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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..b2a9e98 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51545 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51545) diff --git a/old/51545-h.zip b/old/51545-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8c7abcb..0000000 --- a/old/51545-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51545-h/51545-h.htm b/old/51545-h/51545-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 420ffd4..0000000 --- a/old/51545-h/51545-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1210 +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 Sweeper of Loray, by Finn O'Donnevan. - </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 Sweeper of Loray, by Finn O'Donnevan - -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 Sweeper of Loray - -Author: Finn O'Donnevan - -Release Date: March 24, 2016 [EBook #51545] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWEEPER OF LORAY *** - - - - -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="382" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>THE SWEEPER OF LORAY</h1> - -<p>By FINN O'DONNEVAN</p> - -<p>Illustrated by GOODMAN</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Magazine April 1959.<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"><i>You wish a universal panacea? A simple<br /> -boon to grant—first decide what part of<br /> -you it is that you wish to have survive!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Absolutely impossible," declared Professor Carver.</p> - -<p>"But I saw it," said Fred, his companion and bodyguard. "Late last -night, I saw it! They carried in this hunter—he had his head half -ripped off—and they—"</p> - -<p>"Wait," Professor Carver said, leaning forward expectantly.</p> - -<p>They had left their spaceship before dawn, in order to witness the -sunrise ceremonies in the village of Loray, upon the planet of the same -name. Sunrise ceremonies, viewed from a proper distance, are often -colorful and can provide a whole chapter for an anthropologist's book; -but Loray, as usual, proved a disappointment.</p> - -<p>Without fanfare, the sun rose, in answers to prayers made to it the -preceding night. Slowly it hoisted its dull red expanse above the -horizon, warming the topmost branches of the great rain-forest that -surrounded the village. And the natives slept on....</p> - -<p>Not <i>all</i> the natives. Already the Sweeper was out, cleaning the -debris between huts with his twig broom. He slowly shuffled along, -human-shaped but unutterably alien. The Sweeper's face was a stylized -blank, as though nature had drawn there a preliminary sketch of -intelligent life. His head was strangely knobbed and his skin was -pigmented a dirty gray.</p> - -<p>The Sweeper sang to himself as he swept, in a thick, guttural voice. In -only one way was the Sweeper distinguishable from his fellow Lorayans: -painted across his face was a broad black band. This was his mark of -station, the lowest possible station in that primitive society.</p> - -<p>"Now then," Professor Carver said, after the sun had arisen without -incident, "a phenomenon such as you describe could not exist. And it -most especially could not exist upon a debased, scrubby little planet -like this."</p> - -<p>"I saw what I saw," Fred maintained. "I don't know from impossible, -Professor. I saw it. You want to pass it up, that's up to you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He leaned against the gnarly bole of a stabicus tree, folded his arms -across his meager chest and glowered at the thatch-roofed village. They -had been on Loray for nearly two months and Fred detested the village -more each day.</p> - -<p>He was an underweight, unlovely young man and he wore his hair in a -bristling crewcut which accentuated the narrowness of his brow. He -had accompanied the professor for close to ten years, had journeyed -with him to dozens of planets, and had seen many strange and wonderful -things. Everything he saw, however, only increased his contempt for -the Galaxy at large. He desired only to return, wealthy and famous, or -wealthy and unknown, to his home in Bayonne, New Jersey.</p> - -<p>"This thing could make us rich," Fred accused. "And <i>you</i> want to pass -it up."</p> - -<p>Professor Carver pursed his lips thoughtfully. Wealth was a pleasant -thought, of course. But the professor didn't want to interrupt his -important scientific work to engage in a wild goose chase. He was -now completing his great book, the book that would fully amplify and -document the thesis that he had put forth in his first paper, <i>Color -Blindness Among the Thang Peoples</i>. He had expanded the thesis in his -book, <i>Lack of Coordination in the Drang Race</i>. He had generalized it -in his monumental <i>Intelligence Deficiencies Around the Galaxy</i>, -in which he proved conclusively that intelligence among Non-Terrans -decreases arithmetically as their planet's distance from Terra -increases geometrically.</p> - -<p>Now the thesis had come to full flower in Carver's most recent work, -his unifying effort, which was to be titled <i>Underlying Causes of the -Implicit Inferiority of Non-Terran Peoples</i>.</p> - -<p>"If you're right—" Carver said.</p> - -<p>"Look!" Fred cried. "They're bringing in another! See for yourself!"</p> - -<p>Professor Carver hesitated. He was a portly, impressive, red-jowled -man, given to slow and deliberate movement. He was dressed in a -tropical explorer's uniform, although Loray was in a temperate zone. He -carried a leather swagger stick, and strapped to his waist was a large -revolver, a twin to the one Fred wore.</p> - -<p>"If you're right," Carver said slowly, "it would indeed be, so to -speak, a feather in the cap."</p> - -<p>"Come on!" said Fred.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Four srag hunters were carrying a wounded companion to the medicine -hut, and Carver and Fred fell in beside them. The hunters were visibly -exhausted; they must have trekked for days to bring their friend to the -village, for the srag hunts ranged deep into the rain-forest.</p> - -<p>"Looks done for, huh?" Fred whispered.</p> - -<p>Professor Carver nodded. Last month he had photographed a srag, from -a vantage point very high in a very tall, stout tree. He knew it for -a large, ill-tempered, quick-moving beast, with a dismaying array of -claws, teeth and horns. It was also the only non-taboo meat-bearing -animal on the planet. The natives had to kill srags or starve.</p> - -<p>But the wounded man had not been quick enough with spear and shield, -and the srag had opened him from throat to pelvis. The hunter had bled -copiously, even though the wound had been hastily bound with dried -grasses. Mercifully, he was unconscious.</p> - -<p>"That chap hasn't a chance," Carver remarked. "It's a miracle he's -stayed alive this long. Shock alone, to say nothing of the depth and -extent of the wound—"</p> - -<p>"You'll see," Fred said.