ofthing."
"I don't. I have learned to expect very little from you besidetrouble. Only now I am going to need your help. This is Snarbi's lastnight of freedom whether he knows it or not, and I don't want himstanding guard tonight, so you and I will split the shift."
Mikah was astonished. "I do not understand. What do you mean this ishis last night of freedom?"
"It should be obvious by now--even to you--after seeing how the socialethic works on this planet. What did you think we were going to dowhen we came to Appsala--follow Snarbi like sheep to the slaughter? Ihave no idea what he is planning. I just know he must be planningsomething. When I ask him about the city he only answers ingeneralities. Of course he is a hired mercenary who wouldn't know toomuch of the details, but he must know a lot more than he is tellingus. He says we are still four days away from the city. My guess isthat we are no more than one or two. In the morning I intend to grabhim and tie him up, then swing over to those hills there and find aplace to hole up. I'll fix some chains for Snarbi so he can't getaway, then I'll do a scout of the city...."
"You are going to chain this poor man, make a slave of him for noreason!"
"I'm not going to make a slave of him, just chain him to make sure hedoesn't lead us into some trap that will benefit him. This souped-up_caroj_ is valuable enough to tempt any of the locals, and if he cansell me as an engine-mechanic slave his fortune is made."
* * * * *
"I will not hear this!" Mikah stormed. "You condemn the man on noevidence at all, just because of your nasty minded suspicions. Judgenot lest ye be judged yourself! And you play the hypocrite as well,because I well remember your telling me that a man is innocent untilproven guilty."
"Well this man is guilty, if you want to put it that way, guilty ofbeing a member of this broken down society, which means that he willalways act in certain ways at certain times. Haven't you learnedanything about these people yet? Ijale!" She looked up from contentedmunching on a _krenoj_, obviously not listening to the argument. "Tellme, what is your opinion? We are coming soon to a place where Snarbihas friends, or people who will help him. What do you think he willdo?"
"Say hello to the people he knows? Maybe they will give him a_krenoj_." She smiled in satisfaction at her answer and took anotherbite.
"That's not quite what I had in mind," Jason said patiently. "What ifwe three are with him when we come to the people, and the people seeus and the _caroj_...."
She sat up, alarmed. "We can't go with him! If he has people therethey will fight us, make us slaves, take the _caroj_. You must killSnarbi at once."
"Bloodthirsty heathen...." Mikah began in his best denunciatory voice,but quit when he saw Jason pick up a heavy hammer.
"Do you understand yet?" Jason asked. "By tying up Snarbi I'm onlyconforming to a local code of ethic, like saluting in the army or noteating with your fingers in polite society. In fact I'm being a littleslipshod, since by local custom I should kill him before he can makeus trouble."
"It cannot be, I cannot believe it. You cannot judge and condemn a manupon such flimsy evidence."
"I'm not condemning him," Jason said with growing irritation, "Justmaking sure that he can't cause me any trouble. You don't have toagree with me to help me, just don't get in my way. And split theguard with me tonight. Whatever I do in the morning will be on myshoulders and no concern of yours."
"He is returning," Ijale hissed, and a moment later Snarbi came upthrough the high grass.
"Got a _cervo_," he announced proudly, and dropped the animal downbefore them. "Cut him up, makes good chops and roast. We eat tonight."
He was completely innocent and without guile and the only thing guiltyabout him was his shifty gaze which could be blamed completely on hiscrossed eyes. Jason wondered for a second if his assessment of thedanger was correct, then remembered where he was and lost his doubts.Snarbi would be committing no crime if he tried to kill or enslavethem, just doing what any ordinary, decent slave-holding barbarianwould do in his place. Jason searched through his tool box for somerivets that could be used to fasten the leg irons on the man.
They had a filling dinner and the others turned in at dusk and werequickly asleep. Jason, tired from the labors of the trip and heavywith food, forced himself to remain awake, trying to keep alert fortrouble both from within and from without. When he became too sleepyhe paced around the camp until the cold drove him back to the shelterof the still-warm boiler. Above him the stars wheeled slowly and whena prominent one reached the zenith he estimated it was midnight, or abit after. He shook Mikah awake.
"You're on now. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything stirring anddon't forget a careful watch there," he jerked his thumb at Snarbi'ssilent form. "Wake me up at once if there's anything suspicious."
* * * * *
Sleep dropped like a heavy curtain and Jason barely stirred until thefirst light of dawn touched the sky. Only the brighter stars werevisible on the eastern horizon and he could see a ground fog risingfrom the grass around them. Near him were the huddled forms of the twosleepers and the farthest one shifted in his sleep and he realized itwas Mikah.
Sleep fell away instantly and he bounded out of his skin covers andgrabbed the other man by the shoulders. "What are you doing asleep?"he raged. "You were supposed to be on guard."
Mikah opened his eyes and blinked. "I was on guard, but towardsmorning Snarbi awoke and offered to take his turn. I could not refusehim...."
"You couldn't WHAT? After what I said--"
"That was why. I could not judge an innocent man guilty and be a partyto your unfair action. Therefore, I left him on guard."
"You did, did you?" Jason grated with rage and pulled an unfelthandful of hair from his newgrown beard. "Then where is he? Do you seeanyone on guard?"
Mikah looked in a careful circle and saw only the two of them and thewakening Ijale. "He seems to have gone. He has proven hisuntrustworthiness and in the future we will not allow him to standguard."
Jason raged, drew his foot back for a kick in the local reflex thenrealized he had no time for such indulgences and dived for thesteamobile. The firelighter worked at the first shot, for a rarechange, and he lit the boiler. It roared merrily but when he tappedthe indicator he saw the fuel was almost gone. There would be enoughleft in the last jug to take them to safety before whatever troubleSnarbi was planning arrived. But the jug was gone.
"That tears it," Jason said resignedly after a hectic search of the_caroj_ and the surrounding plain. The water-of-power had vanishedwith Snarbi who, afraid as he was of the steam engine, apparently knewenough from observing Jason fueling the thing that it could not movewithout the vital liquid. An empty feeling of resignation had replacedJason's first rage: he should have known better than to trust Mikahwith anything, particularly when it involved an ethical point. Hestared at the man, now calmly eating a bit of cold roast and marveledat the unruffled calm. "This doesn't bother you, the fact that youhave condemned us all to slavery again?"
"I did what was right, I had no other choice. We must live as moralcreatures or sink to the level of the animals."
"But when you live with people who behave like animals--how do yousurvive?
"You live as they do--as you do, Jason," he said with majesticjudgment, "twisting and turning with fear and unable to avoid yourfate no matter how you squirm. Or you live as I have done, as a man ofconviction, knowing what is right and not letting your head be turnedby the petty needs of the day. And if one lives this way one can diehappy."
"Then die happy!" Jason snarled and reached for his sword, but settledback again glumly before he picked it up. "To think that I everthought I could teach you anything about the reality of existence herewhen you have never experienced reality before nor ever will until theday you die. You carry your own attitudes, which are your reality,around with you all the time, and they are more solid to you than thisground we are sitting upon."
"For once we are in agreement, Jason.
I have tried to open your eyesto the true light, but you turn away and will not see. You ignore theEternal Law for the exigencies of the moment and are, therefore,damned."
The pressure indicator on the boiler hissed and popped out, but thefuel level was at the absolute bottom.
"Grab some food for breakfast, Ijale," Jason said, "and get away fromthis machine. The fuel is gone and it's finished."
"I shall make a bundle to carry, we will escape on foot."
"No, that's out of the question. Snarbi knows this country and he knewwe would find out that he was missing at dawn.
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