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| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-27 11:47:35 -0800 |
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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..801793b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60393 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60393) diff --git a/old/60393-h.zip b/old/60393-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d3abc64..0000000 --- a/old/60393-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60393-h/60393-h.htm b/old/60393-h/60393-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 750f99c..0000000 --- a/old/60393-h/60393-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1240 +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 Game Preserve, by Rog Phillips. - </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 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Game Preserve, by Rog Phillips - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Game Preserve - -Author: Rog Phillips - -Release Date: September 30, 2019 [EBook #60393] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GAME PRESERVE *** - - - - -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="345" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>GAME PRESERVE</h1> - -<h2>BY ROG PHILLIPS</h2> - -<p class="ph1"><i>The hunters were necessary, of<br /> -course—but there was the<br /> -other side of the picture too.</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 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" /> - - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p><i>The first of the</i> morons, <i>as they were popularly called, -though they were totally lacking in intelligence, were born in -1971, eleven years after the Mutual Retaliation phase of the -big war-that-no-one-started, the majority of them near the big, -bombed-out cities. By 1973, with the aid of the electron microscope, -the scientists had learned all about it. Parents and offspring were -sterilized and the offspring placed in state institutions. By 1983 -there were too many of them. A new solution to the impossible situation -was tried, large isolated areas in the south where the climate was mild -were made into preserves for them. In the wilds the</i> morons <i>banded -into small herds that showed no inclination to roam. By 1985 no more -of the</i> morons <i>were being born, thanks to the sterilization of all -parents carrying the contaminated gene. It was thought the problem was -permanently solved, through perfect cooperation between science, the -government, and the public. If the contamination had not been weeded -out of the race one fourth of every generation for all the future would -have been without any intelligence whatever.</i></p> - -<p><i>But here and there had been natural births, unattended by a doctor; -and parental love coupled with fear of being sterilized and thus -denied further parenthood had brought into existence a few thousand -unsterilized</i> morons, <i>hidden away in attic rooms or in basements. And -to these parents the Preserves offered the logical solution too—drive -into the nearest Preserve and turn the child loose with its kind. -Thus, a new generation came into being in the scattered herds, and by -2010 A.D. a new problem had come into being. Thanks to impurities in -the</i> moron <i>strain or to wandering renegades—or both—a few normally -intelligent offspring were appearing in the herds. There was danger -of these recontaminating the race, if they left the herds, learned to -speak, wear clothes....</i></p> - -<p><i>In 2010 the government attempted a mass sterilization of the herds -but the herds were too wild by now, and the males too dangerous, so -the sterilization program was abandoned and a new plan substituted. -The government Hunters came into being, small patrol groups whose job -was to pick off the renegades and any members of the herds that were -intelligent.</i></p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Hi-hi-hi!" Big One shouted, and heaved erect with the front end of It.</p> - -<p>"Hi-hi-hi," Fat One and the dozen others echoed more mildly, lifting -wherever they could get a hold on It.</p> - -<p>It was lifted and borne forward in a half crouching trot.</p> - -<p>"Hi-hi hi-hi-hihihi," Elf chanted, running and skipping alongside the -panting men and their massive burden.</p> - -<p>It was carried forward through the lush grass for perhaps fifty feet.</p> - -<p>"Ah-ah-ah," Big One sighed loudly, slowly letting the front end of It -down until it dug into the soft black soil.</p> - -<p>"Ahhh," Fat One and the others sighed, letting go and standing up, -stretching aching back muscles, rubbing cramped hands.</p> - -<p>"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah," Elf sang, running around and in between the -resting men. He came too close to Big One and was sent sprawling by a -quick, good humored push.</p> - -<p>Everyone laughed, Big One laughing the loudest. Then Big One lifted Elf -to his feet and patted him on the back affectionately, a broad grin -forming a toothy gap at the top of his bushy black beard.</p> - -<p>Elf answered the grin with one of his own, and at that moment his ever -present yearning to grow up to be the biggest and the strongest like -Big One flowed through him with new strength.</p> - -<p>Abruptly Big One leaped to the front end of It, shouting "Hi-hi-HI!"</p> - -<p>"Hi-hi-hi," the others echoed, scrambling to their places. Once again -It was borne forward for fifty feet—and again and again, across the -broad meadowland.</p> - -<p>A vast matting of blackberry brambles came into view off to one side. -Big One veered his course toward it. The going was uphill now, so the -forward surges shortened to forty feet, then thirty. By the time they -reached the blackberries they were wet and glossy with sweat.</p> - -<p>It was a healthy patch, loaded with large ripe berries. The men ate -hungrily at first, then more leisurely, pointing to one another's -stained beards and laughing. As they denuded one area they leaped to -It, carried it another ten feet, and started stripping another section, -never getting more than a few feet from It.</p> - -<p>Elf picked his blackberries with first one then another of the men. -When his hunger was satisfied he became mischievous, picking a handful -of berries and squashing them against the back or the chest of the -nearest man and running away, laughing. It was dangerous sport, he -knew, because if one of them caught him he would be tossed into the -brambles.</p> - -<p>Eventually they all had their fill, and thanks to Elf looked as though -they were oozing blackberry juice from every pore. The sun was in its -mid-afternoon position. In the distance a line of white-barked trees -could be seen—evidence of a stream.</p> - -<p>"Hi-hi-hi!" Big One shouted.</p> - -<p>The journey toward the trees began. It was mostly downhill, so the -forward spurts were often as much as a hundred feet.</p> - -<p>Before they could hear the water they could smell it. They grunted -their delight at the smell, a rich fish odor betokening plenty of food. -Intermingled with this odor was the spicy scent of eucalyptus.</p> - -<p>They pushed forward with renewed zeal so that the sweat ran down their -skins, dissolving the berry juices and making rivulets that looked like -purple blood.</p> - -<p>When less than a hundred yards from the stream, which was still hidden -beyond the tall grasses and the trees lining its bank, they heard the -sound of voices, high pitched—women's voices. They became uneasy and -nervous. Their surges forward shortened to ten feet, their rest periods -became longer, they searched worriedly for signs of motion through the -trees.</p> - -<p>They changed their course to arrive a hundred yards downstream from -the source of the women's voices. Soon they reached the edge of the -tree belt. It was more difficult to carry It through the scatterings -of bushes. Too, they would get part way through the trees and run into -trees too close together to get It past them, and have to back out and -try another place. It took almost two hours to work through the trees -to the bank of the stream.</p> - -<p>Only Elf recognized the place they finally broke through as the place -they had left more than two days before. In that respect he knew he -was different, not only from Big One and other grownups, but also all -other Elfs except one, a girl Elf. He had known it as long as he could -remember. He had learned it from many little things. For example, he -had recognized the place when they reached it. Big One and the others -never remembered anything for long. In getting It through the trees -they blundered as they always had, and got through by trial and error -with no memory of past blunderings.</p> - -<p>Elf was different in another way, too. He could make more sounds -than the others. Sometimes he would keep a little It with him until -it gave him a feeling of security almost as strong as the big It, -then wander off alone with It and play with making sounds. "Bz-bz. -Walla-walla-walla-rue-rue-la-lo-hi. Da!" and all kinds of sounds. It -excited him to be able to make different sounds and put them together -so that they pleased his hearing, but such sounds made the others avoid -him and look at him from a safe distance, with worried expressions, so -he had learned not to make <i>different</i> sounds within earshot of the -others.