</p> - -<p>The village had suddenly come awake. Men and women, gray-skinned, -knobby-headed, looked silently as the hunters marched toward the -medicine hut. The Sweeper paused to watch. The village's only child -stood before his parents' hut, and, thumb in mouth, stared at the -procession. Deg, the medicine man, came out to meet the hunters, -already wearing his ceremonial mask. The healing dancers assembled, -quickly putting on their makeup.</p> - -<p>"Think you can fix him, Doc?" Fred asked.</p> - -<p>"One may hope," Deg replied piously.</p> - -<p>They entered the dimly lighted medicine hut. The wounded Lorayan was -laid tenderly upon a pallet of grasses and the dancers began to perform -before him. Deg started a solemn chant.</p> - -<p>"That'll never do it," Professor Carver pointed out to Fred, with the -interested air of a man watching a steam shovel in operation. "Too late -for faith healing. Listen to his breathing. Shallower, don't you think?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely," Fred said.</p> - -<p>Deg finished his chant and bent over the wounded hunter. The Lorayan's -breathing was labored. It slowed, hesitated....</p> - -<p>"It is time!" cried the medicine man. He took a small wooden tube out -of his pouch, uncorked it, and held it to the dying man's lips. The -hunter drank. And then—</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="373" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Carver blinked, and Fred grinned triumphantly. The hunter's breathing -was becoming stronger. As they watched, the great gash became a line of -scar tissue, then a thin pink mark, then an almost invisible white line.</p> - -<p>The hunter sat up, scratched his head, grinned foolishly and asked for -something to drink, preferably intoxicating.</p> - -<p>Deg declared a festival on the spot.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Carver and Fred moved to the edge of the rain-forest for a conference. -The professor walked like a man in a dream. His pendulous lower lip was -thrust out and occasionally he shook his head.</p> - -<p>"How about it?" Fred asked.</p> - -<p>"It shouldn't be possible," said Carver dazedly. "No substance in -nature should react like that. And you saw it work last night also?"</p> - -<p>"Damned well right," Fred said. "They brought in this hunter—he had -his head pulled half off. He swallowed some of that stuff and healed -right before my eyes."</p> - -<p>"Man's age-old dream," Carver mused. "A universal panacea!"</p> - -<p>"We could get any price for stuff like that," Fred said.</p> - -<p>"Yes, we could—as well as performing a duty to science," Professor -Carver reminded him sternly. "Yes, Fred, I think we should obtain some -of that substance."</p> - -<p>They turned and, with firm strides, marched back to the village.</p> - -<p>Dances were in progress, given by various members of the beast cults. -At the moment, the Sathgohani, a cult representing a medium-sized -deerlike animal, were performing. They could be recognized by the three -red dots on their foreheads. Waiting their turn were the men of the -Dresfeyxi and the Taganyes, cults representing other forest animals. -The beasts adopted by the cults were taboo and there was an absolute -injunction against their slaughter. Carver had been unable to discover -the rationale behind this rule. The Lorayans refused to speak of it.</p> - -<p>Deg, the medicine man, had removed his ceremonial mask. He was seated -in front of his hut, watching the dancing. He arose when the Earthmen -approached him.</p> - -<p>"Peace!" he said.</p> - -<p>"Sure," said Fred. "Nice job you did this morning."</p> - -<p>Deg smiled modestly. "The gods answered our prayers."</p> - -<p>"The gods?" said Carver. "It looked as though the serum did most of the -work."</p> - -<p>"Serum? Oh, the sersee juice!" Deg made a ceremonial gesture as he -mentioned the name. "Yes, the sersee juice is the mother of the Lorayan -people."</p> - -<p>"We'd like to buy some," Fred said bluntly, ignoring Professor Carver's -disapproving frown. "What would you take for a gallon?"</p> - -<p>"I am sorry," Deg said.</p> - -<p>"How about some nice beads? Mirrors? Or maybe a couple of steel knives?"</p> - -<p>"It cannot be done," the medicine man asserted. "The sersee juice is -sacred. It must be used only for holy healing."</p> - -<p>"Don't hand me that," Fred said, a flush mounting his sallow cheek. -"You gooks think you can—"</p> - -<p>"We quite understand," Carver broke in smoothly. "We know about sacred -things. Sacred things are sacred. They are not to be touched by -profane hands."</p> - -<p>"Are you crazy?" Fred whispered in English.</p> - -<p>"You are a wise man," Deg said gravely. "You understand why I must -refuse you."</p> - -<p>"Of course. But it happens, Deg, I am a medicine man in my own country."</p> - -<p>"Ah? I did not know this!"</p> - -<p>"It is so. As a matter of fact, in my particular line, I am the highest -medicine man."</p> - -<p>"Then you must be a very holy man," Deg said, bowing his head.</p> - -<p>"Man, he's holy!" Fred put in emphatically. "Holiest man you'll ever -see around here."</p> - -<p>"Please, Fred," Carver said, blinking modestly. He said to the medicine -man, "It's true, although I don't like to hear about it. Under the -circumstances, however, you can see that it would not be wrong to give -me some sersee juice. On the contrary, it is your priestly duty to give -me some."</p> - -<p>The medicine man pondered for a long time while contrary emotions -passed just barely perceptibly over his almost blank face. At last he -said, "It may be so. Unfortunately, I cannot do what you require."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Because there is so little sersee juice, so terribly little. There is -hardly enough for the village."</p> - -<p>Deg smiled sadly and walked away.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Life in the village continued its simple, invariant way. The Sweeper -moved slowly along, cleaning with his twig broom. The hunters trekked -out in search of srags. The women of the village prepared food and -looked after the village's one child. The priests and dancers prayed -nightly for the sun to rise in the morning. Everyone was satisfied, in -a humble, submissive fashion.</p> - -<p>Everyone except the Earthmen.</p> - -<p>They had more talks with Deg and slowly learned the complete story of -the sersee juice and the troubles surrounding it.</p> - -<p>The sersee bush was a small and sickly affair. It did not flourish in -a state of nature. Yet it resisted cultivation and positively defied -transplantation. The best one could do was to weed thoroughly around it -and hope it would blossom. But most sersee bushes struggled for a year -or two, then gave up the ghost. A few blossomed, and a few out of the -few lived long enough to produce their characteristic red berries.</p> - -<p>From the berry of the sersee bush was squeezed the elixir that meant -life to the people of Loray.</p> - -<p>"And you must remember," Deg pointed out, "how sparsely the sersee -grows and how widely scattered it is. We must search for months, -sometimes, to find a single bush with berries. And those berries will -save the life of only a single Lorayan, or perhaps two at the most."