And leave the ship here? I shall follow orders, Captain, but I should -prefer to stay with the ship, and to proceed with the remainder of the -scientific assignments." - -He handed his field glasses over to one of the relief guards, and led -me to a bench in his primitive quarters. A slice of sunlight knifed -through from the out-of-doors, the first I had seen for a long time. - -"A little sunlight's not a bad thing," I said casually. "I've been -needing a little light." - -He looked up at me as if he knew what was coming. "If you've been -hearing a rumor, don't believe it." - -"You've heard it too?" - -"They say I'm supposed to become the husband of Omosla." - -"All I want is your word, Lieutenant Campbell," I said. - -"My word. Captain." Split said dryly. "You know I wouldn't break the -Code." - -"I believe you.... Okay, we're in a spot. The fact is, the girl's going -to have a baby. When she does, she'll declare you her mate. And the -tribe will be proud. Have you thought this through?" - -"I've tried to." - -I began to pace. "You know we can't afford to offend the tribe. If you -bluntly deny that you've had anything to do with the girl, they'll be -insulted. They're ready to believe her, not you." - -"How soon will the child be born?" - -"Within a few days." - -"How long have we been here?" - -"Long enough." - -"Why doesn't her true mate speak up, whoever he is?" - -I said, "That's one of the strange circumstances. I haven't heard them -mention any other man but you. You see, Split, you're the hero of the -hour. You're the one they want." - -"I hope you're not suggesting that _I_ marry this girl." - -"I _haven't_ suggested it, have _I_? But I will ask this: Do -you like the girl?... Love her??... Enough to marry her?" - -"Under more favorable conditions--yes. I've never loved anybody before. -But Omosla--from the first time I saw her, that evening, in the -sunset--" - -"All right, Split. But you still tell me you haven't made love to her?" - -"Absolutely, _no_. You may not know it, Jim, but I was with you -almost constantly for days and nights after your knockout. You came -through the operation--the riskiest thing I ever tried in my life. When -you began to pull out of it, I could have gladly taken you back to the -ship and blasted off for home. But they were giving you care--Vauna and -Omosla--and damned intelligent care, according to my orders. By that -time the savages were knocking on our doors again, and I went onto the -defense job with my pockets full of scare bombs, and the other kind -too. From then on, I couldn't have held to tighter discipline if I'd -been in a planetary war, I swear it." - -I beat my fist lightly on Split's shoulder. The fellow was great, no -doubt about it, and I felt like a fool asking him questions about -matters outside the bounds of duty. "You're okay, Split. You could -violate a hundred codes, as far as I'm concerned, and I'd swear before -any court in the world that you're tops. But we've still got a problem -with this tribe--and this girl." - -"I'm not asking for compliments," Split said. "For the record I'm -telling you what _did_ happen, and what didn't. And here's what -did." Now it was his turn to pace twice around the bench. "How do I -begin?" - -"With Omosla." - -"Omosla comes to me often. She brings me food and drink. She hangs -around like a pet. She doesn't touch me--anymore. I put a stop to -that soon after the first time she put her arms around me. Yes, she -did that. I was busy watching the sponge-trees move down the valley. -She was nearby, murmuring words, most of which I could only half -understand. I didn't stop her when she slipped her arms around me--not -for quite awhile. I remember plenty well the way those pins in her -elbow furs scratched my arms. They stuck in like thorns. Look, you can -still see the marks." He rolled up his sleeves to show me the slight -scars on his upper arms, just above the elbows. "I figured either she -didn't know those pins were sticking me, or else it was some sort of -tricky test that girls use on men to test their metal. So I took it, -and didn't wince. Sure, I was enjoying letting her hug me. But after -that one time I always kept my distance. This all happened when we -first came. You'd think she'd have forgotten. Especially if she had a -real husband somewhere on the scene." - -I groaned. "Every tribe has strange customs. When the baby comes, -that's when they'll insist on a husband." - -"I wonder who it really is." - -"Unfortunately we can't prove anything by giving the baby a blood test. -These primitives wouldn't understand." - -"Proofs are out," Campbell said. - -"However, we still have the eyelash test," I suggested. - -"You mean--" - -"I mean that