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The women and Elfs were upstream a hundred yards, where they always -remained. From the way they were milling around and acting alarmed it -was evident to Elf they could no more remember the men having been here -a few days before than the men could remember it themselves. It would -be two or three days before they slowly lost their fear of one another. -It would be the women and their Elfs who would cautiously approach, -holding their portable Its clutched for security, until, finally losing -all fear, they would join into one big group for a while.</p> - -<p>Big One and the others carried It right to the water's edge so they -could get into the water without ever being far from It. They shivered -and shouted excitedly as they bathed. Fat One screamed with delight -as he held a squirming fish up for the others to see. He bit into it -with strong white teeth, water dripping from his heavy brown beard. -Renewed hunger possessed him. He gobbled the fish and began searching -for another. He always caught two fish for any other man's one, which -was why he was fat.</p> - -<p>Elf himself caught a fish. After eating it he lay on the grassy bank -looking up at the white billowing clouds in the blue sky. The sun was -now near the horizon, half hidden behind a cloud, sending divergent -ramps of light downward. The clouds on the western horizon were slowly -taking on color until red, orange, and green separated into definite -areas. The soft murmur of the stream formed a lazy background to the -excited voices of the men. From upstream, faintly, drifted the woman -and Elf sounds.</p> - -<p>Here, close to the ground, the rich earthy smell was stronger than that -of the stream. After a time a slight breeze sprang up, bringing with -it other odors, that of distant pines, the pungent eucalyptus, a musky -animal scent.</p> - -<p>Big One and the others were out of the water, finally. Half asleep, Elf -watched them move It up to dry ground. As though that was what the sun -had been waiting for, it sank rapidly below the horizon.</p> - -<p>The clouds where the sun had been seemed now to blaze for a time with a -smoldering redness that cooled to black. The stars came out, one by one.</p> - -<p>A multitude of snorings erupted into the night. Elf crept among the -sleeping forms until he found Big One, and settled down for the night, -his head against Big One's chest, his right hand resting against the -cool smooth metal of It.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Elf awoke with the bright morning sun directly in his eyes. Big One was -gone, already wading in the stream after fish. Some of the others were -with him. A few were still sleeping.</p> - -<p>Elf leaped to his feet, paused to stretch elaborately, then splashed -into the stream. As soon as he caught a fish he climbed out onto the -bank and ate it. Then he turned to his search for a little It. There -were many lying around, all exactly alike. He studied several, not -touching some, touching and even nudging others. Since they all looked -alike it was more a matter of <i>feel</i> than any real difference that he -looked for. One and only one seemed to be the It. Elf returned his -attention to it several times.</p> - -<p>Finally he picked it up and carried it over to the big It, and hid it -underneath. Big One, with shouts of sheer exuberance, climbed up onto -the bank dripping water. He grinned at Elf.</p> - -<p>Elf looked in the direction of the women and other Elfs. Some of them -were wandering in his direction, each carrying an It of some sort, many -of them similar to the one he had chosen.</p> - -<p>In sudden alarm at the thought that someone might steal his new It, Elf -rescued it from its hiding place. He tried to hide it behind him when -any of the men looked his way. They scorned an individual It and, as -men, preferred an It too heavy for one person.</p> - -<p>As the day advanced, women and Elfs approached nearer, pretending to be -unaware at times that the men were here, at other times openly fleeing -back, overcome by panic.</p> - -<p>The men never went farther than twenty feet from the big It. But as the -women came closer the men grew surly toward one another. By noon two of -them were trying to pick a fight with anyone who would stand up to them.</p> - -<p>Elf clutched his little It closely and moved cautiously downstream -until he was twenty feet from the big It. Tentatively he went another -few feet—farther than any of the men dared go from the big It. -At first he felt secure, then panic overcame him and he ran back, -dropping the little It. He touched the big It until the panic was gone. -After a while he went to the little It and picked it up. He walked -around, carrying it, until he felt secure with it again. Finally he -went downstream again, twenty feet, twenty-five feet, thirty.... He -felt panic finally, but not overwhelmingly. When it became almost -unendurable he calmly turned around and walked back.</p> - -<p>Confidence came to him. An hour later he went downstream until he was -out of sight of the big It and the men. Security seemed to flow warmly -from the little It.</p> - -<p>Excitement possessed Elf. He ran here and there, clutching It closely -so as not to drop it and lose it. He felt <i>free</i>.</p> - -<p>"Bdlboo," he said aloud, experimentally. He liked the sounds. -"Bdlboo—bdlboo—bdlboo." He saw a berry bush ahead and ran to it to -munch on the delicious fruit. "Riddle piddle biddle," he said. It -sounded nice.</p> - -<p>He ran on, and after a time he found a soft grassy spot and stretched -out on his back, holding It carelessly in one hand. He looked up and -up, at a layer of clouds going in one direction and another layer above -it going in another direction.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he heard voices.</p> - -<p>At first he thought the wind must have changed so that it was carrying -the voices of the men to him. He lay there listening. Slowly he -realized these voices were different. They were putting sounds together -like those he made himself.</p> - -<p>A sense of wonder possessed him. How could there be anyone besides -himself who could do that?</p> - -<p>Unafraid, yet filled with caution, he clutched It closely to his chest -and stole in the direction of the sounds.</p> - -<p>After going a hundred yards he saw signs of movement through the trees. -He dropped to the ground and lay still for a moment, then gained -courage to rise cautiously, ready to run. Stooping low, he stole -forward until he could see several moving figures. Darting from tree to -tree he moved closer to them, listening with greater excitement than he -had ever known to the smoothly flowing variety of beautiful sounds they -were making.</p> - -<p>This was something new, a sort of game they must be playing. One voice -would make a string of sounds then stop, another would make a string of -different sounds and stop, a third would take it up. They were good at -it, too.</p> - -<p>But the closer he got to them the more puzzled he became. They were -shaped somewhat like people, they carried Its, they had hands and faces -like people. That's as far as the similarity went. Their feet were -solid, their arms, legs, and body were not skin at all but strangely -colored and unliving in appearance. Their faces were smooth like -women's, their hair short like babies', their voices deep like men's.</p> - -<p>And the Its they carried were unlike any Elf had ever seen. Not only -that, each of them carried more than one.</p> - -<p><i>That</i> was an <i>idea</i>! Elf became so excited he almost forgot to keep -hidden. If you had more than one It, then if something happened to one -you would still feel secure!</p> - -<p>He resisted the urge to return to the stream and search for another -little It to give him extra security. If he did that he might never -again find these creatures that were so like men and yet so different. -So instead, he filed the idea away to use at the earliest opportunity -and followed the strange creatures, keeping well hidden from them.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Soon Elf could hear the shouts of the men in the distance. From the -behavior of the creatures ahead, they had heard those shouts too. They -changed their direction so as to reach the stream a hundred yards or -more downstream at about the spot where Elf had left. They made no -voice sounds now that Elf could hear. They clutched their strangely -shaped long Its before them tensely as though feeling greater security -that way, their heads turning this way and that as they searched for -any movement ahead.</p> - -<p>They moved purposefully. An overwhelming sense of kinship brought tears -to Elf's eyes. These creatures were <i>his kind</i>. Their differences -from him were physical and therefore superficial, and even if those -differences were greater it wouldn't have mattered.