</p> - -<p>"Sad, very sad," Carver said. "But surely some form of intensive -fertilization—"</p> - -<p>"Everything has been tried."</p> - -<p>"I realize," Carver said earnestly, "how important the sersee juice is -to you. But if you could give us a little—even a pint or two—we could -take it to Earth, have it examined, synthesized, perhaps. Then you -could have all you need."</p> - -<p>"But we dare not give any. Have you noticed how few children we have?"</p> - -<p>Carver nodded.</p> - -<p>"There are very few births. Our life is a constant struggle against -the obliteration of our race. Every man's life must be preserved until -there is a child to replace him. And this can be done only by our -constant and never-ending search for the sersee berries. And there are -never enough," the medicine man sighed. "Never enough."</p> - -<p>"Does the juice cure <i>everything</i>?" Fred asked.</p> - -<p>"It does more than that. Those who have tasted sersee add fifty of our -years to their lives."</p> - -<p>Carver opened his eyes wide. Fifty years on Loray was roughly the -equivalent of sixty-three on Earth.</p> - -<p>The sersee was more than a healing agent, more than a regenerator. It -was a longevity drug as well.</p> - -<p>He paused to consider the prospect of adding another sixty years to his -lifetime. Then he asked, "What happens if a man takes sersee again -after the fifty years?"</p> - -<p>"We do not know," Deg told him. "No man would take it a second time -while there is not enough."</p> - -<p>Carver and Fred exchanged glances.</p> - -<p>"Now listen to me carefully, Deg," Professor Carver said. He spoke of -the sacred duties of science. Science, he told the medicine man, was -above race, above creed, above religion. The advancement of science -was above life itself. What did it matter, after all, if a few more -Lorayans died? They would die eventually anyhow. The important thing -was for Terran science to have a sample of sersee.</p> - -<p>"It may be as you say," Deg said. "But my choice is clear. As a priest -of the Sunniheriat religion, I have a sacred trust to preserve the -lives of my people. I cannot go against this trust."</p> - -<p>He turned and walked off. The Earthmen frustratedly returned to their -spaceship.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>After coffee, Professor Carver opened a drawer and took out the -manuscript of <i>Underlying Causes for the Implicit Inferiority of -Non-Terran Races</i>. Lovingly he read over the last chapter, the chapter -that dealt with the specialized inferiorities of the Lorayan people. -Then he put the manuscript away.</p> - -<p>"Almost finished, Fred," he told his assistant. "Another week's work, -two weeks at the most!"</p> - -<p>"Um," Fred replied, staring at the village through a porthole.</p> - -<p>"This will do it," Carver said. "This book will prove, once and for -all, the natural superiority of Terrans. We have proven it by force of -arms, Fred, and we have proven it by our technology. Now it is proven -by the impersonal processes of logic."</p> - -<p>Fred nodded. He knew the professor was quoting from the book's -introduction.</p> - -<p>"Nothing must interfere with the great work," Carver said. "You agree -with that, don't you?"</p> - -<p>"Sure," Fred said absent-mindedly. "The book comes first. Put the gooks -in their place."</p> - -<p>"Well, I didn't exactly mean that. But you know what I mean. Under the -circumstances, perhaps we should forget about sersee. Perhaps we should -just finish the job we started."</p> - -<p>Fred turned and faced his employer. "Professor, how much do you expect -to make out of this book?"</p> - -<p>"Hm? Well, the last did quite well, you will remember. This book should -do even better. Ten, perhaps twenty thousand dollars!" He permitted -himself a small smile. "I am fortunate, you see, in my subject matter. -The general public of Earth seems to be rather interested in it, which -is gratifying for a scientist."</p> - -<p>"Say you even make fifty thousand. Chicken feed! Do you know what we -could make on a test tube of sersee?"</p> - -<p>"A hundred thousand?" Carver said vaguely.</p> - -<p>"Are you kidding? Suppose a rich guy was dying and we had the only -thing to cure him. He'd give everything he owned! Millions!"</p> - -<p>"I believe you're right," Carver agreed. "And it <i>would</i> be a valuable -scientific advancement.... But the medicine man unfortunately won't -give us any."</p> - -<p>"Buying isn't the only way." Fred unholstered his revolver and checked -the chambers.</p> - -<p>"I see, I see," Carver said, his red face turning slightly pale. "But -have we the right?"</p> - -<p>"What do <i>you</i> think?"</p> - -<p>"Well, they <i>are</i> inferior. I believe I have proven that conclusively. -You might indeed say that their lives don't weigh heavily in the scheme -of things. Hm, yes—yes, Fred, we could save Terran lives with this!"</p> - -<p>"We could save our own lives," Fred said. "Who wants to punk out ahead -of time?"</p> - -<p>Carver stood up and determinedly loosened his gun in its holster. -"Remember," he told Fred, "we are doing this in the name of science, -and for Earth."</p> - -<p>"Absolutely, Professor," Fred said, moving toward the port, grinning.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They found Deg near the medicine hut. Carver said, without preamble, -"We must have some sersee."</p> - -<p>"But I explained to you," said the medicine man. "I told you why it was -impossible."</p> - -<p>"We gotta have it," Fred said. He pulled his revolver from its holster -and looked ferociously at Deg.</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"You think I'm kidding?" Fred asked. "You know what this weapon can do?"</p> - -<p>"I have seen you use it."</p> - -<p>"Maybe you think I won't use it on you."</p> - -<p>"I do not care. You can have no sersee."</p> - -<p>"I'll shoot," Fred warned, his voice rising angrily. "I swear to you, -I'll shoot."</p> - -<p>The villagers of Loray slowly gathered behind their medicine man. -Gray-skinned, knobby-headed, they moved silently into position, the -hunters carrying their spears, other villagers armed with knives and -stones.</p> - -<p>"You cannot have the sersee," Deg said.</p> - -<p>Fred slowly leveled the revolver.</p> - -<p>"Now, Fred," said Carver, "there's an awful lot of them. Do you really -think—"</p> - -<p>Fred's thin body tightened and his finger grew taut and white on the -trigger. Carver closed his eyes.</p> - -<p>There was a moment of dead silence. Then the revolver exploded. Carver -warily opened his eyes.</p> - -<p>The medicine man was still erect, although his knees were shaking. -Fred was pulling back the hammer of the revolver. The villagers had -made no sound. It was a moment before Carver could figure out what had -happened. At last he saw the Sweeper.</p> - -<p>The Sweeper lay on his face, his outstretched left hand still clutching -his twig broom, his legs twitching feebly. Blood welled from the hole -Fred had neatly drilled through his forehead.