you and I are the only two human animals on this planet -with eyebrows and eyelashes. When Omosla's baby arrives without a trace -of an eyelash, that might go a long way toward convincing--" - -"You'll help me fight it, then?" - -"If you're sure you don't want to change your mind, throw out the Code, -and claim the girl." - -A look of disdain was all the answer Campbell gave me, at first. -Finally he said, "You'd had ample reasons for nicknaming me Split, -Captain. But so far, I've given you no grounds for applying the term to -my personality. I prefer to remain a member of EGGWE, in good standing, -and to return to Earth with a clear record. Let Omosla name the true -father, whoever he is." - - -8. - -The whole Benzendella tribe made its way across to the Kao-Wagwattl -with only one casualty reported. Leeger, the short, slight guard who -had once been brutally knocked out by Gravgak, was reported missing. - -Everyone else came through without a scratch. It was a triumph for old -Tomboldo. His superhuman courage had carried the day. Children were -delighted over the adventure. Old folks were happy over achieving what -they had feared would be an impossible undertaking. They could believe, -now, that they would live all through to the end of the journey--for -Kao-Wagwattl, the serpent river, was a legendary giver of life. - -Campbell did not come. That was according to plan. He kept in touch -with me by radio through the final hours of the twenty-mile crossing. -"... Do you read me, Captain? I've drawn them to the north with fire -bombs from the ship's guns.... They've never guessed your course." - -"No signs of Gravgak? Or Leeger?" - -"Not a sign. The city's empty." - -"Keep on the radio, Campbell." - -"Right, Captain. By the way, how is Omosla?" - -"Expecting. I'll let you know. She still talks about the bravest man on -the planet, someone named Campbell." - -"H-m-m. You'll sort of look after her, won't you?" - -It was two hours before dawn when the last of the tribe (Leeger -excepted) gathered at the mountainside station to board Kao-Wagwattl. -We waited for daylight. Strange smells filled our nostrils. Smells of -wood fires, sparked to life by friction under the pressures of the -crawling monster. Smells of rocks being ground to powder. Smells of -the saccharine-sweet breathing from the pores of the thing itself, the -giant Kao-Wagwattl. - -The faint gray of dawn gradually changed to pink. In the growing -light we could make out the contour of the vast misty creeping form. -Its rounded sides moved along only yards from where we stood. As the -light of morning came on we could distinguish the immense box-shaped -scales that covered its sides. Clouds of sponge-trees rose and fell -around it. Unrooted vegetation would sift downward, to be bumped into -the air again, or to be rolled under. Small fires were continually -being ignited by friction, and often smothered before they were well -started. Sometimes the burning would creep up around the curved sides, -only to be snuffed out by the surface-breathing of the massive thing. - -I was relieved to note that the curved top--the "spine", so to -speak--was so gradually rounded that there could be no danger of -anyone's falling off. Its immensity had to be seen to be appreciated. - -As to its length, I took the word of Tomboldo and others. It was -endless. It wound around the whole planet like a fifty-thousand mile -serpent that had swallowed its own tail. An unbroken rope of life, -forever crawling. - -A gigantic creature? A gargantuan vine? A living thing! I should -not say that it was more animal than plant. When I asked Tomboldo's -counsellors, Was it animal or vegetable, their answer was, Yes. Yes, -_what_? Yes, it was animal or vegetable. They stressed the OR. -Must it be one and not the other? Evidently the Kao-Wagwattl was not to -be compared, not to be classified, but to be accepted--and utilized. - -For this wandering tribe it was a means of escape from enemies, and a -mode of travel. With the coming of daylight, they went to work. - -Crude cranes. Swinging baskets. Hoists. One group after another was -tossed up into the rubbery purplish-gray scales that covered the -Kao-Wagwattl's spine. - -No one cried out. The landing was soft. And harmless. The speed of -the crawl was not great. It must have averaged not more than ten or -fifteen miles an hour. But there were variations, to be taken advantage -of. The outsides of a curve moved swiftly. Foresighted Tomboldo had -selected the inside of a curve for our mounting, where the movement -was sluggish. Younger members could leap across from an overhanging -platform. Once safely in the folds of the surface, they could climb the -rounded wall at