</p> - -<p>He wanted, suddenly, to run to them. But the thought of it sent fear -through him. Also they might run in panic from him if he suddenly -revealed himself.</p> - -<p>It would have to be a mutual approach, he felt. He was used to seeing -them now. In due time he would reveal himself for a brief moment to -them. Later he would stay in the open and watch them, making no move to -approach until they got used to him being around. It might take days, -but eventually, he felt sure, he could join them without causing them -to panic.</p> - -<p>After all, there had been the time when he absented himself from the -men for three whole days and when he returned they had forgotten him, -and his sudden appearance in their midst had sent even Big One into -spasms of fear. Unable to flee from the security of the big It, and -unable to bear his presence among them without being used to him, they -had all fallen on the ground in a fit. He had had to retreat and wait -until they recovered. Then, slowly, he had let them get used to his -being in sight before approaching again. It had taken two full days to -get to the point where they would accept him once more.</p> - -<p>That experience, Elf felt, would be valuable to remember now. He -wouldn't want to plunge these creatures into fits or see them scatter -and run away.</p> - -<p>Also, he was too afraid right now to reveal himself even though every -atom of his being called for their companionship.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he made another important discovery. Some of the Its these -creatures carried had something like pliable vines attached to them so -they could be hung about the neck! The thought was so staggering that -Elf stopped and examined his It to see if that could be done to it. It -was twice as long as his hand and round one way, tapering to a small -end that opened to the hollow inside. It was too smooth to hold with a -pliable vine unless—He visualized pliable vines woven together to hold -It. He wasn't sure how it could be done, but maybe it could.</p> - -<p>He set the idea aside for the future and caught up with the creatures -again, looking at them with a new emotion, awe. The ideas he got just -from watching them were so staggering he was getting dizzy!</p> - -<p>Another new thought hit him. He rejected it at once as being too -fantastic. It returned. Leaves are thin and pliable and can be wrapped -around small objects like pebbles. Could it be that these creatures -were really men of some sort, with bodies like men, covered with -something thin like leaves are thin? It was a new and dizzy height in -portable securities, and hardly likely. No. He rejected the idea with -finality and turned his mind to other things.</p> - -<p>He knew now where they could reach the stream. He decided to circle -them and get ahead of them. For the next few minutes this occupied his -full attention, leaving no room for crazy thoughts.</p> - -<p>He reached the stream and hid behind some bushes where he would have a -quick line of retreat if necessary. He clutched It tightly and waited. -In a few moments he saw the first of the creatures emerge a hundred -feet away. The others soon joined the first. Elf stole forward from -concealment to concealment until he was only fifteen feet from them. -His heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement. His -knuckles were white from clutching It.</p> - -<p>The creatures were still carrying on their game of making sounds, but -now in an amazing new way that made them barely audible. Elf listened -to the incredibly varied sounds, enraptured.</p> - -<p>"This colony seems to have remained pure."</p> - -<p>"You never can tell."</p> - -<p>"No, you never can tell. Get out the binoculars and look, Joe."</p> - -<p>"Not just yet, Harold. I'm looking to see if I can spot one whose -behavior shows intelligence."</p> - -<p>Elf ached to imitate some of the beautiful combinations of sounds. He -wanted to experiment and see if he could make the softly muted voices. -He had an idea how it might be done, not make a noise in your throat -but breathe out and form the sounds with your mouth just like you were -uttering them aloud.</p> - -<p>One of the creatures fumbled at an It hanging around his neck. The top -of it hinged back. He reached in and brought out a gleaming It and held -it so that it covered his eyes. He was facing toward the men upstream -and stood up slowly.</p> - -<p>"See something, Joe?"</p> - -<p>Suddenly Elf was afraid. Was this some kind of magic? He had often -puzzled over the problem of whether things were there when he didn't -look at them. He had experimented, closing his eyes then opening them -suddenly to see if things were still there, and they always were; but -maybe this was magic to make the men not be there. Elf waited, watching -upstream, but Big One and the others did not vanish.</p> - -<p>The one called Joe chuckled. "The toy the adult males have would be a -museum piece if it were intact. A 1960 Ford, I think. Only one wheel on -it, right front."</p> - -<p>Elf's attention jerked back. One of the creatures was reaching over his -shoulder, lifting on the large It fastened there. The top of the It -pulled back. He reached inside, bringing out something that made Elf -almost exclaim aloud. It was shaped exactly like the little It Elf was -carrying, but it glistened in the sunlight and its interior was filled -with a richly brown fluid.</p> - -<p>"Anyone else want a coke?"</p> - -<p>"This used to be a picnic area," the one called Joe said, not taking -his eyes from the binoculars. "I can see a lot of pop bottles lying -around in the general area of that wreck of a Ford."</p> - -<p>While Elf watched, breathless, the creature reached inside the skin of -his hip and brought out a very small It and did something to the small -end of the hollow It. Putting the very small It back under the skin of -his hip, he put the hollow It to his lips and tilted it. Elf watched -the brown liquid drain out. Here was magic. Such an It—the very one he -carried—could be filled with water from the stream and carried around -to drink any time!</p> - -<p>When the It held no more liquid the creature dropped it to the ground. -Elf could not take his eyes from it. He wanted it more than he had ever -wanted anything. They might forget it. Sometimes the women dropped -their Its and forgot them, picking up another one instead, and these -creatures had beardless faces like women. Besides, each of them carried -so many Its that they would feel just as secure without this one.</p> - -<p>So many Its! One of the creatures held a flat white It in one hand and -a very slim It shaped like a straight section of a bush stem, pointed -at one end, with which he scratched on the white It at times, leaving -black designs.</p> - -<p>"There're fourteen males," the one called Joe whispered. The other -wrote it down.</p> - -<p>The way these creatures did things, Elf decided, was very similar to -the way Big One and the other men went at moving the big It. They were -very much like men in their actions, these creatures.</p> - -<p>"Eighty-five or six females."</p> - -<p>"See any signs of intelligent action yet?"</p> - -<p>"No. A couple of the males are fighting. Probably going to be a mating -free-for-all tomorrow or next day. There's one! Just a minute, I want -to make sure. It's a little girl, maybe eight or nine years old. Good -forehead. Her eyes definitely lack that large marble-like quality -of the sub-moron parent species. She's intelligent all right. She's -drawing something in the sand with a stick. Give me your rifle, Bill, -it's got a better telescope sight on it than mine, and I don't want her -to suffer."</p> - -<p>That little It, abandoned on the ground. Elf wanted it. One of the -creatures would be sure to pick it up. Elf worried. He would never get -it then. If only the creatures would go, or not notice him. If only—</p> - -<p>The creature with the thing over his eyes put it back where he had -gotten it out of the thing hanging from his shoulder. He had taken one -of the long slim things from another of the creatures and placed the -thick end against his shoulder, the small end pointed upstream. The -others were standing, their backs to Elf, all of them looking upstream. -If they would remain that way, maybe he could dart out and get the -little It. In another moment they might lose interest in whatever they -were watching.</p> - -<p>Elf darted out from his concealment and grabbed the It off the ground, -and in the same instant an ear shattering sound erupted from the long -slim thing against the creature's shoulder.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Got her!" the creature said.</p> - -<p>Paralyzed with fright, Elf stood motionless. One of the creatures -started to turn his way. At the last instant Elf darted back to his -place of concealment. His heart was pounding so loudly he felt sure -they would hear it.</p> - -<p>"You sure, Joe?"</p> - -<p>"Right through the head. She never knew what happened."