by Paul Corey
He was getting himself pretty well cleaned up. Then he stopped. He looked all around, alert for some danger. My glance followed his and when he looked up I saw the bubble floating slowly along the edge of the wood. Downstream a short distance water had eroded the bank from half the roots of a largish tree. I dived for shelter among those sprawling roots and Cat came with me.
My conclusion that Grendan probing couldn’t pick up my vibrations through solid ground wasn’t too certain. But my experience under the gully bank on the stubble field gave me a little assurance. Cat and I crouched beneath the bole of that tree and waited.
I heard the whistling call that was obviously intended for Cat. But how did they know he had come back here? Then a voice said: “Doctor Stone. We have a message for you. We have a message from Earth for you. I repeat. Doctor Stone, we have a message from Earth for you.”
They were trying to trick me. We didn’t move. The bubble floated on.
I heard the whistling repeated and after it came the message. I heaved a sigh of relief. They were just probing. Perhaps they had followed Cat—I couldn’t be sure that wasn’t true—and the edge of the wood was where they had lost him.
We waited until the sound of the message—a tape recording no doubt—could no longer be heard. Then we crawled out.
“Well, Cat, what do we do now?”
We looked into each others’ eyes. We looked deep. Even if Cat didn’t understand what I said, he did understand that he saw another being with eyes that looked back at him.
The Grendans hadn’t found us this time. But how about next time? And I wasn’t getting off this planet, back to Earth, to help Karen and Talcott Jones. I was a fugitive, running, and soon I would be hungry. And Cat would be hungry.
My only plan was to work my way south. I hoped that my spacerover lay down there near the edge of the woods. If I found it, what good would it do me? If I could get aboard it, I could close it up like a fortress. My supply of food would last a little while. I could parley—perhaps strike a bargain.
The Grendans probably expected me to make for the Wingul and would be waiting for me there. It was under guard anyhow. If there was only one guard, Trom, and I could get behind him . . . But that was dreaming. Action was what counted now. I had to lose the bubbles. The best course was to plunge deeper into the woods. I set out and Cat went along.
Twice that day Cat warned me of searching bubbles. Both times they were following the edge of the wood. I felt that we were eluding them.
That evening we took shelter beneath a rock ledge. Cat came up to me and snuffed the kit bag.
“All gone. Cat,” I said. “I’m hungry too.”
He sat beside me for a time just looking around. Then he walked away. I stifled an impulse to try to call him back. Perhaps he was going hunting. Maybe he would share with me.
Twilight deepened. Several minutes must have passed after the smell came before I really admitted that I smelled it. Food was being prepared somewhere not too far away. I sprang up in a panic. Was this another Grendan trick?
Then I heard the unmistakable beat of a drum and a high keening sound that might pass, some places, for music. I figured I had better stay where I was and take no chances. But the food smell grew. My stomach growled demanding. Finally I decided to investigate.
The outcropping of rock that sheltered me continued down the edge of a little valley. I crept along it. The sound of the music and the smell of food grew stronger. Trees and brush were thicker here and the going was difficult. I must have covered at least a quarter of a mile when the line of rock made a sharp turn into a small clearing.
I was warned of what was ahead by the light of a fire glowing on the bushes. With utmost care I peered around the edge of the ledge. I knew that if these were Grendans and they sensed me I was done for.
What I saw stunned me. There were a dozen or more men and women around a fire. Pieces of meat stuck on sticks were broiling over it. One of the group beat a drum; another strummed a sort of stringed instrument. The keening sound was made by all of them singing.
And all of them were sighted. They had eyes where eyes ought to be. It was unmistakable. There was enough natural light left plus the light from the fire to confirm what I saw.
Reflex governed my action. I stepped forth. The music stopped. All of them sprang to their feet and began buzzing like crazy. And I realised what a fool I was.
It was too late to turn back. I walked resolutely towards then, raised my hand and said, “How.”
They swarmed around me, pointed at my eyes, fingered my clothing and the buzzing grew in volume.
They were sighted all right, but what a stinking, dirty bunch of humanoids they were. Obviously, here was some genetic throwback. Two of them were cross-eyed. One was wall-eyed. Three had only one good eye each. It was apparent that at least two had had one eye removed, probably by operation. And there was one with both eye sockets empty. He was as blind as any normal Grendan.
The buzzing stopped abruptly. They drew back and dropped to their knees. All of them except the one who had been blinded. The others held out their hands supplicating. It dawned on me that they took me for some sort of god.
I decided to make the the most of this situation and indicated that I wanted food. The women served me meat on a stick and a drink in a gourd-like cup that tasted much like Earth wine. As I ate, I noticed behind me a cave in the rocks. That must be their home, I concluded. I also noticed that the blinded one stood apart, refusing to join the others in their adulation of me.
I ate well. The meat was tender and although unseasoned, it tasted wonderful in my hungry state. The wine was even better. As I finished my meal, one of the women approached me on her knees. She was probably the youngest and certainly the best looking of the group. She was obviously offering herself to me.
It was quite apparent that the men didn’t like this, especially one of them. I could see a bad situation shaping up, and indicated that the woman should get more wine. It was then that the blinded one began buzzing.