</p> - -<p>Deg bent over the Sweeper, then straightened. "He is dead," the -medicine man said.</p> - -<p>"That's just the first," Fred warned, taking aim at a hunter.</p> - -<p>"No!" cried Deg.</p> - -<p>Fred looked at him with raised eyebrows.</p> - -<p>"I will give it to you," Deg said. "I will give you all our sersee -juice. Then you must go!"</p> - -<p>He ran into the medicine hut and reappeared a moment later with three -wooden tubes, which he thrust into Fred's hands.</p> - -<p>"We're in business, Professor," Fred said. "Let's get moving!"</p> - -<p>They walked past the silent villagers, toward their spaceship. -Something bright flashed in the sunlight. Fred yipped and dropped his -revolver. Professor Carver hastily scooped it up.</p> - -<p>"One of those gooks cut me," Fred said. "Give me the revolver!"</p> - -<p>A spear arced high and buried itself at their feet.</p> - -<p>"Too many of them," said Carver. "Let's run for it!"</p> - -<p>They sprinted to their ship with spears and knives singing around them, -reached it safely and bolted the port.</p> - -<p>"Too close," Carver said, panting for breath, leaning against the -dogged port. "Have you got the serum?"</p> - -<p>"I got it," said Fred, rubbing his arm. "Damn!"</p> - -<p>"What's wrong?"</p> - -<p>"My arm. It feels numb."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Carver examined the wound, pursed his lips thoughtfully, but made no -comment.</p> - -<p>"It's numb," Fred said. "I wonder if they poison those spears."</p> - -<p>"It's quite possible," Professor Carver admitted.</p> - -<p>"They did!" Fred shouted. "Look, the cut is changing color already!"</p> - -<p>The edges of the wound had a blackened, septic look.</p> - -<p>"Sulfa," Carver said. "Penicillin, too. I wouldn't worry much about it, -Fred. Modern Terran drugs—"</p> - -<p>"—might not even touch this stuff. Open one of those tubes!"</p> - -<p>"But, Fred," Carver objected, "we have so little of it. Besides—"</p> - -<p>"To hell with that," Fred said. He took one of the tubes and uncorked -it with his teeth.</p> - -<p>"Wait, Fred!"</p> - -<p>"Wait, nothing!"</p> - -<p>Fred drained the contents of the tube and flung it down. Carver said -testily, "I was merely going to point out that the serum should be -tested before an Earthman uses it. We don't know how it'll react on a -human. It was for your own good."</p> - -<p>"Sure it was," Fred said mockingly. "Just look at how the stuff is -reacting."</p> - -<p>The blackened wound had turned flesh-colored again and was sealing. -Soon there was a line of white scar tissue. Then even that was gone, -leaving firm pink flesh beneath.</p> - -<p>"Pretty good, huh?" Fred gloated, with a slight touch of hysteria. "It -works, Professor, it works! Drink one yourself, pal, live another sixty -years. Do you suppose we can synthesize this stuff? Worth a million, -worth ten million, worth a billion. And if we can't, there's always -good old Loray. We can drop back every fifty years or so for a refill. -The stuff even tastes good, Professor. Tastes like—what's wrong?"</p> - -<p>Professor Carver was staring at Fred, his eyes wide with astonishment.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" Fred asked, grinning. "Ain't my seams straight? -What you staring at?"</p> - -<p>Carver didn't answer. His mouth trembled. Slowly he backed away.</p> - -<p>"What the hell is wrong!" Fred glared at Carver. Then he ran to the -spaceship's head and looked in the mirror.</p> - -<p>"<i>What's happened to me?</i>"</p> - -<p>Carver tried to speak, but no words came. He watched as Fred's features -slowly altered, smoothed, became blank, rudimentary, as though nature -had drawn there a preliminary sketch of intelligent life. Strange knobs -were coming out on Fred's head. His complexion was changing slowly from -pink to gray.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I told you to wait," Carver sighed.</p> - -<p>"<i>What's happening?</i>" asked Fred in a frightened whimper.</p> - -<p>"Well," Carver said, "it must all be residual in the sersee. The -Lorayan birth-rate is practically nonexistent, you know. Even with the -sersee's healing powers, the race should have died out long ago. Unless -the serum had another purpose as well—the ability to change lower -animal forms into the Lorayan form."</p> - -<p>"That's a wild guess!"</p> - -<p>"A working hypothesis based upon Deg's statement that sersee is the -mother of the Lorayan people. I'm afraid that is the true meaning of -the beast cults and the reason they are taboo. The various beasts must -be the origins of certain portions of the Lorayan people, perhaps -all the Lorayan people. Even the topic is taboo; there clearly is -a deep-seated sense of inferiority about their recent step up from -bestiality."</p> - -<p>Carver rubbed his forehead wearily. "The sersee juice has," he -continued, "we may hazard, a role-sharing in terms of the life of the -race. We may theorize—"</p> - -<p>"To hell with theory," Fred said, and was horrified to find that his -voice had grown thick and guttural, like a Lorayan voice. "Professor, -do something!"</p> - -<p>"There's nothing I can do."</p> - -<p>"Maybe Terran science—"</p> - -<p>"No, Fred," Carver said quietly.</p> - -<p>"<i>What?</i>"</p> - -<p>"Fred, please try to understand. I can't bring you back to Earth."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean? You must be crazy!"</p> - -<p>"Not at all. How can I bring you back with such a fantastic story? They -would consider the whole thing a gigantic hoax."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"Listen to me. No one would believe! They would consider, rather, that -you were an unusually intelligent Lorayan. Your very presence, Fred, -would undermine the whole thesis of my book!"</p> - -<p>"You can't leave me," Fred said. "You just can't do that."</p> - -<p>Professor Carver still had both revolvers. He stuck one in his belt and -leveled the other.</p> - -<p>"I am not going to endanger the work of a lifetime. Get out, Fred."</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>"I mean it. Get out, Fred."</p> - -<p>"I won't! You'll have to shoot me!"</p> - -<p>"I will if I must," Carver assured him. "I'll shoot you and throw you -out."</p> - -<p>He took aim. Fred backed to the port, undogged it, opened it. The -villagers were waiting quietly outside.</p> - -<p>"What will they do to me?"</p> - -<p>"I'm really sorry, Fred," Carver said.</p> - -<p>"I won't go!" Fred shrieked, gripping the edges of the port with both -hands.</p> - -<p>Carver shoved him into the waiting hands of the crowd and threw the -remaining tubes of sersee after him. Then, quickly, not wishing to see -what was going to happen, he sealed the port.</p> - -<p>Within an hour, he was leaving the planet's atmospheric limits.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When he returned to Earth, his book, <i>Underlying Causes of the Implicit -Inferiority of Non-Terran Peoples</i>, was hailed as a milestone in -comparative anthropology. But he ran into some difficulty almost at -once.