</p> - -<p>Elf held the new It close to him, ready to run if he were discovered. -He didn't dare look at it yet. It wouldn't notice if he just held it -and felt it without looking at it. It was cold at first, colder than -the water in the stream. Slowly it warmed. He dared to steal a quick -glance at it. It gleamed at him as though possessed of inner life. -A new feeling of security grew within him, greater than he had ever -known. The other It, the one half filled with dried mud, and deeply -scratched from the violent rush of water over it when the stream went -over its banks, lay forgotten at his feet.</p> - -<p>"Well, that finishes the survey trip for this time."</p> - -<p>Elf paid little attention to the voice whispers now, too wrapped up in -his new feelings.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and quite a haul. Twenty-two colonies—three more than ten -years ago. Fourteen of them uncontaminated, seven with only one or two -intelligent offspring to kill, only one colony so contaminated we had -to wipe it out altogether. And one renegade."</p> - -<p>"The renegades are growing scarcer every time. Another ten or twenty -years and they'll be extinct."</p> - -<p>"Then there won't be any more intelligent offspring in these colonies."</p> - -<p>"Let's get going. It'll be dark in another hour or so."</p> - -<p>The creatures were hiding some of their Its under their skin, in their -carrying cases. There was a feeling about them of departure. Elf waited -until they were on the move, back the way they had come, then he -followed at a safe distance.</p> - -<p>He debated whether to show himself now or wait. The sun was going down -in the sky now. It wouldn't be long until it went down for the night. -Should he wait until in the morning to let them get their first glimpse -of him?</p> - -<p>He smiled to himself. He had plenty of time. Tomorrow and tomorrow. He -would never return to Big One and the other men. Men or creatures, he -would join with these new and wonderful creatures. They were <i>his kind</i>.</p> - -<p>He thought of the girl Elf. They were her kind, too. If he could only -get her to come with him.</p> - -<p>On sudden impulse he decided to try. These creatures were going back -the same way they had come. If he ran, and if she came right with him, -they could catch up with the creatures before they went so far they -would lose them.</p> - -<p>He turned back, going carefully until he could no longer see the -creatures, then he ran. He headed directly toward the place where the -women and Elfs stayed. They would not be so easily alarmed as the men -because there were so many of them they couldn't remember one another, -and one more or less of the Elfs went unnoticed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When he reached the clearing he slowed to a walk, looking for her. -Ordinarily he didn't have to look much. She would see him and come to -him, smiling in recognition of the fact that he was the only one like -her.</p> - -<p>He became a little angry. Was she hiding? Then he saw her. He went to -her. She was on her stomach, motionless as though asleep, but something -was different. There was a hole in one side of her head, and on the -opposite side it was torn open, red and grayish white, with—He knelt -down and touched her. She had the same inert feel to her that others -had had who never again moved.</p> - -<p>He studied her head curiously. He had never seen anything like this. He -shook her. She remained limp. He sighed. He knew what would happen now. -It was already happening. The odor was very faint yet, but she would -not move again, and day after day the odor would get stronger. No one -liked it.</p> - -<p>He would have to hurry or he would lose the creatures. He turned and -ran, never looking back. Once he started to cry, then stopped in -surprise. Why had he been crying, he wondered. He hadn't hurt himself.</p> - -<p>He caught up with the creatures. They were hurrying now, their long -slender Its balanced on one shoulder, the big end resting in the palm -of the hand. They no longer moved cautiously. Shortly it was new -country. Elf had never been this far from the stream. Big One more or -less led the men, and always more or less followed the same route in -cross country trips.</p> - -<p>The creatures didn't spend hours stumbling along impossible paths. They -looked ahead of them and selected a way, and took it. Also they didn't -have a heavy It to transport, fifty feet at a time. Elf began to sense -they had a destination in mind. Probably the place they lived.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Just ahead was a steep bank, higher than a man, running in a long -line. The creatures climbed the bank and vanished on the other side. -Cautiously Elf followed them, heading toward a large stone with It -qualities at the top of the bank from whose concealment he could see -where they had gone without being seen. He reached it and cautiously -peeked around it. Just below him were the creatures, but what amazed -Elf was the sight of the big It.</p> - -<p>It was very much like the big It the men had, except that there were -differences in shape, and instead of one round thing at one corner, it -had one at each corner and rested on them so that it was held off the -ground. It glistened instead of being dull. It had a strange odor that -was quite strong.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="650" height="233" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The creatures were putting some of their Its into it, two of them had -actually climbed into it—something neither Elf nor the men had ever -dared to do with their own big It.</p> - -<p>Elf took his eyes off of it for a moment to marvel at the ground. It -seemed made of stone, but such stone as he had never before seen. It -was an even width with edges going in straight lines that paralleled -the long narrow hill on which he stood, and on the other side was a -similar hill, extending as far as the eye could see.</p> - -<p>He returned his attention to the creatures and their big It. The -creatures had all climbed into it now. Possibly they were settling down -for the night, though it was still early for that....</p> - -<p>No matter. There was plenty of time. Tomorrow and tomorrow. Elf would -show himself in the morning, then run away. He would come back again -after a while and show himself a little longer, giving them time to get -used to him so they wouldn't panic.</p> - -<p>They were playing their game of making voice sounds to one another -again. It seemed their major preoccupation. Elf thought how much fun it -would be to be one of them, making voice sounds to his heart's content.</p> - -<p>"I don't see why the government doesn't wipe out the whole lot," one of -them was saying. "It's hopeless to keep them alive. Feeble-mindedness -is dominant in them. They can't be absorbed into the race again, and -any intelligent offspring they get from mating with a renegade would -start a long line of descendents, at least one fourth of whom would be -mindless idiots."</p> - -<p>"Well," another of them said, "It's one of those things where there -is no answer. Wipe them out, and next year it would be all the blond -haired people to be wiped out to keep the race of dark haired people -pure, or something. Probably in another hundred years nature will -take care of the problem by wiping them out for us. Meanwhile we game -wardens must make the rounds every two years and weed out any of them -we can find that have intelligence." He looked up the embankment but -did not notice Elf's head, concealed partially by the grass around the -concrete marker. "It's an easy job. Any of them we missed seeing this -time, we'll probably get next time. In the six or eight visits we make -before the intelligent ones can become adults and mate we always find -them."</p> - -<p>"What I hate is when they see us, those intelligent ones," a third -voice said. "When they walk right up to us and want to be friends with -us it's too much like plain murder, except that they can't talk, and -only make moronic sounds like 'Bdl-bdl-bdl.' Even so, it gets me when -we kill them." The others laughed.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Elf heard a new sound from the big It. It was not a voice -sound, or if it was it was one that Elf felt he could not possibly -match exactly. It was a growling, "RRrrRRrrRRrr." Suddenly it was -replaced by still a different sound, a "p-p-p-p-p" going very rapidly. -Perhaps it was the way these creatures snored. It was not unpleasant. -Elf cocked his head to one side, listening to the sound, smiling. How -exciting it would be when he could join with these creatures! He wanted -to so much.</p> - -<p>The big It began to move. In the first brief second Elf could not -believe his senses. How could it move without being carried? But it was -moving, and the creatures didn't seem to be aware of it! Or perhaps -they were too overcome by fear to leap out!</p> - -<p>Already the big It was moving faster than a walk, and was moving faster -with every heartbeat. How could they remain unaware of it and not leap -to safety?</p> - -<p>Belatedly Elf abandoned caution and leaped down the embankment to -the flat ribbon of rock, shouting. But already the big It was over a -hundred yards away, and moving faster now than birds in flight!</p> - -<p>He shouted, but the creatures didn't hear him—or perhaps they were so -overcome with fright that they were frozen. Yes, that must be it.