"I am Sam 192, squadronite, Company 14 of the Advance Force, in the service of Rock River Tumble. Our valor is a source of wonder to all; our magnificent stele is rooted deep, and exceeded in girth only by the steles of Rose Slope Tumble and crafty Shell Strand Tumble.
"This day I have come at the invitation of the (untranslatable) of Small Square Tumble, to tell of our victories and immensely effective strategies."
Another sound made itself heard: a man speaking falsetto in the Kokod language. The interpretation read:
Question: Tell us about life in Rock River Tumble.
Sam 192: It is very companionable.
Q: What is the first thing you do in the morning?
A: We march past the matrons, to assure ourselves of a properly martial fercundity.
Q: What do you eat?
A: We are nourished in the fields. (Note: The Kokod metabolism is not entirely understood; apparently they ferment organic material in a crop, and oxidize the resultant alcohols.)
Q: Tell us about your daily life.
A: We practice various disciplines, deploy in the basic formations, hurl weapons, train the kinderlings, elevate the veterans.
Q: How often do you engage in battle?
A: When it is our time: when the challenge has issued and the appropriate Code of Combat agreed upon with the enemy.
Q: You mean you fight in various styles?
A: There are 97 conventions of battle which may be employed: for instance, Code 48, by which we overcame strong Black Glass Tumble, allows the lance to be grasped only by the left hand and permits no severing of the leg tendons with the dagger. Code 69, however, insists that the tendons must be cut before the kill is made and the lances are used thwart-wise, as bumpers.
Q: Why do you fight? Why are these wars?
A: Because the steles of the other tumbles would surpass ours in size, did we not fight and win victories. (Note: the stele is a composite tree growing in each tumble. Each victory is celebrated by the addition of a shoot, which joins and augments the main body of the stele. The Rock River Stele is 17 feet in diameter, and is estimated to be 4,000 years old. The Rose Slope Stele is 18 feet in diameter, and the Shell Strand Stele is almost 20 feet in diameter.)
Q: What would happen if warriors from Frog Pond Tumble cut down Rock River Stele?
Sam 192 made no sound. His wattles blew out; his head bobbed. After a moment he turned, marched out of view. Into the screen came a man wearing shoulder tabs of Commonwealth Control. He looked after Sam 192 with an expression of patronizing good humor that Magnus Ridolph considered insufferable.
"The Kokod warriors are well known through the numerous sociological studies published on Earth, of which the most authoritative is perhaps the Carlisle Foundation's Kokod: A Militaristic Society, mnemiphot code AK-SK-RD-BP.
"To summarize, let me state that there are 81 tumbles, or castles, on Kokod, each engaged in highly formalized warfare with all the others. The evolutionary function of this warfare is the prevention of overpopulation on a small world. The Tumble Matrons are prolific, and only these rather protean measures assure a balanced ecology.
"I have been asked repeatedly whether the Kokod warriors fear death. My belief is that identification with the home tumble is so intense that the warriors have small sense of individuality. Their sole ambition is winning battles, swelling the girth of their stele and so glorifying their tumble."
The man spoke on. Magnus Ridolph reached out, speeded up the sequence.
On the screen appeared Shadow Valley Inn - a luxurious building under six tall parasol trees. The commentary read: "At Shadow Valley Inn, genial co-owners Julius See and Bruce Holpers greet tourists from all over the universe."
Two cuts appeared - a dark man with a lowering broad face, a mouth uncomfortably twisted in a grin; the other, lanky, with a long head sparsely thatched with red excelsior. "See" and "Holpers" read the sub-headings.
Magnus Ridolph halted the progression of the program, studied the faces for a few seconds, then allowed the sequence to continue.
"Mr. See and Mr. Holpers," ran the script, "have ingeniously made use of the incessant wars as a means of diverting their guests. A sheet quotes odds on each day's battle - a pastime which arouses enthusiasm among sporting visitors."
Magnus Ridolph turned off the mnemiphot, sat back in the chair, stroked his beard reflectively. "Where odds exist," he said to himself, "there likewise exists the possibility of upsetting the odds... Luckily, my obligation to Mrs. Chickering will in no way interfere with a certain measure of subsidiary profits. Or better, let us say, recompense."
II
Alighting from the Phoenix Line packet, the Hesperornis, Ridolph was startled momentarily by the close horizons of Kokod. The sky seemed to begin almost at his feet.
Waiting to transfer the passengers to the inn was an over-decorated charabanc. Magnus Ridolph gingerly took a seat, and when the vehicle lurched forward a heavy woman scented with musk was thrust against him. "Really!" complained the woman.
"A thousand apologies," replied Magnus Ridolph, adjusting his position. "Next time I will take care to move out of your way."
The woman brushed him with a contemptuous glance and turned to her companion, a woman with the small head and robust contour of a peacock.
"Attendant!" the second woman called presently.
"Yes, Madame."
"Tell us about these native wars; we've heard so much about them."
"They're extremely interesting, Madame. The little fellows are quite savage."
"I hope there's no danger for the onlookers?"
"None whatever; they reserve their unfriendliness for each other."
"What time are the excursions?"
"I believe the Ivory Dune and the Eastern Shield Tumbles march tomorrow; the scene of battle no doubt will center around Muscadine Meadow, so there should be three excursions. To catch the deployments, you leave the inn at 5:00 a.m.; for the onslaught, at 6:00 a.m.; and at 7:00 or 8:00 for the battle proper."
"It's ungodly early," the matron commented. "Is nothing else going on?"
"I'm not certain, Madame. The Green Ball and the Shell Strand might possibly war tomorrow, but they would engage according to Convention 4, which is hardly spectacular."
"Isn't there anything close by the inn?"
"No, Madame. Shadow Valley Tumble only just finished a campaign against Marble Arch, and are occupied now in repairing their weapons."
"What are the odds on the first of these - the Ivory Dune and the Eastern Shield?"
"I believe eight gets you five on Ivory Dune, and five gets you four on Eastern Shield."
"That's strange. Why aren't the odds the same both ways?"
"All bets must be placed through the inn management, Madame."
The carry-all rattled into the courtyard of the inn. Magnus Ridolph leaned forward. "Kindly brace yourself, Madame; the vehicle is about to stop, and I do not care to be held responsible for a second unpleasant incident."
The woman made no reply. The charabanc halted; Magnus Ridolph climbed to the ground. Before him was the inn and behind a mountainside, dappled with succulent green flowers on lush violet bushes. Along the ridge grew tall, slender trees like poplars, vivid black and red. A most colorful world, decided Magnus Ridolph, and, turning, inspected the view down the valley. There were bands and layers of colors - pink, violet, yellow, green, graying into a distant dove color. Where the mouth of the valley gave on the river peneplain, Magnus Ridolph glimpsed a tall conical edifice. "One of the tumbles?" he inquired of the charabanc attendant.
"Yes sir - the Meadow View Tumble. Shadow Valley Tumble is further up the valley, behind the inn."
Magnus Ridolph turned to enter the inn. His eyes met those of a man in a severe black suit - a short man with a dumpy face that looked as if it had been compressed in a vise. Ridolph recognized the countenance of Julius See. "Well, well, this is a surprise indeed," said Magnus.