their leisure. - -Three or four hours were required for the entire tribe to get aboard. -This meant that a long line was formed. Over a span of many miles this -headless, tailless serpent became inhabited with tiny human fleas, -figuratively speaking. - -Among the stragglers who boarded last were a few older persons who -had to be coaxed and pampered before they would get into the swinging -basket. - -Then, too, there was Omosla, looking very pretty and thoroughly -frightened. She caused a slight delay at the very last by deciding it -was time for her to have her baby. - - -9. - -Finally we were all aboard, and the mighty Kao-Wagwattl, unaffected by -this addition of a few specks of human dust, moved on at its dogged -pace through the mountain valleys. - -No lives had been lost. No one had been seriously injured. Tomboldo was -the heroic leader. I went forward over the lumpy slabs of scales, to -find him and congratulate him. He said, "The glad feelings are to be -shared," and he spoke with high praise of my own help and that of my -friend Campbell. "But we are not yet out of danger. Pass the word." - -Pass the word. Keep down. Out of sight. For several days we would be -crawling through the lands of savages. - -Vauna found me. She had made sure that Omosla and the baby would have -the best of care, and now she meant to look after me. "My dear one," -she called me. - -"Here, my dear one. I have your valuable coat. Come out of sight. The -enemy must not see you." - -I glanced up the long curved spine of Kao, moving steadily through the -sunshine. Little groups of Benzendellas could be seen ahead, as far as -the eye could reach. The young children of the party had never had such -a trip before, and the older ones found it a strenuous game to keep -them down out of sight. Following Tomboldo's order, they rapidly ducked -down into hiding. The great rubber-like scales resembled up-ended -boxes, set in criss-cross rows. The deep flexible crevices thus formed -were ideal for hiding. - -I needed my radio. I must talk with Campbell. Vauna had taken my coat. - -She called to me. "Come, my dear one." She slipped down into a crevice -a little to one side of the crest. "Come, I hear the voice of your -friend Campbell in the box." - -"I'm coming. Speak to him, Vauna. Tell him to wait." - -"Shall I tell him the news?" - -I didn't answer. The vertical surfaces of the scales folded together, -parted, folded again, with the motions of the great creature, and for -a moment I lost sight of Vauna. But I could hear her voice as I fought -my way down to her hiding place. She was talking through the radio with -Campbell. - -"You are safe on the big silver ship?... Yes, we are on Kao-Wagwattl. I -have been looking after Omosla...." - -I could hear the eagerness in Campbell's voice as he asked about -Omosla. Vauna answered him in accents of joy. "She has had her -baby ... A little girl! Very beautiful. Already she looks like you. -_She has precious little lines of hair on her eyelids, and above her -eyes, just like yours._" - -The damage was done! There was no point in my lying to Campbell to -spare his feelings. Her words were the simple innocent truth. She was -happy and proud to tell the wonderful news. Her words implied that -Campbell would of course come and join us when his work was done, so he -could be Omosla's husband, as all the Benzendellas expected. - -About all I could say to Campbell was, "What she says is true, Split. -It's a beautiful baby. Any father should be proud. I have nothing to -add." - -For hours afterward I could think of nothing else. I sat hidden among -the deep soft scales, listening. Now and then the gentle movement would -cause the crevices around me to gape open, wide enough to reveal a -strip of sky. I wondered if sometime I might catch sight of a space -ship bolting off into the blue. The only sounds I heard were the -faint muffled rumblings of the Kao-Wagwattl moving along, like gentle -thunder echoing up from somewhere down in the earth. It lulled me into -relaxation, yet I could not dispel the mental image of Campbell sitting -there in the ship, alone, brooding over the news. And tempted, no -doubt, to touch the controls and leave this planet behind him. - -Later I talked with him again, but we did not mention Omosla. He said -he was busy with his scientific findings. I relayed to him descriptions -of the Kao-Wagwattl--the "inside" story, from one who was concealed -within its scales. We were back to our original assignment, now. For -days and days to come, we pursued the scientific facts, comparing -notes by radio. - -At air-cruise speed, Campbell made trips around the planet, and -completed his charts and maps. He reported that the