</p> - -<p>Elf ran after the big It. If he could only catch up with it he would -gladly join the creatures in their fate. Better to die with them than -to lose them!</p> - -<p>He ran and ran, refusing to believe he could never overtake the big It, -even when it disappeared from view, going faster than the wind. He ran -and ran until his legs could lift no more.</p> - -<p>Blinded by tears, he tripped and sprawled full length on the wide -ribbon of stone. His nose bled from hitting the hard surface. His knees -were scraped and bleeding. He was unaware of this.</p> - -<p>He was aware only that the creatures were gone, to what unimaginable -fate he could not guess, but lost to him, perhaps forever.</p> - -<p>Sobs welled up within him, spilled out, shaking his small naked body. -He cried as he hadn't cried since he was a baby.</p> - -<p>And the empty Coca Cola bottle clutched forgotten in his hand glistened -with the rays of the setting sun....</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Game Preserve, by Rog Phillips - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GAME PRESERVE *** - -***** This file should be named 60393-h.htm or 60393-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/3/9/60393/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Game Preserve - -Author: Rog Phillips - -Release Date: September 30, 2019 [EBook #60393] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GAME PRESERVE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - GAME PRESERVE - - BY ROG PHILLIPS - - _The hunters were necessary, of - course--but there was the - other side of the picture too._ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1957. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - _The first of the_ morons, _as they were popularly called, - though they were totally lacking in intelligence, were born in - 1971, eleven years after the Mutual Retaliation phase of the - big war-that-no-one-started, the majority of them near the big, - bombed-out cities. By 1973, with the aid of the electron - microscope, the scientists had learned all about it. Parents and - offspring were sterilized and the offspring placed in state - institutions. By 1983 there were too many of them. A new solution - to the impossible situation was tried, large isolated areas in the - south where the climate was mild were made into preserves for - them. In the wilds the_ morons _banded into small herds that - showed no inclination to roam. By 1985 no more of the_ morons - _were being born, thanks to the sterilization of all parents - carrying the contaminated gene. It was thought the problem was - permanently solved, through perfect cooperation between science, - the government, and the public. If the contamination had not been - weeded out of the race one fourth of every generation for all the - future would have been without any intelligence whatever._ - - _But here and there had been natural births, unattended by a - doctor; and parental love coupled with fear of being sterilized - and thus denied further parenthood had brought into existence a - few thousand unsterilized_ morons, _hidden away in attic rooms or - in basements. And to these parents the Preserves offered the - logical solution too--drive into the nearest Preserve and turn the - child loose with its kind. Thus, a new generation came into being - in the scattered herds, and by 2010 A.D. a new problem had come - into being. Thanks to impurities in the_ moron _strain or to - wandering renegades--or both--a few normally intelligent offspring - were appearing in the herds. There was danger of these - recontaminating the race, if they left the herds, learned to - speak, wear clothes...._ - - _In 2010 the government attempted a mass sterilization of the - herds but the herds were too wild by now, and the males too - dangerous, so the sterilization program was abandoned and a new - plan substituted. The government Hunters came into being, small - patrol groups whose job was to pick off the renegades and any - members of the herds that were intelligent._ - - * * * * * - -"Hi-hi-hi!" Big One shouted, and heaved erect with the front end of It. - -"Hi-hi-hi," Fat One and the dozen others echoed more mildly, lifting -wherever they could get a hold on It. - -It was lifted and borne forward in a half crouching trot. - -"Hi-hi hi-hi-hihihi," Elf chanted, running and skipping alongside the -panting men and their massive burden. - -It was carried forward through the lush grass for perhaps fifty feet. - -"Ah-ah-ah," Big One sighed loudly, slowly letting the front end of It -down until it dug into the soft black soil. - -"Ahhh," Fat One and the others sighed, letting go and standing up, -stretching aching back muscles, rubbing cramped hands. - -"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah," Elf sang, running around and in between the -resting men. He came too close to Big One and was sent sprawling by a -quick, good humored push. - -Everyone laughed, Big One laughing the loudest. Then Big One lifted Elf -to his feet and patted him on the back affectionately, a broad grin -forming a toothy gap at the top of his bushy black beard. - -Elf answered the grin with one of his own, and at that moment his ever -present yearning to grow up to be the biggest and the strongest like -Big One flowed through him with new strength. - -Abruptly Big One leaped to the front end of It, shouting "Hi-hi-HI!" - -"Hi-hi-hi," the others echoed, scrambling to their places. Once again -It was borne forward for fifty feet--and again and again, across the -broad meadowland. - -A vast matting of blackberry brambles came into view off to one side. -Big One veered his course toward it. The going was uphill now, so the -forward surges shortened to forty feet, then thirty. By the time they -reached the blackberries they were wet and glossy with sweat. - -It was a healthy patch, loaded with large ripe berries. The men ate -hungrily at first, then more leisurely, pointing to one another's -stained beards and laughing. As they denuded one area they leaped to -It, carried it another ten feet, and started stripping another section, -never getting more than a few feet from It. - -Elf picked his blackberries with first one then another of the men. -When his hunger was satisfied he became mischievous, picking a handful -of berries and squashing them against the back or the chest of the -nearest man and running away, laughing. It was dangerous sport, he -knew, because if one of them caught him he would be tossed into the -brambles. - -Eventually they all had their fill, and thanks to Elf looked as though -they were oozing blackberry juice from every pore. The sun was in its -mid-afternoon position. In the distance a line of white-barked trees -could be seen--evidence of a stream. - -"Hi-hi-hi!" Big One shouted. - -The journey toward the trees began. It was mostly downhill, so the -forward spurts were often as much as a hundred feet. - -Before they could hear the water they could smell it. They grunted -their delight at the smell, a rich fish odor betokening plenty of food. -Intermingled with this odor was the spicy scent of eucalyptus. - -They pushed forward with renewed zeal so that the sweat ran down their -skins, dissolving the berry juices and making rivulets that looked like -purple blood. - -When less than a hundred yards from the stream, which was still hidden -beyond the tall grasses and the trees lining its bank, they heard the -sound of voices, high pitched--women's voices. They became uneasy and -nervous. Their surges forward shortened to ten feet, their rest periods -became longer, they searched worriedly for signs of motion through the -trees. - -They changed their course to arrive a hundred yards downstream from -the source of the women's voices. Soon they reached the edge of the -tree belt. It was more difficult to carry It through the scatterings -of bushes. Too, they would get part way through the trees and run into -trees too close together to get It past them, and have to back out and -try another place. It took almost two hours to work through the trees -to the bank of the stream. - -Only Elf recognized the place they finally broke through as the place -they had left more than two days before. In that respect he knew he -was different, not only from Big One and other grownups, but also all -other Elfs except one, a girl Elf. He had known it as long as he could -remember. He had learned it from many little things. For example, he -had recognized the place when they reached it. Big One and the others -never remembered anything for long. In getting It through the trees -they blundered as they always had, and got through by trial and error -with no memory of past blunderings. - -Elf was different in another way, too. He could make more sounds -than the others. Sometimes he would keep a little It with him until -it gave him a feeling of security almost as strong as the big It, -then wander off alone with It and play with making sounds. "Bz-bz. -Walla-walla-walla-rue-rue-la-lo-hi. Da!" and all kinds of sounds. It -excited him to be able to make different sounds and put them together -so that they pleased his hearing, but such sounds made the others avoid -him and look at him from a safe distance, with