by H. B. Fyfe
the native officialdom gatheredat the hut facing the new "temple." After exchanging greetings, they satdown at the table as they had the day before.
"All right, gentlemen," said Mayne to the two Terrans. "You win. Thegovernment is going to have to put something in the pot. I want to makeit as little as possible, so let us have no more nonsense about the truevalue of ship or cargo as they stand."
They looked startled at his tone. Mayne went on before they couldrecover.
"The object I have in mind, if it seems at all possible, is to putCaptain Voorhis back in business without costing Mr. Melin his job. Now,let's put our heads together on that problem and worry about justifyingourselves later."
The most difficult part was to convince Voorhis to surrender his dreamof fantastic profits; but sometime before Mayne got hoarse, the captainwas made to see that he could not have his cake and eat it, too.
Melin agreed that he might pay the paper value of the _Gemsbok_ if hecould pay likewise for the cargo, in which case he would admit a loss.After all, a spaceship anchored by a temple might reasonably be termedunspaceworthy. He would take over the cargo and cut his losses byallowing the government to buy it at two million.
"You wanna come with me next trip?" invited Voorhis when he heard this."If that's how you cut loose, we'll make a fortune!"
"Well, there it is," said Mayne, straightening up to ease his achingback. He must have been leaning tensely over the table longer than hehad thought. "The captain gets two and a half million, Mr. Melin getsoff with paying only half a million, and you've stuck me for the rest."
"Congratulations, Judge!" said Melin. "You now own a ship and cargowhich I presume you will present to the Kappans."
"How can he?" demanded Voorhis. "They figure they own it already."
"We'll worry about that later," said Mayne.
"_You_ will!" Voorhis guffawed. "I hope you get _some_ credit out ofit."
Haruhiku interrupted to inform Mayne that the Kappans, who had beeninterested if bewildered listeners, had invited the Terrans to a smallfeast.
"I translated enough to let them understand there would be no attempt todisturb their temple building," he explained. "They now feel they owe ushospitality."
"Good, that's something," said Mayne.
"I'll tell you what else will be something," grunted Voorhis. "Thefood!"
The assemblage repaired to the Kappan village. The Terrans--though ittook some doing--survived the feast.
Mayne thought it best not to inquire into the nature of the dishesserved. Eemakh was evidently determined to display his village's finesthospitality, so the Terrans even tried the Kappan beer. Mayne absorbedenough to get used to it.
_Or did it absorb me?_ he wondered. _Igrillik's beginning to look almosthuman!_
Eventually, carts were brought, and they rode bumpily out to admireprogress made on the temple. A fresh breeze helped Mayne to rememberthat it was now late afternoon and he had yet to settle one matter withEemakh.
When they arrived at the site, crewmen from the _Gemsbok_ saw fit totake Voorhis in charge and carry him into their hut. Mayne sank down atthe table outside, watching Melin grope to a place beside him. Henoticed that Haruhiku's helicopter pilot handed him a message as soon asthe lieutenant alighted.
"That will be from the _Diamond Belt_," Mayne guessed.
He eyed Melin with some amusement. The insurance man stared very quietlyat the board beneath his elbows. His complexion held a tint of green.Even Eemakh, plodding ponderously up, lowered himself to a bench with asigh. The high priest seemed less affected by the celebration, and Maynewas proud when Haruhiku walked over with his normal bland alertness.
"They're getting near?" he asked.
"Doing braking circles," reported the pilot. "I sent an order for thescout to give them a beam. There may still be time to send themsomewhere else--"
"One more try here first," Mayne decided. "Tell Eemakh we want tostraighten out some confusion about Meeg and the cargo."
* * * * *
Haruhiku permitted himself a small shrug and translated. Eemakh arousedhimself to a show of interest, while Igrillik turned a suspicious orangestare upon Mayne. The latter strove to frame in his mind an argumentthat would strike them as logical.
"Tell him," he instructed, "that we believe this Meeg was known onTerra, but by another name. Then describe the mythical Hermes and seewhat he says."