</p> - -<p>A space captain named Jones returned to Earth and maintained that, -on the planet Loray, he had discovered a native who was in every -significant way the equal of a Terran. And he had tape recordings and -motion pictures to prove it.</p> - -<p>Carver's thesis seemed in doubt for some time, until Carver examined -the evidence for himself. Then he pointed out, with merciless logic, -that the so-called super-Lorayan, this paragon of Loray, this supposed -equal of Terran humanity, occupied the lowest position in the Lorayan -hierarchy, the position of Sweeper, clearly shown by the broad black -stripe across his face.</p> - -<p>The space captain admitted that this was true.</p> - -<p>Why then, Carver thundered, was this Lorayan Superior not able, in -spite of his so-called abilities, to reach any higher position in the -debased society in which he dwelt?</p> - -<p>The question silenced the space captain and his supporters, demolished -the entire school, as a matter of fact. And the Carverian Doctrine of -the Implicit Inferiority of Non-Terrans is now accepted by reasoning -Terrans everywhere in the Galaxy.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Sweeper of Loray, by Finn O'Donnevan - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWEEPER OF LORAY *** - -***** This file should be named 51545-h.htm or 51545-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/5/4/51545/ - -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 Sweeper of Loray - -Author: Finn O'Donnevan - -Release Date: March 24, 2016 [EBook #51545] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWEEPER OF LORAY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE SWEEPER OF LORAY - - By FINN O'DONNEVAN - - Illustrated by GOODMAN - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine April 1959. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - You wish a universal panacea? A simple - boon to grant--first decide what part of - you it is that you wish to have survive! - - -"Absolutely impossible," declared Professor Carver. - -"But I saw it," said Fred, his companion and bodyguard. "Late last -night, I saw it! They carried in this hunter--he had his head half -ripped off--and they--" - -"Wait," Professor Carver said, leaning forward expectantly. - -They had left their spaceship before dawn, in order to witness the -sunrise ceremonies in the village of Loray, upon the planet of the same -name. Sunrise ceremonies, viewed from a proper distance, are often -colorful and can provide a whole chapter for an anthropologist's book; -but Loray, as usual, proved a disappointment. - -Without fanfare, the sun rose, in answers to prayers made to it the -preceding night. Slowly it hoisted its dull red expanse above the -horizon, warming the topmost branches of the great rain-forest that -surrounded the village. And the natives slept on.... - -Not _all_ the natives. Already the Sweeper was out, cleaning the -debris between huts with his twig broom. He slowly shuffled along, -human-shaped but unutterably alien. The Sweeper's face was a stylized -blank, as though nature had drawn there a preliminary sketch of -intelligent life. His head was strangely knobbed and his skin was -pigmented a dirty gray. - -The Sweeper sang to himself as he swept, in a thick, guttural voice. In -only one way was the Sweeper distinguishable from his fellow Lorayans: -painted across his face was a broad black band. This was his mark of -station, the lowest possible station in that primitive society. - -"Now then," Professor Carver said, after the sun had arisen without -incident, "a phenomenon such as you describe could not exist. And it -most especially could not exist upon a debased, scrubby little planet -like this." - -"I saw what I saw," Fred maintained. "I don't know from impossible, -Professor. I saw it. You want to pass it up, that's up to you." - - * * * * * - -He leaned against the gnarly bole of a stabicus tree, folded his arms -across his meager chest and glowered at the thatch-roofed village. They -had been on Loray for nearly two months and Fred detested the village -more each day. - -He was an underweight, unlovely young man and he wore his hair in a -bristling crewcut which accentuated the narrowness of his brow. He -had accompanied the professor for close to ten years, had journeyed -with him to dozens of planets, and had seen many strange and wonderful -things. Everything he saw, however, only increased his contempt for -the Galaxy at large. He desired only to return, wealthy and famous, or -wealthy and unknown, to his home in Bayonne, New Jersey. - -"This thing could make us rich," Fred accused. "And _you_ want to pass -it up." - -Professor Carver pursed his lips thoughtfully. Wealth was a pleasant -thought, of course. But the professor didn't want to interrupt his -important scientific work to engage in a wild goose chase. He was -now completing his great book, the book that would fully amplify and -document the thesis that he had put forth in his first paper, _Color -Blindness Among the Thang Peoples_. He had expanded the thesis in his -book, _Lack of Coordination in the Drang Race_. He had generalized it -in his monumental _Intelligence Deficiencies Around the Galaxy_, -in which he proved conclusively that intelligence among Non-Terrans -decreases arithmetically as their planet's distance from Terra -increases geometrically. - -Now the thesis had come to full flower in Carver's most recent work, -his unifying effort, which was to be titled _Underlying Causes of the -Implicit Inferiority of Non-Terran Peoples_. - -"If you're right--" Carver said. - -"Look!" Fred cried. "They're bringing in another! See for yourself!" - -Professor Carver hesitated. He was a portly, impressive, red-jowled -man, given to slow and deliberate movement. He was dressed in a -tropical explorer's uniform, although Loray was in a temperate zone. He -carried a leather swagger stick, and strapped to his waist was a large -revolver, a twin to the one Fred wore. - -"If you're right," Carver said slowly, "it would indeed be, so to -speak, a feather in the cap." - -"Come on!" said Fred. - - * * * * * - -Four srag hunters were carrying a wounded companion to the medicine -hut, and Carver and Fred fell in beside them. The hunters were visibly -exhausted; they must have trekked for days to bring their friend to the -village, for the srag hunts ranged deep into the rain-forest. - -"Looks done for, huh?" Fred whispered. - -Professor Carver nodded. Last month he had photographed a srag, from -a vantage point very high in a very tall, stout tree. He knew it for -a large, ill-tempered, quick-moving beast, with a dismaying array of -claws, teeth and horns. It was also the only non-taboo meat-bearing -animal on the planet. The natives had to kill srags or starve. - -But the wounded man had not been quick enough with spear and shield, -and the srag had opened him from throat to pelvis. The hunter had bled -copiously, even though the wound had been hastily bound with dried -grasses. Mercifully, he was unconscious. - -"That chap hasn't a chance," Carver