worried expressions, so -he had learned not to make _different_ sounds within earshot of the -others. - - * * * * * - -The women and Elfs were upstream a hundred yards, where they always -remained. From the way they were milling around and acting alarmed it -was evident to Elf they could no more remember the men having been here -a few days before than the men could remember it themselves. It would -be two or three days before they slowly lost their fear of one another. -It would be the women and their Elfs who would cautiously approach, -holding their portable Its clutched for security, until, finally losing -all fear, they would join into one big group for a while. - -Big One and the others carried It right to the water's edge so they -could get into the water without ever being far from It. They shivered -and shouted excitedly as they bathed. Fat One screamed with delight -as he held a squirming fish up for the others to see. He bit into it -with strong white teeth, water dripping from his heavy brown beard. -Renewed hunger possessed him. He gobbled the fish and began searching -for another. He always caught two fish for any other man's one, which -was why he was fat. - -Elf himself caught a fish. After eating it he lay on the grassy bank -looking up at the white billowing clouds in the blue sky. The sun was -now near the horizon, half hidden behind a cloud, sending divergent -ramps of light downward. The clouds on the western horizon were slowly -taking on color until red, orange, and green separated into definite -areas. The soft murmur of the stream formed a lazy background to the -excited voices of the men. From upstream, faintly, drifted the woman -and Elf sounds. - -Here, close to the ground, the rich earthy smell was stronger than that -of the stream. After a time a slight breeze sprang up, bringing with -it other odors, that of distant pines, the pungent eucalyptus, a musky -animal scent. - -Big One and the others were out of the water, finally. Half asleep, Elf -watched them move It up to dry ground. As though that was what the sun -had been waiting for, it sank rapidly below the horizon. - -The clouds where the sun had been seemed now to blaze for a time with a -smoldering redness that cooled to black. The stars came out, one by one. - -A multitude of snorings erupted into the night. Elf crept among the -sleeping forms until he found Big One, and settled down for the night, -his head against Big One's chest, his right hand resting against the -cool smooth metal of It. - - * * * * * - -Elf awoke with the bright morning sun directly in his eyes. Big One was -gone, already wading in the stream after fish. Some of the others were -with him. A few were still sleeping. - -Elf leaped to his feet, paused to stretch elaborately, then splashed -into the stream. As soon as he caught a fish he climbed out onto the -bank and ate it. Then he turned to his search for a little It. There -were many lying around, all exactly alike. He studied several, not -touching some, touching and even nudging others. Since they all looked -alike it was more a matter of _feel_ than any real difference that he -looked for. One and only one seemed to be the It. Elf returned his -attention to it several times. - -Finally he picked it up and carried it over to the big It, and hid it -underneath. Big One, with shouts of sheer exuberance, climbed up onto -the bank dripping water. He grinned at Elf. - -Elf looked in the direction of the women and other Elfs. Some of them -were wandering in his direction, each carrying an It of some sort, many -of them similar to the one he had chosen. - -In sudden alarm at the thought that someone might steal his new It, Elf -rescued it from its hiding place. He tried to hide it behind him when -any of the men looked his way. They scorned an individual It and, as -men, preferred an It too heavy for one person. - -As the day advanced, women and Elfs approached nearer, pretending to be -unaware at times that the men were here, at other times openly fleeing -back, overcome by panic. - -The men never went farther than twenty feet from the big It. But as the -women came closer the men grew surly toward one another. By noon two of -them were trying to pick a fight with anyone who would stand up to them. - -Elf clutched his little It closely and moved cautiously downstream -until he was twenty feet from the big It. Tentatively he went another -few feet--farther than any of the men dared go from the big It. -At first he felt secure, then panic overcame him and he ran back, -dropping the little It. He touched the big It until the panic was gone. -After a while he went to the little It and picked it up. He walked -around, carrying it, until he felt secure with it again. Finally he -went downstream again, twenty feet, twenty-five feet, thirty.... He -felt panic finally, but not overwhelmingly. When it became almost -unendurable he calmly turned around and walked back. - -Confidence came to him. An hour later he went downstream until he was -out of sight of the big It and the men. Security seemed to flow warmly -from the little It. - -Excitement possessed Elf. He ran here and there, clutching It closely -so as not to drop it and lose it. He felt _free_. - -"Bdlboo," he said aloud, experimentally. He liked the sounds. -"Bdlboo--bdlboo--bdlboo." He saw a berry bush ahead and ran to it to -munch on the delicious fruit. "Riddle piddle biddle," he said. It -sounded nice. - -He ran on, and after a time he found a soft grassy spot and stretched -out on his back, holding It carelessly in one hand. He looked up and -up, at a layer of clouds going in one direction and another layer above -it going in another direction. - -Suddenly he heard voices. - -At first he thought the wind must have changed so that it was carrying -the voices of the men to him. He lay there listening. Slowly he -realized these voices were different. They were putting sounds together -like those he made himself. - -A sense of wonder possessed him. How could there be anyone besides -himself who could do that? - -Unafraid, yet filled with caution, he clutched It closely to his chest -and stole in the direction of the sounds. - -After going a hundred yards he saw signs of movement through the trees. -He dropped to the ground and lay still for a moment, then gained -courage to rise cautiously, ready to run. Stooping low, he stole -forward until he could see several moving figures. Darting from tree to -tree he moved closer to them, listening with greater excitement than he -had ever known to the smoothly flowing variety of beautiful sounds they -were making. - -This was something new, a sort of game they must be playing. One voice -would make a string of sounds then stop, another would make a string of -different sounds and stop, a third would take it up. They were good at -it, too. - -But the closer he got to them the more puzzled he became. They were -shaped somewhat like people, they carried Its, they had hands and faces -like people. That's as far as the similarity went. Their feet were -solid, their arms, legs, and body were not skin at all but strangely -colored and unliving in appearance. Their faces were smooth like -women's, their hair short like babies', their voices deep like men's. - -And the Its they carried were unlike any Elf had ever seen. Not only -that, each of them carried more than one. - -_That_ was an _idea_! Elf became so excited he almost forgot to keep -hidden. If you had more than one It, then if something happened to one -you would still feel secure! - -He resisted the urge to return to the stream and search for another -little It to give him extra security. If he did that he might never -again find these creatures that were so like men and yet so different. -So instead, he filed the idea away to use at the earliest opportunity -and followed the strange creatures, keeping well hidden from them. - - * * * * * - -Soon Elf could hear the shouts of the men in the distance. From the -behavior of the creatures ahead, they had heard those shouts too. They -changed their direction so as to reach the stream a hundred yards or -more downstream at about the spot where Elf had left. They made no -voice sounds now that Elf could hear. They clutched their strangely -shaped long Its before them tensely as though feeling greater security -that way, their heads turning this way and that as they searched for -any movement ahead. - -They moved purposefully. An overwhelming sense of kinship brought tears -to Elf's eyes. These creatures were _his kind_. Their differences -from him were physical and therefore superficial, and even if those -differences were greater it wouldn't have mattered. - -He wanted, suddenly, to run to them. But the thought of it sent fear -through him. Also they might run in panic from him if he suddenly -revealed himself. - -It would have to be a mutual approach, he felt. He was used to seeing -them now. In due time he would reveal himself for a brief moment to -them. Later he would stay in the open and watch them, making no move to -approach until they got used to him being around. It might take days, -but eventually, he felt sure, he could join them without causing them -to panic. - -After all, there had been the