Haruhiku began a conversation that lasted several minutes. Igrillik, asan authority, obviously felt moved to deliver a lengthy opinion. Atlast, the pilot turned to Mayne.
"They say we are to be congratulated," he reported.
"Is that all?"
"Well, they do seem a bit more friendly. I was going to try drawing apicture of that famous statue, with the winged heels and hat, but itwould never match their own conception. Igrillik asks if you claimbelief in Meeg."
"Avoid that," said Mayne. "Now--do they know about ship communications?"
"They are aware that it is done," said Haruhiku. "After all, they justsaw me send a message to the scout over the helicopter screen."
"Good! Point out to them that the _Gemsbok_ also has such equipment."
Haruhiku engaged in another long talk. The Kappans began to show signsof uneasiness at the end. They remained silent.
"And that therefore," added Mayne, "the Terran who served this machineshould rank in their eyes as a servant of Meeg just as much as Igrillik.The cargo in the ship was no more his than a message belongs to themessenger bearing it."
The pilot put this into Kappan, with gestures.
"And furthermore," said Mayne, before it could be suggested that theowner might be Meeg, "what I have arranged here with Melin and Voorhisis that the cargo now belongs to all of the Terran people."
Eemakh began to scowl, an impressive contortion on a broad, olive Kappanvisage. Mayne hurried on.
"This being the case, the Kappans _have absolutely no right_ to deny usthe privilege of contributing all these goods to the glory of theirtemple!"
"Oh, boy!" grunted Haruhiku. He rattled off the translation.
Mayne watched it hit home. Igrillik leaned over to peer at himunbelievingly. Eemakh seemed to have difficulty in focusing his glowingeyes on the Terran.
There were, of course, requests for clarification. Mayne left therepetitions to the pilot.
In the end, Eemakh arose and embraced him, a startling action that leftMayne feeling introspectively of his ribs. Igrillik called out somethingto the bodyguard attending the chief, causing Mayne to repress a shudderat the flashing display of big Kappan teeth. He assumed that a smile wasa humanoid constant.
Haruhiku's pilot approached with a new message.
"Now they have to land near here, in half an hour or less," said thespacer.
"There's just one more thing," Mayne told him. "Voorhis is satisfied,Melin--look, he's gone to sleep on the table!--is relieved, the Kappansare friendly, and J. P. McDonald will be happy when he lands. Now I haveto get myself off the hook for two million!"
He turned to the _Gemsbok_ crewmen loitering before the hut.
"Who was the communications man?" he demanded.
A lean, freckled youth with a big nose admitted to the distinction.Mayne draped an arm about his shoulders and told him he was back inbusiness.
"Say to them," he instructed Haruhiku, "that if they are to learn how touse the equipment Meeg has provided for their temple, they must notdelay one minute in taking our friend here into the ship ... uh ... makethat 'temple.' He will show them how a spaceship is called down from theskies."
Haruhiku gave him a straight-faced glance that was a masked guffaw. Hetranslated, and orders began to be shouted back and forth among theKappans, all the way to the top-most level of the construction. Thelieutenant called his pilot.
"I'll have him flash the scout an order to monitor the _Gemsbok_ andtransfer landing control as soon as they hear her on the air," heexplained.
Mayne nodded. He clutched the arm o
f the _Gemsbok_ operator, who wasbeing urged away by Igrillik and a group of warrior escorts.
"Just one thing, son," he shouted over the babble. "Forget about theship's call sign. You go on the air calling yourself Kappa OrionisCentral Control."
"Kappa Orionis Central...?" repeated the youth distrustfully.
"You've got it," said Mayne, and shoved him on his way. He turned toHaruhiku. "The last thing to do is to send the helicopter for somepaint. I don't care if it _isn't_ dry when the _Diamond Belt_ touchesdown--I want a sign over the door of this hut!"
"A sign?"
"Make it read 'Spaceport Number