remarked. "It's a miracle he's -stayed alive this long. Shock alone, to say nothing of the depth and -extent of the wound--" - -"You'll see," Fred said. - -The village had suddenly come awake. Men and women, gray-skinned, -knobby-headed, looked silently as the hunters marched toward the -medicine hut. The Sweeper paused to watch. The village's only child -stood before his parents' hut, and, thumb in mouth, stared at the -procession. Deg, the medicine man, came out to meet the hunters, -already wearing his ceremonial mask. The healing dancers assembled, -quickly putting on their makeup. - -"Think you can fix him, Doc?" Fred asked. - -"One may hope," Deg replied piously. - -They entered the dimly lighted medicine hut. The wounded Lorayan was -laid tenderly upon a pallet of grasses and the dancers began to perform -before him. Deg started a solemn chant. - -"That'll never do it," Professor Carver pointed out to Fred, with the -interested air of a man watching a steam shovel in operation. "Too late -for faith healing. Listen to his breathing. Shallower, don't you think?" - -"Absolutely," Fred said. - -Deg finished his chant and bent over the wounded hunter. The Lorayan's -breathing was labored. It slowed, hesitated.... - -"It is time!" cried the medicine man. He took a small wooden tube out -of his pouch, uncorked it, and held it to the dying man's lips. The -hunter drank. And then-- - -Carver blinked, and Fred grinned triumphantly. The hunter's breathing -was becoming stronger. As they watched, the great gash became a line of -scar tissue, then a thin pink mark, then an almost invisible white line. - -The hunter sat up, scratched his head, grinned foolishly and asked for -something to drink, preferably intoxicating. - -Deg declared a festival on the spot. - - * * * * * - -Carver and Fred moved to the edge of the rain-forest for a conference. -The professor walked like a man in a dream. His pendulous lower lip was -thrust out and occasionally he shook his head. - -"How about it?" Fred asked. - -"It shouldn't be possible," said Carver dazedly. "No substance in -nature should react like that. And you saw it work last night also?" - -"Damned well right," Fred said. "They brought in this hunter--he had -his head pulled half off. He swallowed some of that stuff and healed -right before my eyes." - -"Man's age-old dream," Carver mused. "A universal panacea!" - -"We could get any price for stuff like that," Fred said. - -"Yes, we could--as well as performing a duty to science," Professor -Carver reminded him sternly. "Yes, Fred, I think we should obtain some -of that substance." - -They turned and, with firm strides, marched back to the village. - -Dances were in progress, given by various members of the beast cults. -At the moment, the Sathgohani, a cult representing a medium-sized -deerlike animal, were performing. They could be recognized by the three -red dots on their foreheads. Waiting their turn were the men of the -Dresfeyxi and the Taganyes, cults representing other forest animals. -The beasts adopted by the cults were taboo and there was an absolute -injunction against their slaughter. Carver had been unable to discover -the rationale behind this rule. The Lorayans refused to speak of it. - -Deg, the medicine man, had removed his ceremonial mask. He was seated -in front of his hut, watching the dancing. He arose when the Earthmen -approached him. - -"Peace!" he said. - -"Sure," said Fred. "Nice job you did this morning." - -Deg smiled modestly. "The gods answered our prayers." - -"The gods?" said Carver. "It looked as though the serum did most of the -work." - -"Serum? Oh, the sersee juice!" Deg made a ceremonial gesture as he -mentioned the name. "Yes, the sersee juice is the mother of the Lorayan -people." - -"We'd like to buy some," Fred said bluntly, ignoring Professor Carver's -disapproving frown. "What would you take for a gallon?" - -"I am sorry," Deg said. - -"How about some nice beads? Mirrors? Or maybe a couple of steel knives?" - -"It cannot be done," the medicine man asserted. "The sersee juice is -sacred. It must be used only for holy healing." - -"Don't hand me that," Fred said, a flush mounting his sallow cheek. -"You gooks think you can--" - -"We quite understand," Carver broke in smoothly. "We know about sacred -things. Sacred things are sacred. They are not to be touched by -profane hands." - -"Are you crazy?" Fred whispered in English. - -"You are a wise man," Deg said gravely. "You understand why I must -refuse you." - -"Of course. But it happens, Deg, I am a medicine man in my own country." - -"Ah? I did not know this!" - -"It is so. As a matter of fact, in my particular line, I am the highest -medicine man." - -"Then you must be a very holy man," Deg said, bowing his head. - -"Man, he's holy!" Fred put in emphatically. "Holiest man you'll ever -see around here." - -"Please, Fred," Carver said, blinking modestly. He said to the medicine -man, "It's true, although I don't like to hear about it. Under the -circumstances, however, you can see that it would not be wrong to give -me some sersee juice. On the contrary, it is your priestly duty to give -me some." - -The medicine man pondered for a long time while contrary emotions -passed just barely perceptibly over his almost blank face. At last he -said, "It may be so. Unfortunately, I cannot do what you require." - -"Why not?" - -"Because there is so little sersee juice, so terribly little. There is -hardly enough for the village." - -Deg smiled sadly and walked away. - - * * * * * - -Life in the village continued its simple, invariant way. The Sweeper -moved slowly along, cleaning with his twig broom. The hunters trekked -out in search of srags. The women of the village prepared food and -looked after the village's one child. The priests and dancers prayed -nightly for the sun to rise in the morning. Everyone was satisfied, in -a humble, submissive fashion. - -Everyone except the Earthmen. - -They had more talks with Deg and slowly learned the complete story of -the sersee juice and the troubles surrounding it. - -The sersee bush was a small and sickly affair. It did not flourish in -a state of nature. Yet it resisted cultivation and positively defied -transplantation. The best one could do was to weed thoroughly around it -and hope it would blossom. But most sersee bushes struggled for a year -or two, then gave up the ghost. A few blossomed, and a few out of the -few lived long enough to produce their characteristic red berries. - -From the berry of the sersee bush was squeezed the elixir that meant -life to the people of Loray. - -"And you must remember," Deg pointed out, "how sparsely the sersee -grows and how widely scattered it is. We must search for months, -sometimes, to find a single bush with berries. And those berries will -save the life of only a single Lorayan, or perhaps two at the most." - -"Sad, very sad," Carver said. "But surely some form of intensive -fertilization--" - -"Everything has been tried." - -"I realize," Carver said earnestly, "how important the sersee juice is -to you. But if you could give us