time when he absented himself from the -men for three whole days and when he returned they had forgotten him, -and his sudden appearance in their midst had sent even Big One into -spasms of fear. Unable to flee from the security of the big It, and -unable to bear his presence among them without being used to him, they -had all fallen on the ground in a fit. He had had to retreat and wait -until they recovered. Then, slowly, he had let them get used to his -being in sight before approaching again. It had taken two full days to -get to the point where they would accept him once more. - -That experience, Elf felt, would be valuable to remember now. He -wouldn't want to plunge these creatures into fits or see them scatter -and run away. - -Also, he was too afraid right now to reveal himself even though every -atom of his being called for their companionship. - -Suddenly he made another important discovery. Some of the Its these -creatures carried had something like pliable vines attached to them so -they could be hung about the neck! The thought was so staggering that -Elf stopped and examined his It to see if that could be done to it. It -was twice as long as his hand and round one way, tapering to a small -end that opened to the hollow inside. It was too smooth to hold with a -pliable vine unless--He visualized pliable vines woven together to hold -It. He wasn't sure how it could be done, but maybe it could. - -He set the idea aside for the future and caught up with the creatures -again, looking at them with a new emotion, awe. The ideas he got just -from watching them were so staggering he was getting dizzy! - -Another new thought hit him. He rejected it at once as being too -fantastic. It returned. Leaves are thin and pliable and can be wrapped -around small objects like pebbles. Could it be that these creatures -were really men of some sort, with bodies like men, covered with -something thin like leaves are thin? It was a new and dizzy height in -portable securities, and hardly likely. No. He rejected the idea with -finality and turned his mind to other things. - -He knew now where they could reach the stream. He decided to circle -them and get ahead of them. For the next few minutes this occupied his -full attention, leaving no room for crazy thoughts. - -He reached the stream and hid behind some bushes where he would have a -quick line of retreat if necessary. He clutched It tightly and waited. -In a few moments he saw the first of the creatures emerge a hundred -feet away. The others soon joined the first. Elf stole forward from -concealment to concealment until he was only fifteen feet from them. -His heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement. His -knuckles were white from clutching It. - -The creatures were still carrying on their game of making sounds, but -now in an amazing new way that made them barely audible. Elf listened -to the incredibly varied sounds, enraptured. - -"This colony seems to have remained pure." - -"You never can tell." - -"No, you never can tell. Get out the binoculars and look, Joe." - -"Not just yet, Harold. I'm looking to see if I can spot one whose -behavior shows intelligence." - -Elf ached to imitate some of the beautiful combinations of sounds. He -wanted to experiment and see if he could make the softly muted voices. -He had an idea how it might be done, not make a noise in your throat -but breathe out and form the sounds with your mouth just like you were -uttering them aloud. - -One of the creatures fumbled at an It hanging around his neck. The top -of it hinged back. He reached in and brought out a gleaming It and held -it so that it covered his eyes. He was facing toward the men upstream -and stood up slowly. - -"See something, Joe?" - -Suddenly Elf was afraid. Was this some kind of magic? He had often -puzzled over the problem of whether things were there when he didn't -look at them. He had experimented, closing his eyes then opening them -suddenly to see if things were still there, and they always were; but -maybe this was magic to make the men not be there. Elf waited, watching -upstream, but Big One and the others did not vanish. - -The one called Joe chuckled. "The toy the adult males have would be a -museum piece if it were intact. A 1960 Ford, I think. Only one wheel on -it, right front." - -Elf's attention jerked back. One of the creatures was reaching over his -shoulder, lifting on the large It fastened there. The top of the It -pulled back. He reached inside, bringing out something that made Elf -almost exclaim aloud. It was shaped exactly like the little It Elf was -carrying, but it glistened in the sunlight and its interior was filled -with a richly brown fluid. - -"Anyone else want a coke?" - -"This used to be a picnic area," the one called Joe said, not taking -his eyes from the binoculars. "I can see a lot of pop bottles lying -around in the general area of that wreck of a Ford." - -While Elf watched, breathless, the creature reached inside the skin of -his hip and brought out a very small It and did something to the small -end of the hollow It. Putting the very small It back under the skin of -his hip, he put the hollow It to his lips and tilted it. Elf watched -the brown liquid drain out. Here was magic. Such an It--the very one he -carried--could be filled with water from the stream and carried around -to drink any time! - -When the It held no more liquid the creature dropped it to the ground. -Elf could not take his eyes from it. He wanted it more than he had ever -wanted anything. They might forget it. Sometimes the women dropped -their Its and forgot them, picking up another one instead, and these -creatures had beardless faces like women. Besides, each of them carried -so many Its that they would feel just as secure without this one. - -So many Its! One of the creatures held a flat white It in one hand and -a very slim It shaped like a straight section of a bush stem, pointed -at one end, with which he scratched on the white It at times, leaving -black designs. - -"There're fourteen males," the one called Joe whispered. The other -wrote it down. - -The way these creatures did things, Elf decided, was very similar to -the way Big One and the other men went at moving the big It. They were -very much like men in their actions, these creatures. - -"Eighty-five or six females." - -"See any signs of intelligent action yet?" - -"No. A couple of the males are fighting. Probably going to be a mating -free-for-all tomorrow or next day. There's one! Just a minute, I want -to make sure. It's a little girl, maybe eight or nine years old. Good -forehead. Her eyes definitely lack that large marble-like quality -of the sub-moron parent species. She's intelligent all right. She's -drawing something in the sand with a stick. Give me your rifle, Bill, -it's got a better telescope sight on it than mine, and I don't want her -to suffer." - -That little It, abandoned on the ground. Elf wanted it. One of the -creatures would be sure to pick it up. Elf worried. He would never get -it then. If only the creatures would go, or not notice him. If only-- - -The creature with the thing over his eyes put it back where he had -gotten it out of the thing hanging from his shoulder. He had taken one -of the long slim things from another of the creatures and placed the -thick end against his shoulder, the small end pointed upstream. The -others were standing, their backs to Elf, all of them looking upstream. -If they would remain that way, maybe he could dart out and get the -little It. In another moment they might lose interest in whatever they -were watching. - -Elf darted out from his concealment and grabbed the It off the ground, -and in the same instant an ear shattering sound erupted from the long -slim thing against the creature's shoulder. - - * * * * * - -"Got her!" the creature said. - -Paralyzed with fright, Elf stood motionless. One of the creatures -started to turn his way. At the last instant Elf darted back to his -place of concealment. His heart was pounding so loudly he felt sure -they would hear it. - -"You sure, Joe?" - -"Right through the head. She never knew what happened." - -Elf held the new It close to him, ready to run if he were discovered. -He didn't dare look at it yet. It wouldn't notice if he just held it -and felt it without looking at it. It was cold at first, colder than -the water in the stream. Slowly it warmed. He dared to steal a quick -glance at it. It gleamed at him as though possessed of inner life. -A new feeling of security grew within him, greater than he had ever -known. The other It, the one half filled with dried mud, and deeply -scratched from the violent rush of water over it when the stream went -over its banks, lay forgotten at his feet. - -"Well, that finishes the survey trip for this time." - -Elf paid little attention to the voice whispers now, too wrapped up in -his new feelings. - -"Yes, and quite a haul. Twenty-two colonies--three more than ten -years ago. Fourteen of them uncontaminated, seven with only one or two -intelligent offspring to kill, only one colony so contaminated we had -to wipe it out altogether. And one renegade." - -"The renegades are growing scarcer every time. Another ten or twenty -years