Of course I didn’t know what he was saying. But he gestured up towards the sky a number of times. He made circling motions with his hands. It didn’t take more to make me realise that he was telling the others that I was the person the Grendans in their bubbles were searching for.
The group quietened, listening to him. I was in for real trouble. If Cat were only here, I thought, we could give a good account of ourselves. I didn’t see any weapons about. I hadn’t felt the coercive beam used by the blind Grendans.
The women returned with the wine and handed it to me. She ignored what the blinded one was buzzing. She had found favour in my sight and that was good enough for her. She snuggled up to me.
Then the two-eyed Grendan—her man, I’m sure— buzzed at her. She buzzed back. He grabbed a club and rushed us. I sprang up and threw the wine in his face. That stopped him momentarily and I began retreating, swinging my cleaver menacingly.
The girl stayed beside me. Now the whole gang became threatening. My moment of deity was over. Then someone threw a rock and I was out cold.
My next sensation was a terrible throbbing in my head. It was dark all around. I lay on my side and my arms were behind me. I guessed that my hands were tied. It took only a twitch of my legs to know that my feet were tied also.
There seemed to be no feeling where my fingers should be. It was as if I didn’t have any. Then I realised a sensation of tugging approximately where my bonds should be. Was someone trying to free me? I thought of the girl in the camp. My hopes rose. I felt a pinch where feeling still was in my wrist area. Then I distinctly heard a chewing sound. I tried to roll away and succeeded only in getting over on my face.
Two large paws came down on my back, holding me helpless. The chewing went on. Was I being eaten dive? As far as I could tell, my hands were already gone. The terror of this thought dropped me into unconsciousness again.
When I revived, my arms could move freely. Although my fingers tingled, I cou
ld feel. I still had hands. The chewing was at my feet now. I raised up and turned a little to see what was going on. A paw came down on my moving legs. In the darkness I saw the shape of an animal—a cat.
“Cat?” I whispered hopefully. I heard a faint “Murrf.” The chewing continued. Smart Cat, I thought. He’s freeing me.
He went on eating the thongs after getting them off my feet and I realised that they were of some animal hide and Cat was hungry.
As far as I could tell, I was lying out in an open area. I felt about in the darkness and found my belongings—all of them. For a moment I puzzled this situation. Then the meaning came to me. That group of sighted Grendans had put me out where the blind Grendans would be sure to find me. Apparently they were afraid that the unsighted Grendans might find them in searching for me if I were allowed to stay in their group. And that sighted Grendan whose eyes had been plucked out could tell the others what would happen to them if they were caught.
Of course, the unsighted Grendans would think it strange to find me bound. But the outlaw crew had no way of making sure I would be discovered short of killing me.
Perhaps the girl kept them from murdering me; perhaps murdering me would have placed the group in greater jeopardy. However, they had reckoned without Cat, and I was free.
Sensation returned to my feet. I gathered up my gear and we moved down the slope. Again we found shelter beneath an overhanging bank. We lay down together with my cape over us and slept.
Just before dawn I was aroused by a squeaking sound. Cat heard it before I did. Maybe his movements awakened me. Once he made a little throaty growl. The sound seemed distant but coming closer.
And the sound changed its character. It was no longer a squeaking, but a yelping, like a pack of dogs. There seemed little doubt that, whatever it was, it was coming our way. Cat moved out to open ground, crouching. Grabbing my cleaver I faced dark brush not knowing what to expect.
All I first saw was a rippling, mottled shadow. It seemed to know exactly what it was doing. Without the slightest hesitation it headed straight for Cat. The only Earth likeness was a pack of multi-coloured rats, huge ones.
Cat charged before they reached him. In the pre-dawn dimness there appeared an orange-yellow mist and out of it hurtled small bodies, yelping and whining now. He struck with both forepaws, claws tearing. He bit, breaking backs and necks and legs. He rolled to shake off attackers who had fastened on to him.
I had been so enthralled by this furious battle that I didn’t notice a tugging at my boots. When I did look down, there were three of these animals tearing at the annis-hide. I beat them off with the cleaver, cutting one in half.
The yelping and whining lessened and I was aware that Cat had won the battle. What was left of the pack had fled. He stood amid bodies still throating fury. Then he sniffed a couple. He looked towards me. Deliberately he picked up one by the neck and came over and laid it at my feet. He rubbed against me.
“Good Cat,” I said. “Mighty Cat.”
He moved back to the scene of battle. I heard the cracking and crunching of bones. Cat was eating.
In the growing light I examined the body Cat had presented me. It was not rat-like in appearance at all. Brown and white spotted and with long floppy ears, it looked in miniature like a beagle I once knew on Earth. I remembered that Terran dog breaking the back of a kitten.
Then I realised that this was the meat the sighted Grendans had fed me last evening. I had no hunger at all at the moment. But cat went on gorging himself. Afterwards, he washed his wounds and we waited for the sun.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Morning had hardly come full on, brightening the mist in the hollows, sparkling the dew, before the voice of a bubble was heard over the land. It was not directly above us, but covering the area where we were hidden.