a little--even a pint or two--we could -take it to Earth, have it examined, synthesized, perhaps. Then you -could have all you need." - -"But we dare not give any. Have you noticed how few children we have?" - -Carver nodded. - -"There are very few births. Our life is a constant struggle against -the obliteration of our race. Every man's life must be preserved until -there is a child to replace him. And this can be done only by our -constant and never-ending search for the sersee berries. And there are -never enough," the medicine man sighed. "Never enough." - -"Does the juice cure _everything_?" Fred asked. - -"It does more than that. Those who have tasted sersee add fifty of our -years to their lives." - -Carver opened his eyes wide. Fifty years on Loray was roughly the -equivalent of sixty-three on Earth. - -The sersee was more than a healing agent, more than a regenerator. It -was a longevity drug as well. - -He paused to consider the prospect of adding another sixty years to his -lifetime. Then he asked, "What happens if a man takes sersee again -after the fifty years?" - -"We do not know," Deg told him. "No man would take it a second time -while there is not enough." - -Carver and Fred exchanged glances. - -"Now listen to me carefully, Deg," Professor Carver said. He spoke of -the sacred duties of science. Science, he told the medicine man, was -above race, above creed, above religion. The advancement of science -was above life itself. What did it matter, after all, if a few more -Lorayans died? They would die eventually anyhow. The important thing -was for Terran science to have a sample of sersee. - -"It may be as you say," Deg said. "But my choice is clear. As a priest -of the Sunniheriat religion, I have a sacred trust to preserve the -lives of my people. I cannot go against this trust." - -He turned and walked off. The Earthmen frustratedly returned to their -spaceship. - - * * * * * - -After coffee, Professor Carver opened a drawer and took out the -manuscript of _Underlying Causes for the Implicit Inferiority of -Non-Terran Races_. Lovingly he read over the last chapter, the chapter -that dealt with the specialized inferiorities of the Lorayan people. -Then he put the manuscript away. - -"Almost finished, Fred," he told his assistant. "Another week's work, -two weeks at the most!" - -"Um," Fred replied, staring at the village through a porthole. - -"This will do it," Carver said. "This book will prove, once and for -all, the natural superiority of Terrans. We have proven it by force of -arms, Fred, and we have proven it by our technology. Now it is proven -by the impersonal processes of logic." - -Fred nodded. He knew the professor was quoting from the book's -introduction. - -"Nothing must interfere with the great work," Carver said. "You agree -with that, don't you?" - -"Sure," Fred said absent-mindedly. "The book comes first. Put the gooks -in their place." - -"Well, I didn't exactly mean that. But you know what I mean. Under the -circumstances, perhaps we should forget about sersee. Perhaps we should -just finish the job we started." - -Fred turned and faced his employer. "Professor, how much do you expect -to make out of this book?" - -"Hm? Well, the last did quite well, you will remember. This book should -do even better. Ten, perhaps twenty thousand dollars!" He permitted -himself a small smile. "I am fortunate, you see, in my subject matter. -The general public of Earth seems to be rather interested in it, which -is gratifying for a scientist." - -"Say you even make fifty thousand. Chicken feed! Do you know what we -could make on a test tube of sersee?" - -"A hundred thousand?" Carver said vaguely. - -"Are you kidding? Suppose a rich guy was dying and we had the only -thing to cure him. He'd give everything he owned! Millions!" - -"I believe you're right," Carver agreed. "And it _would_ be a valuable -scientific advancement.... But the medicine man unfortunately won't -give us any." - -"Buying isn't the only way." Fred unholstered his revolver and checked -the chambers. - -"I see, I see," Carver said, his red face turning slightly pale. "But -have we the right?" - -"What do _you_ think?" - -"Well, they _are_ inferior. I believe I have proven that conclusively. -You might indeed say that their lives don't weigh heavily in the scheme -of things. Hm, yes--yes, Fred, we could save Terran lives with this!" - -"We could save our own lives," Fred said. "Who wants to punk out ahead -of time?" - -Carver stood up and determinedly loosened his gun in its holster. -"Remember," he told Fred, "we are doing this in the name of science, -and for Earth." - -"Absolutely, Professor," Fred said, moving toward the port, grinning. - - * * * * * - -They found Deg near the medicine hut. Carver said, without preamble, -"We must have some sersee." - -"But I explained to you," said the medicine man. "I told you why it was -impossible." - -"We gotta have it," Fred said. He pulled his revolver from its holster -and looked ferociously at Deg. - -"No." - -"You think I'm kidding?" Fred asked. "You know what this weapon can do?" - -"I have seen you use it." - -"Maybe you think I won't use it on you." - -"I do not care. You can have no sersee." - -"I'll shoot," Fred warned, his voice rising angrily. "I swear to you, -I'll shoot." - -The villagers of Loray slowly gathered behind their medicine man. -Gray-skinned, knobby-headed, they moved silently into position, the -hunters carrying their spears, other villagers armed with knives and -stones. - -"You cannot have the sersee," Deg said. - -Fred slowly leveled the revolver. - -"Now, Fred," said Carver, "there's an awful lot of them. Do you really -think--" - -Fred's thin body tightened and his finger grew taut and white on the -trigger. Carver closed his eyes. - -There was a moment of dead silence. Then the revolver exploded. Carver -warily opened his eyes. - -The medicine man was still erect, although his knees were shaking. -Fred was pulling back the hammer of the revolver. The villagers had -made no sound. It was a moment before Carver could figure out what had -happened. At last he saw the Sweeper. - -The Sweeper lay on his face, his outstretched left hand still clutching -his twig broom, his legs twitching feebly. Blood welled from the hole -Fred had neatly drilled through his forehead. - -Deg bent over the Sweeper, then straightened. "He is dead," the -medicine man said. - -"That's just the first," Fred warned, taking aim at a hunter. - -"No!" cried Deg. - -Fred looked at him with raised eyebrows. - -"I will give it to you," Deg said. "I will give you all our sersee -juice. Then you must go!" - -He ran into the medicine hut and reappeared a moment later with three -wooden tubes, which he thrust into Fred's hands. - -"We're in business, Professor," Fred said. "Let's get moving!" - -They walked past the silent villagers, toward their spaceship. -Something bright flashed in the sunlight. Fred yipped and dropped his -revolver. Professor Carver hastily scooped it up. - -"One of those gooks cut me," Fred said. "Give me the revolver!" - -A spear arced high