and they'll be extinct." - -"Then there won't be any more intelligent offspring in these colonies." - -"Let's get going. It'll be dark in another hour or so." - -The creatures were hiding some of their Its under their skin, in their -carrying cases. There was a feeling about them of departure. Elf waited -until they were on the move, back the way they had come, then he -followed at a safe distance. - -He debated whether to show himself now or wait. The sun was going down -in the sky now. It wouldn't be long until it went down for the night. -Should he wait until in the morning to let them get their first glimpse -of him? - -He smiled to himself. He had plenty of time. Tomorrow and tomorrow. He -would never return to Big One and the other men. Men or creatures, he -would join with these new and wonderful creatures. They were _his kind_. - -He thought of the girl Elf. They were her kind, too. If he could only -get her to come with him. - -On sudden impulse he decided to try. These creatures were going back -the same way they had come. If he ran, and if she came right with him, -they could catch up with the creatures before they went so far they -would lose them. - -He turned back, going carefully until he could no longer see the -creatures, then he ran. He headed directly toward the place where the -women and Elfs stayed. They would not be so easily alarmed as the men -because there were so many of them they couldn't remember one another, -and one more or less of the Elfs went unnoticed. - - * * * * * - -When he reached the clearing he slowed to a walk, looking for her. -Ordinarily he didn't have to look much. She would see him and come to -him, smiling in recognition of the fact that he was the only one like -her. - -He became a little angry. Was she hiding? Then he saw her. He went to -her. She was on her stomach, motionless as though asleep, but something -was different. There was a hole in one side of her head, and on the -opposite side it was torn open, red and grayish white, with--He knelt -down and touched her. She had the same inert feel to her that others -had had who never again moved. - -He studied her head curiously. He had never seen anything like this. He -shook her. She remained limp. He sighed. He knew what would happen now. -It was already happening. The odor was very faint yet, but she would -not move again, and day after day the odor would get stronger. No one -liked it. - -He would have to hurry or he would lose the creatures. He turned and -ran, never looking back. Once he started to cry, then stopped in -surprise. Why had he been crying, he wondered. He hadn't hurt himself. - -He caught up with the creatures. They were hurrying now, their long -slender Its balanced on one shoulder, the big end resting in the palm -of the hand. They no longer moved cautiously. Shortly it was new -country. Elf had never been this far from the stream. Big One more or -less led the men, and always more or less followed the same route in -cross country trips. - -The creatures didn't spend hours stumbling along impossible paths. They -looked ahead of them and selected a way, and took it. Also they didn't -have a heavy It to transport, fifty feet at a time. Elf began to sense -they had a destination in mind. Probably the place they lived. - - * * * * * - -Just ahead was a steep bank, higher than a man, running in a long -line. The creatures climbed the bank and vanished on the other side. -Cautiously Elf followed them, heading toward a large stone with It -qualities at the top of the bank from whose concealment he could see -where they had gone without being seen. He reached it and cautiously -peeked around it. Just below him were the creatures, but what amazed -Elf was the sight of the big It. - -It was very much like the big It the men had, except that there were -differences in shape, and instead of one round thing at one corner, it -had one at each corner and rested on them so that it was held off the -ground. It glistened instead of being dull. It had a strange odor that -was quite strong. - -The creatures were putting some of their Its into it, two of them had -actually climbed into it--something neither Elf nor the men had ever -dared to do with their own big It. - -Elf took his eyes off of it for a moment to marvel at the ground. It -seemed made of stone, but such stone as he had never before seen. It -was an even width with edges going in straight lines that paralleled -the long narrow hill on which he stood, and on the other side was a -similar hill, extending as far as the eye could see. - -He returned his attention to the creatures and their big It. The -creatures had all climbed into it now. Possibly they were settling down -for the night, though it was still early for that.... - -No matter. There was plenty of time. Tomorrow and tomorrow. Elf would -show himself in the morning, then run away. He would come back again -after a while and show himself a little longer, giving them time to get -used to him so they wouldn't panic. - -They were playing their game of making voice sounds to one another -again. It seemed their major preoccupation. Elf thought how much fun it -would be to be one of them, making voice sounds to his heart's content. - -"I don't see why the government doesn't wipe out the whole lot," one of -them was saying. "It's hopeless to keep them alive. Feeble-mindedness -is dominant in them. They can't be absorbed into the race again, and -any intelligent offspring they get from mating with a renegade would -start a long line of descendents, at least one fourth of whom would be -mindless idiots." - -"Well," another of them said, "It's one of those things where there -is no answer. Wipe them out, and next year it would be all the blond -haired people to be wiped out to keep the race of dark haired people -pure, or something. Probably in another hundred years nature will -take care of the problem by wiping them out for us. Meanwhile we game -wardens must make the rounds every two years and weed out any of them -we can find that have intelligence." He looked up the embankment but -did not notice Elf's head, concealed partially by the grass around the -concrete marker. "It's an easy job. Any of them we missed seeing this -time, we'll probably get next time. In the six or eight visits we make -before the intelligent ones can become adults and mate we always find -them." - -"What I hate is when they see us, those intelligent ones," a third -voice said. "When they walk right up to us and want to be friends with -us it's too much like plain murder, except that they can't talk, and -only make moronic sounds like 'Bdl-bdl-bdl.' Even so, it gets me when -we kill them." The others laughed. - -Suddenly Elf heard a new sound from the big It. It was not a voice -sound, or if it was it was one that Elf felt he could not possibly -match exactly. It was a growling, "RRrrRRrrRRrr." Suddenly it was -replaced by still a different sound, a "p-p-p-p-p" going very rapidly. -Perhaps it was the way these creatures snored. It was not unpleasant. -Elf cocked his head to one side, listening to the sound, smiling. How -exciting it would be when he could join with these creatures! He wanted -to so much. - -The big It began to move. In the first brief second Elf could not -believe his senses. How could it move without being carried? But it was -moving, and the creatures didn't seem to be aware of it! Or perhaps -they were too overcome by fear to leap out! - -Already the big It was moving faster than a walk, and was moving faster -with every heartbeat. How could they remain unaware of it and not leap -to safety? - -Belatedly Elf abandoned caution and leaped down the embankment to -the flat ribbon of rock, shouting. But already the big It was over a -hundred yards away, and moving faster now than birds in flight! - -He shouted, but the creatures didn't hear him--or perhaps they were so -overcome with fright that they were frozen. Yes, that must be it. - -Elf ran after the big It. If he could only catch up with it he would -gladly join the creatures in their fate. Better to die with them than -to lose them! - -He ran and ran, refusing to believe he could never overtake the big It, -even when it disappeared from view, going faster than the wind. He ran -and ran until his legs could lift no more. - -Blinded by tears, he tripped and sprawled full length on the wide -ribbon of stone. His nose bled from hitting the hard surface. His knees -were scraped and bleeding. He was unaware of this. - -He was aware only that the creatures were gone, to what unimaginable -fate he could not guess, but lost to him, perhaps forever. - -Sobs welled up within him, spilled out, shaking his small naked body. -He cried as he hadn't cried since he was a baby. - -And the empty Coca Cola bottle clutched forgotten in his hand glistened -with the rays of the setting sun.... - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Game Preserve, by Rog Phillips - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GAME PRESERVE *** - -***** This file should be named 60393.txt or 60393.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/3/9/60393/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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