A smaller cloud of dust, rising at the far end of the valley, near the upper woods, caught his eye. He hauled the mare to a stop. Straining to see what caused this second cloud, it flashed through Ken's mind that he was not the only novice horseman. He had not seen Solinari with the other three. He turned the mare to investigate and, as she decided she was being taken away from the things which had frightened her, she accelerated willingly.
When Reeve got close enough to pick up the second trail, he was glad he had followed his hunch. A single horse had passed here at a frantic pace. The trail led east, at a tangent from the urfas' course, down to the end of the valley. The mare cantered easily now, her sweat soaked neck drying, her gait smoothing out to a mile-eating lope. Each collect jarred the raw patches on his knees, however, and as the trail led farther and farther away from the settlement, it occurred to Ken that meant just that much more distance on the return journey. He was sure he would have no flesh left on buttock or thigh.
Apprehensive for Solinari's safety, he kept on. The trail he followed changed its pattern and he guessed that the other mare had dropped to a trot. Solinari must have finally got her under control. Up the slope the trail led and down into the drier plain beyond.
Faintly on the wind was borne the sound of a scream, the like of which struck answering terror in both Ken and his mare. She came to a stiff-legged stop and began to tremble. Whinnying, she brought her head up in a painful collision with Ken's nose. Trying to control the mare and the nosebleed took all Reeve's attention for a moment. The mare danced as the scream sounded again and again and, as suddenly, died away. The mare snorted nervously and began her backward prancing again. With a determined whack on her rump, Ken urged her forward and to his surprise she complied.
She loped forward, snorting occasionally, as Reeve tried to convince himself that the scream had been animal, not human. The runaway mare had probably been attacked by a mda, or maybe slipped in a hole and hurt herself. To lose a brood mare in foal was bad enough, but it didn't necessarily follow that Solinari had come to grief at the same time. Reeve tried to ignore the growing physical discomfort of saddle galls.
As he rounded a rise, the plain beyond came into full view. With a scream very like the one they had heard, his mare reared pawing the air. When her front hooves touched ground, she spun around. Reeve made no effort to stop her second mad flight. He had no desire to stay in the vicinity. Only the fact that there was no sign of Solinari near the apparition that seemed to be ingesting the mare whole consoled Reeve. If Solinari had been still atop the horse when the gigantic reptile had attacked, he was already dead.
In the interests of getting back to the settlement in one piece, Reeve gradually brought the mare down to a lope. He alternated reassurances to Socks with incriminations against the unprintable meat-heads who were supposed to have surveyed this planet. There had not been so much as a subheading or comma on reptiles possessing jaws wide enough to accommodate a full-grown mare.
His horse, weary from more hard riding than she had endured in all her short pampered life, gradually slowed her lope to a jolting trot. Ken kept trying to prod her back into the easier lope but finally gave up and let her walk. He followed his own outgoing tracks on the way back. Looking ahead, he saw that the now placid urfa were grazing far down the valley by the river, safely beyond the fields. Sentinel-like, he saw the silhouette of one lone horseman against the bright morning sky, the horse's neck drooping forward, the rider's body in a stoop-shouldered slant. The scene reminded him of a picture he had seen as a child in a museum. Once again the feeling of terrible loss assailed him as the unreceptive center of his soul struggled with the remorseful knowledge that he must leave this grandeur, this spaciousness, this thrilling recurrence of danger.
He pulled up sharply by Macy McKee, the lone guard.
Solinari? he asked, not able to add more to the question
"Broke his leg. The mare tossed him. Did you find her?
More or less, Reeve admitted, heartily relieved that Vic had parted company with his mount long before her end.
What d'you mean? More or less?
" 'Natives' we got, and reptiles too," and Reeve could not control the embittered emphasis on the initial word. "I wonder what other unmentioned surprises the Scouts didn't discover are going to ooze out of this world to confound us."
Reptiles?
Big enough to ingest a mare in one piece.
He left McKee to mull over this comforting information at his leisure and turned the mare toward the stable.
The sun was at its zenith when he eased himself painfully out of the saddle at the corral. The mare farruped at him in weary recognition of home and rest.
Ben and Hrrula came striding out of the barn, both relieved at his appearance.
Where did you disappear to? Ben asked, automatically feeling the mare's chest as she greedily slurped in the water trough.
I thought Solinari was on a runaway, Ken sighed, so I took off after him.
He's got a fracture, Ben said, unclenching Ken's fist from the reins. Didn't you see him get tossed?
Ken shook his head. He was so sore he was positive he'd never be able to dismount. He did not resist Ben's helping hand. His legs wouldn't straighten. The noises the mare made as she sucked in water were cool sounds. Reeve staggered to the trough and shoving her away from the tap, buried his hot face in the water. Coming up for air, he leaned against the edge, looking up at Ben, finally able to communicate his disgust.
You and your 'urfa have never seen horses,' he muttered sourly.
I am sorry, Ken. I am sorry, Ben said fervently, his eyes devoid of amusement. It never occurred to me the boot would be on the other foot.
"Hoof, you mean,'' Ken corrected caustically. "Oh, we got alone fine-after a while. That is," and he dragged out his syllables, watching Hrrula intently, "until the mare got wind of the snake."
Hrrula straightened, his body alert, his ears flattening against his skull as he threw his head up to sniff the wind.
Snake? Ben exclaimed, in the act of removing the sweat-crusted saddle pad, so he didn't see the Hrruban's reaction.
Reptile, I ought to say, to give it full marks. One thinks of snakes as being small. This here now reptile had a jaw span wide enough to eat a mare in one bite. I didn't stay around to note further details.
There was no mention of reptiles of that size in the report, Ben protested, his face blank as he absorbed the full meaning of Reeve's news.
There was no mention of Hrrula's ilk either, Reeve reminded him succinctly, shaking the water from his hair. The motion started the nosebleed again.
Of all the misbegotten, unprintable days, Reeve swore. He felt like such a fool, standing there dripping water, blood and stale sweat, too saddle-sore to stand erect. Scared mares, stamping urfa and starving snakes! He caught the listening look on Hrrula's face as the Hrruban jerked his chin suddenly skyward.
Pressing his bloody nostril shut, Reeve limped bow-leggedly to Hrrula and grabbed his arm.
Disappearing again? he demanded roughly, not bothering to use Hrruban.
"These are our orders, Rrev, much as I would desire to stay,'' Hrrula grinned and, disengaging his arm, trotted away toward the bridge.
What did you mean? asked the perplexed veterinary. What did he mean?
You'll catch on, Ben, you'll catch on, Ken assured him and staggered off in the direction of home.
Chapter XX. TURNABOUT
KEN, Pat called plaintively through the locked bathroom door, Hu Shih wants to know how soon you can attend the meeting.
When I'm damned good and ready, Ken replied, easing his buttocks into another position in the steaming tub. The damned plastic was slippery.
The ice cube at the back of his neck slithered into the water and disintegrated before he could locate it. He waited expectantly but the bleeding didn't start again so he resettled back into the warmth.