beautiful land -toward which we were moving was indeed a land of promise. But he -gave slower estimates of the Kao-Wagwattl's speed, and he estimated -that it would take us the larger part of a year to reach our -destination. However, he managed to get an inside view of the larger -Benzendella tribes who dwelt there. They were truly waiting for old -Tomboldo's return, and were firm in their faith that the rope of life, -Kao-Wagwattl, would bring him. - -Such were the scientific and ethnological studies that Campbell and I -were to share, by radio, in the weeks and months to come.... - -Now Vauna was beside me. We, like the others, were settled down for the -long journey. - -Innocent Vauna! She was trying so hard to please me. She sat very -close, whispering to me. - -I listened, and smiled, and tried to take my thoughts away from the -image of Campbell, his honor shattered by her recent words to him about -the baby--a baby with eyelashes--a baby that resembled him. - -If I remained silent, Vauna would tease me into talking with her. "Do -my words displease you, Captain?" - -"Your words please me very much." - -"You do not look at me. You only look away. Do you want me to sit close -beside you?" - -I drew her in my arms and held her. In silence I thought a thousand -thoughts that I had brought with me across millions of miles of space. - -Later I said to her, "Your arms are warm. Why don't you take these fur -things off your elbows, to be more comfortable?" - -She smiled, and kissed me as I had taught her to kiss. "You want me -to?" And she removed the furry white elbow ornaments. It was very -strange.... While we hovered close, she whispered to me of the secrets -of life on this planet, unlike any other world I had known. And there -were curious legends of Kao-Wagwattl, things she had carried in her -heart to tell me if such a time as this should ever come. - -As she talked, the pressure of the scale walls around us increased. -The great Kao-Wagwattl was evidently moving through a dip, so that its -upper surfaces were compressed. There was no lack of air for breathing, -but the darkness and the pressure added strangeness to the sensation. -The tightness of Vauna's arms against my own caused my head to spin. -Perhaps it was the fever returning from my recent illness. My arms felt -the stinging sensation of being penetrated by needles. My thoughts -flicked back to something Split Campbell had once told me.... - -Later, when the Kao curved over a summit, and the patches of sunlight -dashed in, I suggested that Vauna go forward to see about her father. -She answered me with a curious smile. I snuggled deeper into the shade -of the scales and slept. Hours later, when I awakened, she was again -beside me. - - -10. - -If Omosla's baby had been a boy, I believe that old Tomboldo would -have named it for the highest honor in the Benzendella world. He -was searching for a successor. Not among the grown-up warriors and -counsellors. Among the infants. He sought a child favored by nature. -Omosla was a beauty and a court favorite, even though she had been -a servant. And Campbell, who was considered to be her mate, (though -marriage had been delayed by circumstances) was of course a renowned -hero. If the child had only been a boy! - -I was kept busy reporting the reasons for Campbell's absence. He had -stayed with our ship to guarantee Benzendella safety. Yes, it was true -that he could fly through the air and catch up with us. But there were -duties which kept him away. - -My excuses wore thin. Vauna and her father begged me to tell him, over -the radio, that Omosla was growing into a person of sorrow. The shadow -of tragedy hovered over her. - -I complied. I talked, by radio, with Campbell. He was in another -part of the land, now, pursuing the purposes for which we had come. -My mention of Omosla's plight aroused his defiance. He said he would -rather be a deserter than serve a captain who did not accept his word. -"For the last time, Captain Linden, I repeat that I am not the mate of -Omosla. Do you believe me?" - -"I don't know what to believe," I said. - -His radio clicked off. - -Vauna and her father and I secluded ourselves among the scales and -talked. My one question was, Could there have been any other person -among them who had come from another planet? - -"You and Campbell. No others." - -"How can you be sure?" I pursued. "Suppose someone from my world -wished to pass for a native. Suppose he should pluck the hairs from -his eyelids and cut away his eyebrows. Would you know him to be an -outsider?" - -"Come," Vauna said. "We'll walk from one end of the tribe to the other." - -While the great endless Kao-Wagwattl carried us on, through deep -valleys