We were back at the very edge of the bush again. Those outlaw Grendans had carried me all the way out here to make sure I would be captured. Perhaps they had even informed that I was there.
The voice in the bubble didn’t sound like a tape recording this time. It wasn’t too close when I first heard it. I was quite aware that it was circling. The next time around it sounded more distinct. I caught a certain familiarity of tone. Yes, that was it. I was hearing Ello’s voice.
“Thur, darling, this is Ello. Please listen to me. We have picked up a message from Earth. Please reveal yourself. Your treatment at the refuge was a sorry mistake. Please, darling, come out. I miss you.”
I told myself that if she was up there she would have guards with her. All she was trying to do was get me to come out, then they would float down and capture me. I moved in my shelter so that I could look up at the sky. When the bubble drifted into that section I saw that she was quite alone.
There was still the possibility that I could get to my spacerover. And maybe if I just waited, saying nothing, Ello might give up and go away. Of course there might be a ground party of Grendans circling this spot right now for all I knew.
In desperation I decided to try to bargain right here. It seemed to be the only chance, both for myself and for Cat.
The next time Ello’s bubble floated over, I bellowed: “Ello! What message from Earth?”
She heard me and floated in above the bank.
“Darling, please reveal yourself, please.”
Her appeal sounded genuine. “The message, Ello!” I roared. “Don’t try to trick me, Ello!”
Cat looked at me, then up at the bubble, completely baffled by my behaviour.
“It’s true, darling,” she called down. “Somehow a part of your distress call reached your planet. They know you are in trouble. They keep calling you for a fix.”
That was puzzling. Why only part of the signal? The complete call carried a fix with it automatically.
“When did your people pick up the Earth signal?”
“The day I left you at the refuge.”
I began to understand. The storm had knocked out the converter and that took the restraints off my ship. I remembered pushing down the distress button and leaving it that way.
The pattern of the SOS was automatic. The first message would be picked up by Earth receivers and relayed to Space Rescue. No first message was ever missed. Every three hours after that the ship’s position was sent with a request for assistance. The repeat was merely to keep the mission on its toes until rescue was accomplished.
Of course, my first message had been blocked. But some time during the converter blackout the repeat signal had gone out. Why hadn’t Earth received the full signal? There was no time to dig for the answer to that at the moment.
“Come down,” I yelled, and stepped out of our shelter.
The bubble floated to the grass in front of me and Ello split out of it in a rush.
“Oh, darling.”
She came towards me. The first impression—slender arms reaching, her yellow shimmering tight garments, her lips full and smiling—almost got me. She was so beautiful. The blank place where eyes should be did not matter. And I knew I loved her. But I didn’t let her reach me. I held her at arms’ length. There were matters to settle.
“No, Ello. You tricked me into that animal refuge and left me with a bunch of clods. I’ve got to know why.”
“A mistake, believe me. I planned to leave you there until I could make better arrangements. They just didn’t realise how special a type of animal you were.”
“That’s just it. You still consider me in a category with Cat.”
“By Grendan standards you are.”
“Blast Grendan standards. They may make sense to blind Grendans but they don’t make sense to me.”
Her hand came up and stroked my face. It was unshaved and dirty. I was filthy with grime all over.
“You’re a mess, darling. Come along. Let’s clean you up.”
“No,” I said, and saw her lips tighten a little.
“The other day you used the Earth word ‘love’,” she said. “You feel love for me. Don’t be di
fficult, my pet.”
“You don’t get it. If I let myself go I can love you all right, baby. But it’s different from what you think. It’s got to be on the same level. I’m not going to be your pet. I am no more an animal than you are. You’ll have to promise to treat me that way.”
Her shoulders tensed beneath my hands.
“You are an animal. We make no promises to animals.”
I felt the cord go through me. She was hesitant about using it, intending it only as a warning. But before it could really control, I spun her around and locked one arm beneath her chin.
With her back to me the cord disappeared. She tried to struggle. My other came up across her bosom, holding her tight against me. She struggled harder, trying to twist out of my hold. The firm curve of her breast in my hand almost whipped me where her fighting couldn’t.
Suddenly she gave up. A little sigh relaxed her body against me. I felt every curve softly mounding my tense muscles. She tilted back her head and her cheek brushed mine, then she pressed hard against me.
“I will make you that promise,” she said.
But I didn’t let her go. This was too good a position to abandon at first success.
“Ello, you must realise that we are equals after our fashion. I am not of a lower order the way your people rate me just because I have eyes and didn’t score high in those tests your dad gave me. The only difference between us is this little matter of sight and an accompanying different emphasis in sensory education and perfection of perception. With glasses like those I fixed up for you, you look no different than a Terran. And I’m sure you could help me to acquire the greater sensitivity of Grendans.”
“Let me turn, darling. Please.”
“Promise never to use that beam on me again.”
She sighed. “I promise.”
A breeze blew in, whipping her short blue hair. It was so nice there in the little gully. Around us stretched the shrub-covered slope of the hill, bright with flowered bushes. I heard a singing butterfly not far away.