"Very well!" acceded the Chaschman--Gray. "It does no harm to listen; we are not committed."
Reith said, "I am of this man's opinion." He indicated the old nomad. "Pera is a tumble of ruins. The people here are little better than fugitives. They have no pride or self-respect; they live in holes, they are dirty and ignorant, they wear rags. What's worse, they don't seem to care."
The committee blinked in surprise. The old nomad gave a hoarse jeering laugh; the Chaschman---Gray scowled. The others looked doubtful. Retiring a few paces, they muttered among themselves, then turned back to Reith. "Can you explain in detail what you propose to do?"
Reith shook his head. "I haven't given the matter any thought. To be blunt, I am a civilized man; I was educated and trained in civilized circumstances. I know what men can achieve. It is a great deal-more perhaps than you can imagine. The folk of Pera are men; I would insist that they live like men."
"Yes, yes," cried the marsh-man, "but how? In what particular?"
"Well, in the first place, I would want a militia, disciplined, and well trained, to maintain order, to protect the city and caravans from the Green Chasch. I would organize schools and a hospital; later a foundry, warehouses, a market. Meanwhile I would encourage people to build houses, in clean surroundings."
The committeemen fidgeted uneasily, looking askance at one another and at Reith.
The old nomad grunted. "We are men, of course; who has denied it? And since we are men, we must live carefully. We do not desire to be Dirdir. Suffice that we survive."
The Gray said, "The Blue Chasch would never allow such pretensions. They tolerate us at Pera only because we are inconspicuous."
"But also because we supply certain of their wants," stated the short man. "They buy our produce cheap."
"It is never wise to irritate those in power," argued the Gray. Reith held up his hand. "You've heard my program. If you won't cooperate wholeheartedly-select another chief."
The old nomad turned a searching glance at Reith, then drew the others apart.
There was heated argument. Finally they returned. "We agree to your terms. You will be our chief."
Reith, who had been hoping that the committee would decide otherwise, heaved a small sigh. "Very well, so be it. I warn you, I'll demand a great deal from you.
You'll work harder than ever before in your lives-for your own ultimate good. Or at least I hope so."
He spoke to the committee for an hour, explaining what he hoped to achieve, and succeeded in arousing interest, even guarded enthusiasm.
Late in the afternoon, Reith, with Anacho and three of the committee members, went to explore the erstwhile palace of Naga Goho.
Up the winding path they walked, with the grim pile of masonry looming overhead.
They passed through the dank courtyard, into the main hall. Naga Goho's cherished possessions: the heavy benches and table, the rugs, wall-hangings, tripod lamps, the platters and urns were already filmed over with dust.
Adjoining the hall were sleeping chambers, smelling of soiled clothing and aromatic unguents. The corpse of Naga Goho's concubine lay as Reith had first discovered it. The group hastily drew back.
On the other side of the hall were storerooms stacked with great quantities of loot: bales of cloth, crates of leather, parcels of rare wood, tools, weapons, implements, ingots of raw metal, flasks of essence, books written in brown and gray dots upon black paper, which Anacho identified as Wankh production manuals.
An alcove held a chest half-full of sequins. Two smaller coffers contained jewels, ornaments, trinkets, trifles: a magpie's hoard. The committeemen selected steel swords with filigree pommels and guards for themselves; Traz and Anacho did likewise. Traz, after a diffident glance at Reith, arrayed himself in a fine golden ocher cloak, boots of soft black leather, a beautifully wrought casque of thin steel, drooping and splaying to protect the nape of the neck.
Reith located several dozen energy pistols with spent powercells. These, according to Anacho, could be recharged from the power-cells which drove the drays: a fact evidently unknown to Naga Goho.
The sun was low in the west when they departed the gloomy palace. Crossing the courtyard Reith noticed a squat door set back in a niche. He heaved it open, to reveal a flight of steep stone stairs. Up wafted a dismal draft, reeking of mold, organic decay, filth-and something else: a musky dank stench which stiffened the hairs at the back of Reith's neck.
"Dungeons," said Anacho laconically. "Listen."
A feeble croaking murmur came up from below. Inside the door Reith found a lamp, but was unable to evoke light. Anacho tapped the top of the bulb, to produce a white radiance. "A Dirdir device."
The group descended the steps, ready for anything, and stepped forth into a high-vaulted chamber. Traz, seizing at Reith's arm, pointed; Reith saw a black shape gliding quietly off into the far shadows. "Pnume," muttered Anacho, hunching his shoulders. "They infest the ruined places of Tschai, like worms in old wood."
A high lamp cast a feeble light, revealing cages around the periphery of the room. In certain of these were bones, in others heaps of putrefying flesh, in others living creatures, from whom issued the sounds which the group had heard.
"Water, water," moaned the shambling figures. "Give us water!"
Reith held the lamp close. "Chaschmen."
From a tank to the side of the room he filled pannikins of water and brought them to the cages.
The Chaschmen drank avidly and clamored for more, which Reith brought to them.
Heavy cages at the far end of the room held a pair of massive motionless figures with towering conical scalps.
"Green Chasch," whispered Traz. "What did Naga Goho do with these?"
Anacho said, "Notice: they peer in a single direction only, the direction of their horde. They are telepathic."
Reith dipped up two more pans of water, thrust them into the cages of the Green Chasch. The creatures reached ponderously, sucked the pans dry.
Reith returned to the Chaschmen. "How long have you been here?"
"A long, long time," croaked one of the captives. "I cannot say how long."
"Why were you caged?"
"Cruelty! Because we were Chaschmen!"
Reith returned to the committeemen. "Did you know they were here?"
"No! Naga Goho did as he pleased."
Reith moved the linch-pins, opened the doors. "Come forth; you are free. The men who captured you are dead."
The Chaschmen timorously crept forth. They went to the tank and drank more water. Reith turned back to examine the Green Chasch. "Very strange, strange indeed."
"Perhaps Goho used them as indicators," Anacho suggested. "He would know at all times the direction of their horde."
"No one can talk to them?"
"They do not talk; they transfer thoughts."
Reith turned to the committeemen. "Send up a dozen men, to carry the cages down to the plaza."
"Bah," muttered Bruntego the Gray. "Best kill the ugly beasts! Kill the Chaschmen as well!"
Reith turned him a quick glare. "We are not Gnashters! We kill from necessity only! As for the Chaschmen, let them go back to their servitude, or stay here as free men, whatever they wish."
Bruntego gave a sour grunt. "If we do not kill them, they will kill us."
Reith, making no answer, turned the lamp toward the remote parts of the dungeon, to find only dank stone walls. He could not learn how the Pnume had departed the chamber, nor could the Chaschmen give any coherent information. "They would come, silent as devils, to look at us, with never a word, nor would they bring us water!"