and across wide plains, Vauna and I went about, day by day, -studying the looks of each male member of the tribe. - -I scrutinized the eyes of each. I listened to the native enunciations. -I got acquainted with each man by name and personality. Vauna's -friendship to all was a help. Through her I began to gain a bond of -affection for all these people, deep and solid. Their ways became -natural to me. In the night their sleep-singing could be heard, welling -up softly through the scales within which they rested. In the mornings -one could see the parties of agile ones gathering food and liquid -fruits that rolled within reach along the sides of the moving Kao. - -We crossed a series of islands. For long spaces there would be danger -of dips under the surfaces of waters. We would close ourselves tightly -within the waterproof interstices until the danger had passed. Later, -when the slimy surfaces of the scales had dried off, we would emerge. - -And now, out of a chance conversation, I learned of another danger -which had been with us all along. Gravgak was also on the Kao-Wagwattl. - -"How did you know this?" I asked Vauna sharply. - -"Didn't my father tell you? I received a warning soon after we began -the journey." - -"Warning--from whom?" - -"From Leeger." - -"Leeger! I thought he was missing." - -"He reappeared. He had known of our plan. He had boarded, somewhere. He -was back there, beyond the end of our party. He shouted the warning to -me. That is why you and I moved up the line, and have kept ourselves -hidden." - -"He shouted a warning to you--" - -"That Gravgak is also on board, looking for me." - - -11. - -Weeks earlier, a search party had given up. It had all happened -quietly. Tomboldo had kept a few of his top scouts on the job (as I now -learned) and for months after our journey had begun they had scoured -the scaly surfaces of Kao-Wagwattl, looking in vain for Gravgak. - -Could we rest assured, then, that Gravgak had been bluffed out? That -he had given up his purpose of trying to take Vauna? That he had long -since climbed off the Kao-Wagwattl and gone back home? - -We hoped so. Nevertheless we moved cautiously as our searches took us -back through the long line of Benzendellas. - -Then, without warning, we suddenly came upon Leeger. He saw us from a -distance of fifty yards or less. We had come to the end of our tribe's -settlement--evidently beyond the end; for in the last quarter of a mile -we had found no persons dwelling among the scales. - -"He motioned to us," Vauna said. "I'm sure it was Leeger." - -But Leeger had disappeared from view. Back of us now was the wilderness -of scales, their curved surface glistening and alive with color as the -endless crawling spine followed us out of the distant blue haze. Miles -of Kao-Wagwattl, and nothing showing on the surface. - -We were down, now, almost out of sight, yet peering over. Suddenly the -form of Leeger bobbed up again, only a few feet from us. - -"Go back!" Leeger cried, flinging a hand at us. "Go back! He's coming!" - -It all happened in less time than it can be told. Leeger rose up to -warn us. We saw the knife fly through the air at him. He fell with the -blade through his throat. - -On the instant we saw the dark muscular form of Gravgak rearing up -among the scales. The green-and-black diamond-shaped markings on his -arms and legs glinted in the light. He had hurled his knife true. -Triumph shone in his murderous eyes. He had killed the man who had -stalked him to protect Vauna and Tomboldo. And now he must have -believed that one of his prizes was within easy reach. - -His arm flashed upward. It held one of those rockstrung clubs that the -savages used so skillfully. - -The weighted club whizzed through the air. I swung Vauna off her feet. -I'll swear the rolling movement of Kao-Wagwattl helped me or I wouldn't -have succeeded. We tumbled into the crevice. - -Then I scrambled upward. Another glimpse of Gravgak. He dived down -among the crevices, moving in our direction. A moment of darkness. The -scale-tops closed out the light. When they opened, he was there, coming -at us. - -I locked with him. We fought. The movement of the surfaces gave us an -upward thrust. I kicked and tumbled to the surface. He caught my wrist, -but the upthrust of the Kao favored me and I jerked him upward, onto -the top of the scales. - -We fought in the open. The rubbery footing was deadly, but it played -no favorites. I struck a heavy blow that made the green-and-black lined -arms shudder. Gravgak's eyes flashed as he plunged back at me. I struck -him again, with the full force of my body. He bounced and tumbled. He -rolled out of sight. But not for long. It was an intentional trick. He -disappeared in the crevice where Leeger had fallen. When he came up, -the bloody knife was in his hand. I heard Vauna's warning cry. - -I leaped down into the crevice. She was trying to get my coat. She knew -there were explosives in it, if she could only get them into my hands. - -No time for that. Gravgak leaped down at me. The knife was rigid from -his hand, coming down with a plunge. I kicked back, floundering against -the tricky walls of the scales, and Gravgak fell down deep where I had -been. I saw it happen. A sight I never expect to see repeated. - -His descent to the base of the scales, where the walls joined, might -have been a harmless fall. Yet who knows how sensitive is the material -of the vast living thing called Kao-Wagwattl? The knife plunged into -deep _Kao flesh_ beneath our feet. The flesh opened. Gravgak -whirled, tried to escape the opening. His arm twisted under him. And -went down. As if something drew it. His back--his whole body, from -hips to shoulders--was caught in the gaping hole that he had seemingly -opened with a plunge of the knife blade. It closed on him. It severed -him. Part of him was gone. Before our eyes there remained his legs, cut -clean away. And his head, and part of one shoulder. - -The rest of him? It would not return to sight. Kao-Wagwattl was a -living thing. When it wished it could devour. - -Many of the tribe came back to this spot to examine what remained of -the traitorous guard. I too observed him closely. I examined his eyes -with a glass. Also the eyes of the murdered Leeger. Neither showed any -traces of eyelashes or eyebrows. - - -12. - -The tribe rode on tranquilly. There would be new legends of -Kao-Wagwattl, after what had occurred. Many were the stories, and I -relayed them to Campbell, at the ship, who faithfully recorded them all. - -There was a tragedy to be added. It could not have been otherwise. For -some months the news of Omosla and her little daughter had been vague. -It was the Benzendella tradition that weddings should not be delayed -for long after the arrival of the first-born child. It was rumored that -this young mother now faced the shame of having been left without a -mate. It was hard to get exact information. Even though Vauna and I had -always sought an understanding between us, some things were not talked -about freely. Deepest, most important truths in new worlds are often -the most elusive. Now I questioned Vauna closely, and I learned of the -tragic end of Omosla. - -"She and her baby are no longer with us," Vauna said quietly. "It -happened one night when the stars seemed very close. They say she had -studied the sky each night, wondering which of the worlds beyond was -the world of Campbell." - -"And then?" - -"Two of her caretakers saw it happen, but they could not stop it. With -the babe in her arms, she walked over the side of Kao-Wagwattl. And -went down. Under." - -Vauna went on to tell me that Tomboldo had urged silence about it. -He would always believe that the girl had lost faith too soon--that -Campbell might have come back when his work was done. Moreover, -Tomboldo felt that it was important to the morale of the tribe that -both Campbell and I be held in high esteem. - -When Vauna finished telling me these things, she said she would ask me -the questions she had been saving for many days. "Did you believe, Jim, -that you would find some other person among us from your world?" - -"I didn't know." - -"If you had found such a person, what would you have believed then?" - -"That he, and not Campbell, was the father of Omosla's child." - -"And what," Vauna asked, "are you going to believe about us when our -child is born?" - - -13. - -We were around on the other side of the planet by now. I estimated that -we had traveled more than seven thousand hours. - -By this time many things had happened. So much that I doubted my -ability to convey all the news to Campbell so that he would get a clear -understanding. I had lain awake nights trying to formulate my message. -If my words failed, I only hoped that my tone of voice would convey my -appreciation. My appreciation of him. Of what he had gone through. Of -what he must yet go through. - -He talked with me quietly through the radio, and I could visualize him -as if I were sitting beside him again in the space ship. - -"Yes, Linden. Go on. I'm listening." - -I told him of the death of Omosla and the child. He was deeply grieved. -It was a long time before he found voice to speak. - -"Go ahead, Linden. I'm listening." - -"I have more news," I said. "But tell me of yourself, Campbell. Have -you gone ahead, playing your lone hand?" - -"I've found my way into the customs of the savages, Linden. They -have