and buried itself at their feet. - -"Too many of them," said Carver. "Let's run for it!" - -They sprinted to their ship with spears and knives singing around them, -reached it safely and bolted the port. - -"Too close," Carver said, panting for breath, leaning against the -dogged port. "Have you got the serum?" - -"I got it," said Fred, rubbing his arm. "Damn!" - -"What's wrong?" - -"My arm. It feels numb." - - * * * * * - -Carver examined the wound, pursed his lips thoughtfully, but made no -comment. - -"It's numb," Fred said. "I wonder if they poison those spears." - -"It's quite possible," Professor Carver admitted. - -"They did!" Fred shouted. "Look, the cut is changing color already!" - -The edges of the wound had a blackened, septic look. - -"Sulfa," Carver said. "Penicillin, too. I wouldn't worry much about it, -Fred. Modern Terran drugs--" - -"--might not even touch this stuff. Open one of those tubes!" - -"But, Fred," Carver objected, "we have so little of it. Besides--" - -"To hell with that," Fred said. He took one of the tubes and uncorked -it with his teeth. - -"Wait, Fred!" - -"Wait, nothing!" - -Fred drained the contents of the tube and flung it down. Carver said -testily, "I was merely going to point out that the serum should be -tested before an Earthman uses it. We don't know how it'll react on a -human. It was for your own good." - -"Sure it was," Fred said mockingly. "Just look at how the stuff is -reacting." - -The blackened wound had turned flesh-colored again and was sealing. -Soon there was a line of white scar tissue. Then even that was gone, -leaving firm pink flesh beneath. - -"Pretty good, huh?" Fred gloated, with a slight touch of hysteria. "It -works, Professor, it works! Drink one yourself, pal, live another sixty -years. Do you suppose we can synthesize this stuff? Worth a million, -worth ten million, worth a billion. And if we can't, there's always -good old Loray. We can drop back every fifty years or so for a refill. -The stuff even tastes good, Professor. Tastes like--what's wrong?" - -Professor Carver was staring at Fred, his eyes wide with astonishment. - -"What's the matter?" Fred asked, grinning. "Ain't my seams straight? -What you staring at?" - -Carver didn't answer. His mouth trembled. Slowly he backed away. - -"What the hell is wrong!" Fred glared at Carver. Then he ran to the -spaceship's head and looked in the mirror. - -"_What's happened to me?_" - -Carver tried to speak, but no words came. He watched as Fred's features -slowly altered, smoothed, became blank, rudimentary, as though nature -had drawn there a preliminary sketch of intelligent life. Strange knobs -were coming out on Fred's head. His complexion was changing slowly from -pink to gray. - - * * * * * - -"I told you to wait," Carver sighed. - -"_What's happening?_" asked Fred in a frightened whimper. - -"Well," Carver said, "it must all be residual in the sersee. The -Lorayan birth-rate is practically nonexistent, you know. Even with the -sersee's healing powers, the race should have died out long ago. Unless -the serum had another purpose as well--the ability to change lower -animal forms into the Lorayan form." - -"That's a wild guess!" - -"A working hypothesis based upon Deg's statement that sersee is the -mother of the Lorayan people. I'm afraid that is the true meaning of -the beast cults and the reason they are taboo. The various beasts must -be the origins of certain portions of the Lorayan people, perhaps -all the Lorayan people. Even the topic is taboo; there clearly is -a deep-seated sense of inferiority about their recent step up from -bestiality." - -Carver rubbed his forehead wearily. "The sersee juice has," he -continued, "we may hazard, a role-sharing in terms of the life of the -race. We may theorize--" - -"To hell with theory," Fred said, and was horrified to find that his -voice had grown thick and guttural, like a Lorayan voice. "Professor, -do something!" - -"There's nothing I can do." - -"Maybe Terran science--" - -"No, Fred," Carver said quietly. - -"_What?_" - -"Fred, please try to understand. I can't bring you back to Earth." - -"What do you mean? You must be crazy!" - -"Not at all. How can I bring you back with such a fantastic story? They -would consider the whole thing a gigantic hoax." - -"But--" - -"Listen to me. No one would believe! They would consider, rather, that -you were an unusually intelligent Lorayan. Your very presence, Fred, -would undermine the whole thesis of my book!" - -"You can't leave me," Fred said. "You just can't do that." - -Professor Carver still had both revolvers. He stuck one in his belt and -leveled the other. - -"I am not going to endanger the work of a lifetime. Get out, Fred." - -"No!" - -"I mean it. Get out, Fred." - -"I won't! You'll have to shoot me!" - -"I will if I must," Carver assured him. "I'll shoot you and throw you -out." - -He took aim. Fred backed to the port, undogged it, opened it. The -villagers were waiting quietly outside. - -"What will they do to me?" - -"I'm really sorry, Fred," Carver said. - -"I won't go!" Fred shrieked, gripping the edges of the port with both -hands. - -Carver shoved him into the waiting hands of the crowd and threw the -remaining tubes of sersee after him. Then, quickly, not wishing to see -what was going to happen, he sealed the port. - -Within an hour, he was leaving the planet's atmospheric limits. - - * * * * * - -When he returned to Earth, his book, _Underlying Causes of the Implicit -Inferiority of Non-Terran Peoples_, was hailed as a milestone in -comparative anthropology. But he ran into some difficulty almost at -once. - -A space captain named Jones returned to Earth and maintained that, -on the planet Loray, he had discovered a native who was in every -significant way the equal of a Terran. And he had tape recordings and -motion pictures to prove it. - -Carver's thesis seemed in doubt for some time, until Carver examined -the evidence for himself. Then he pointed out, with merciless logic, -that the so-called super-Lorayan, this paragon of Loray, this supposed -equal of Terran humanity, occupied the lowest position in the Lorayan -hierarchy, the position of Sweeper, clearly shown by the broad black -stripe across his face. - -The space captain admitted that this was true. - -Why then, Carver thundered, was this Lorayan Superior not able, in -spite of his so-called abilities, to reach any higher position in the -debased society in which he dwelt? - -The question silenced the space captain and his supporters, demolished -the entire school, as a matter of fact. And the Carverian Doctrine of -the Implicit Inferiority of Non-Terrans is now accepted by reasoning -Terrans everywhere in the Galaxy. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Sweeper of Loray, by Finn O'Donnevan - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWEEPER OF LORAY *** - -***** This file should be named 51545.txt or 51545.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/5/4/51545/ - -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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