As if this remark had caused another temblor, and Deyv wasn't sure that it hadn't, the ground began' to shake. Those on the hill fell silent; the beat of drums and the shrilling of noseflutes stopped. The animals and birds ceased their racket, causing Deyv to wonder why they had not been hushed before this.
Animals were supposed to be very sensitive to the quakes, detecting them long before they became evident to humans. But then Jum and Aejip, who'd long behaved strangely when a temblor was coming, had lately been as surprised as their master. He hadn't thought anything of that until just now. Maybe they were getting used to the shakes.
This one was a minor quivering of the earth for a few seconds. After a few minutes, the crowd resumed their noisy activity, and the animals and birds took up their own uproar.
"Here comes the second shock," Sloosh said, referring to the anticipated reception their appearance would get.
Dragging a net full of red-ear heads, Sloosh stepped out from behind a tree and waded through the water. The Shemibob came next, also hauling a net and Deyv on her back. He'd decided at the last moment he'd ride her. He was to act as intermediary, and despite his reluctance to mount a higher being, he could gain more authority if he appeared to be controlling the snake-centaur.
Vana came last, carrying the baby in one arm, a spear in the other hand prodding the captive ahead of her.
They were sighted almost immediately. Shrieks and yells went up, and there was a frenzied scramble to get back up the hill. By the time the strangers had reached the foot of the hill, it was deserted. The gate swung shut on the last of the stampeding refugees. Faces appeared over the stockage, and the observation tower swarmed with frightened men.
The intruders reached the plateau on which the village stood. Sloosh opened his net and hauled out the heads. A concerted cry of wonder rose from the onlookers. The plant-man began to hurl the heads over the gate.
Waving his spear, Deyv shouted, "Here are the gifts we bring you! You will be attacked by the red-ears no more! Your plants and your warriors are safe from them! We have slain them for you to show our friendship!"
Having finished dispensing his load, Sloosh emptied The Shemibob's net onto the ground.
"Come out and get these!" Deyv shouted. "Each tribe can have its own trophies! You may put them up on poles to remind you how the mighty Deyv and his friends, The Shemibob and the Archkerri—and his mighty wife," he added, knowing that Vana would be displeased if she were left out, "slew the monstrous red-ears easily. Just as easily as they could slay six tribes in a very short time."
"Don't overdo it," The Shemibob said softly.
"But we come as friends, not to kill! We come to lead you to a place where earthquakes will not tear your land apart and destroy youl We have come to save youl"
Vana urged the captive forward.
"Here is the woman Be'nyar!" Deyv said. "We took her from you so that we could learn your language and your customs! In fact, all your secrets! As you can see, she is unharmed! Come out and get her!"
The shaman of the Chaufi'ng, Diknirdik, was standing on a platform inside the wall near the gate. With him were the shamans of the other tribes. He was a tall broad-shouldered fellow of middle age, wearing a double-coned hat fringed with feathers. Small red feathers were glued to his upper lip; the rest of his face was painted with thin vertical stripes of white, black, and green. He lacked four upper teeth.
He turned and said something to his colleagues. They talked fiercely for a moment before he gave his attention to the invaders again.
"Go away!" he bellowed. "We appreciate your gift of the red-ear heads! We thank you for them, and we will honor you by sacrifices to our ancestors! We'll tell them that you are our friends, and thus they won't harm you!
"But we have no need of your further presence! We are afraid that the demons with you will scare the children!"
Deyv laughed and said,""Not to mention scaring your brave warriors!"
The Shemibob said, "Don't insult them without a good purpose! They need to be soothed, not angered.
But you must still keep them awed of us."
"I know that," Deyv muttered. "I have some intelligence."
"Then use it!"
"Very well," he bellowed. "We will go back down to the bottom of the hill. There we'll set up camp until you decide to come out and be friendly. Believe me, so far you haven't acted as friends! Watch us! When we get there we'll demonstrate a little bit of our magic!"
When Sloosh pulled the rod of the cube and it Unfolded, a loud cry of amazement and fear came from the village. The plant-man said, "I hope we don't have to collapse it again. I wouldn't guarantee that if d do it completely."
"It's too bad I don't have my bag," The Shemibob said. "However, if I can't handle them with my wits alone, I deserve to be killed."
"They are ignorant and superstitious," Sloosh said. "But they have the same intelligence as their civilized ancestors. Don't underrate them."
"My apologies. I've been so used to dominating the lesser beings that I forget they're really not so inferior if I don't have my devices."
"They certainly outnumber us," Deyv said.
"But we've got them buffaloed," Vana said. She looked up the hill. Be'nyar was still standing outside the closed gate, and she was crying to be let in. The shamans were in another huddle.
"So far," Sloosh said, "we have them buffaloed. Well, let's partake of the delicious-smelling food which they so kindly left for us."
They ate and then relieved themselves in the swamp water nearby. This was used by the tribe for this purpose, which did not keep them from taking their drinking and boiling water from the same place.
Vana and Deyv went farther out to fill their fired-clay vessels for their own drinking. Long ago, Sloosh had explained the connection between disease and, lack of sanitation.
Vana nursed the baby. The others walked around for a while, talking, and then all went into the vessel to sleep. Before retiring, though, they watched the village for a while. Be'nyar was still at the gate, but she had stopped beseeching entrance. Now she was huddled on her knees, her head bowed.
They'd decided against setting a watch. If they pretended to be indifferent to the tribes' actions, they would impress them. Such nonchalance would make them think that the strangers were so powerful that they didn't care at all what measures the villagers took.
After they were inside the vessel and the door was closed, Sloosh said, "We may be taking the wrong approach. All we know of the temper of these people is what Be'nyar has told us. She may have been lying. Or she may have given us insufficient information because we failed to ask the right questions."
"What difference would it make?" The Shemibob said. "They can do nothing while we're locked in the vessel. Setting up a guard won't alter the situation. I'm going to sleep while they stew about this." '
She retired to another room. Sleeping with them would make them her peers, according to her way of thinking. Deyv didn't understand why. He'd questioned her about it, though with some trepidation, and she had said that the fact he didn't understand it made clear the difference between them.
Sloosh also bedded down in another chamber. He didn't mind sharing the same quarters, but they did.
Though it was impossible for him to snore, he "talked" in his sleep, and the resultant buzzing often woke them up.
Deyv dreamed that his grandmother came to him.
"This is the last time we'll meet, beloved grandson. Spirits can't cross from one world to another."