their own legends of Kao-Wagwattl. I can predict that in time -the gap can be bridged between them and the Benzendellas. If we work -carefully--men like you, Linden, working from within, and other agents -from EGGWE that are sure to follow. I believe this planet can be spared -the torments of great wars." - -"Yes, Campbell ... and you, personally ... are you well? Are you still -bristling with your usual self-discipline?" - -"In case you have any doubts about the matter," his voice was slightly -caustic, "I haven't broken the Code." - -"In Omosla's case I wish you had," I said. - -"I wish it too," Campbell's voice came back, now in a lowered tone. "I -loved Omosla. I would have been her mate, gladly." - -"But you were, Campbell." - -"Now, don't start that again, Linden, or I'll--" - -"Wait, Campbell, don't cut me off. You must hear all of my news, first. -Most important of all, old Tomboldo has chosen my own son to be his -successor. He'll be groomed for the job all through his childhood, and -I've decided to stay right here, Code or no Code, and see him through." - -"Your _son_?" Campbell's voice was mostly breath. "Who are you -talking about?" - -"Our baby--Vauna's and mine. It's several days old. Doing fine. Has -eyebrows just like mine. Chalk-dust skin like hers." - -Campbell blurted. "Do you mean to tell me that as soon as you and Vauna -boarded the Kao--" - -"The ways of life on this planet are something you and I ought to know -about, Campbell. Listen closely--" - -"Shoot!" - -In words of one syllable I explained, then, what I had at last learned: -that the human beings of this planet were not precisely like those -of the Earth. They were unquestionably related, somewhere back down -through the ages. But Nature had worked a significant change in the -process by which new life could be started. Fertilization in the female -was accomplished by her own action and her own preference. Nature had -equipped her arms-- - -"Arms, did you say?" Campbell fairly shouted through the radio. "Go on." - -I continued. Nature had equipped her arms, I explained, with tiny -thorn-like projections which could penetrate the arms or sides of the -male like needles. By this means she drew blood from his bloodstream. A -very slight transfusion of male blood into the female bloodstream was -the act that accomplished fertilization. - -"You see, Campbell, woman does not bear a child except by her own -premeditated choice," I explained. "You and I were puzzled by the elbow -furs all these women wear. Now you see. It's a natural bit of extra -clothing. The dictates of modesty." - -"Well!" Campbell said. "Then you and I allowed ourselves--" - -"We were simply chosen. Not knowing the score, we were innocent -bystanders--well, more or less innocent--and pitifully ignorant. -Unfortunately for us, these were matters the Benzendellas don't talk -about freely." - -Campbell paused for a moment of confused thinking. "Just a minute, -Captain. I've been observing these savages--home life and all. There's -no lack of normal affections among them, in our own sense of the word. -They're equipped physically, just as we are--plus the arm thorns. They -have the same organs, the same functions--" - -"For purposes of affection, yes. But the arms--that's separate--for -conception." - -"Well I'll be blasted!" Campbell was speechless for a long moment. -Then, "I think I'll go back to Earth." - -I was not surprised at his decision. It was what I expected, what -I would have advised. He had had more than one man's share of this -planet, for one who didn't expect to take root here. But my own life -here was just beginning. - -I had thought it out. My guess was that my long record of service for -the EGGWE could withstand some variation. An application for release -would very likely win an approval, especially in view of my change to -serve the EGGWE purposes even better by becoming a Benzendella. - -When I announced this plan, by radio, to the new Captain Campbell, -formerly known as Split, but now commonly referred to on this planet as -the hero of the Benzendella migration, he said he was not surprised. -"Congratulations, Linden, for knowing what you wanted. Stay aboard that -Kao-Wagwattl. There's a beautiful land waiting for you up ahead." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Serpent River, by Don Wilcox - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SERPENT RIVER *** - -***** This file should be named 50923.txt or 50923.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/2/50923/ - -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 public domain print editions 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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