Ulysses noted thewith. Why noton? Ghlikh talked as if there had been an invitation, and the sentients had moved into a house with others.
"Living is easier with The Tree," Ghlikh said. "There one can hide from one's enemies. Food is plentiful and easy to get."
"And snoligosters and hipporats to eat the unwary fisher," Ulysses said. "And if The Tree abounds with game, it also abounds with fierce flesh-eaters, a number of which are not averse to eating man. And if a tribe can hide easier, it can also be approached easier after it's found. That thick vegetation has disadvantages as well as advantages."
Ghlikh shrugged and smiled with an air of superiority.
"True. But it is well that a few die now and then, otherwise the tribes would increase to such numbers that there would be no room and all the food would be eaten. Some must suffer for the good of the many. Moreover, there is no war among the peoples of The Tree. Not as you or the peoples of the plains know it. The Tree counts its tribes, and when a tribe has too many people, then The Tree notifies its neighbours that they may war on it. It also warns the tribe to be attacked. Then the young warriors of the two tribes arrange to meet in combat. Or, sometimes, during short periods, attacks on the dwelling places themselves are allowed. And it is permissible to kill the females and the children. But this does not happen too often. And when it does, it is welcome. The little wars add excitement — and value — to life."
"I wonder why the Neshgai and Vroomaw did not go to live with The Tree?" Ulysses said.
"The Neshgai think they are better than The Tree!" Ghlikh said angrily. "Those ponderous big-bellied long-noses were once savages, like the Wuggrud and the Khrauszmiddum. But then they dug up the buried city of Shabawzing and found many things in it that enabled them to go from savagery to civilisation in three generations. Also, they are so big and clumsy, they cannot live comfortably in The Tree nor climb very far."
"And the Vroomaw?"
"They did live with The Tree — once. But they left, despite the commands of The Tree to stay where they were. They are a very contrary, troublesome, obnoxious people, as you will find if you come across them. They moved to the seashore and built their houses there. Some say that they first allied themselves with the Neshgai, who treacherously enslaved them. And then a number of Vroomaw escaped and came here to build a nation, planning some day to march against their former masters. But it is evident that the Neshgai struck first."
Ghlikh seemed to be very happy about the fate of the humans.
He added, "The Neshgai's turn is next. But their death will come from The Tree, which never forgets nor forgives. The Neshgai are beset now with attacks from the Fishnoom, brothers to the. Wuggrud, and from the Glassim, brothers to the Khrauszmiddum. The Tree has sent them out from his bosom to bedevil the Neshgai and, eventually, to exterminate them."
He added, even more viciously, "And the same fate will come to the peoples of the plains in the north if they do not go to live with The Tree. Eventually, The Tree will grow over the plains, over all the land except for a narrow strip on the coasts. And The Tree will not endure any sentients on the coast. He will kill them, one way or another."
"The Tree?" Ulysses said. "Or the Dhulhulikh, who use The Tree to bend all the others to their will? Who pretend to be servants of The Tree but are, in reality, its masters?"
"What?" Ghlikh said. He shook his head. "You surely do not believe that? You must be crazy!"
Yet he had such a barely concealed, smiling expression that Ulysses wondered if he had not hit upon the truth.
If his theory was more than a theory, it would explain much. But it would still leave much to be explained. How had The Tree originated? He could not believe that The Tree had naturally evolved from any of the plants living in his day.
And then there was the mystery of the origin of all the unrelated types of sentients.
The boat sailed on along the coast, putting in close to shore and anchoring when the skies were too cloudy to give light for safe navigation. When the moon was visible, the boat sailed all night. Ghlikh and Khyuks provided information from time to time about the Neshgai. Mostly, they sat huddled on a platform before the base of the mast, their wings almost brushing the creaking wood, blankets over their shoulders, and their heads close together. Though they hated each other, they now talked to each other. They were too lonely, miserable and scared not to take refuge in their native speech from time to time.
Ulysses did not know what to do with them. They had given him most of the information he wanted. He was sure that there was other information he could get, if only he knew the right questions. But he was worried that they would escape some day and would bring back a horde of their fellows. Every day that passed increased the probabilities of their getting away.
He did not want to kill them, though that was the only logical thing to do. However, it was true that they still had not revealed the location of their base city. Only in the air, so they claimed, could they find their way back home.
He used this rationalisation for not killing them. They might be able someday to point out the way to their base. If they must do it from the air, so be it. Apparently, no one knew about balloons or dirigibles, and so the bat-men were very smug in thinking that their secret was safe.
The sixth day, Ulysses saw his first porpoise-men. He had taken the ship away from the coast because a great rock stood in their way. Before the ship was within two hundred yards of the rock, he saw the curious animals on a shelf of the rock a few feet above the surface of the sea. He took theNew Hope as close to the rock as he dared — the leads-man was singing out four fathoms — and he and his crew stared at the four creatures sunning themselves on the ledge. They looked more like the legendary mermen of his time than the porpoise-centaurs described by Ghlikh. From the breasts down, they were fish-like. Rather, porpoise-like, since the fins were horizontal, not vertical. The skin of the lower body was the same light bronze as the upper. The genitals of both male and female were hidden within folds of the lower body. The bodies from the breasts up were quite human, and the fingers, contrary to what he had expected, were not webbed. The noses were very thin; Ghlikh said the nostrils could be closed tightly with muscular action. The eyeballs could be covered by a rigid transparent sheath which came down from under the eyelids. The hair on their heads was very short and sleek, looking from this distance more like seal fur than hair. Two had black hair, one was an ash-blond, and the fourth had auburn hair.
Ulysses waved at them and smiled. A woman and a man waved back at him. Ghlikh, who had come upon the poopdeck, said, "That is well done. It is not good to be unfriendly with the Sea-Folk. They can take the bottom right out of a boat if they wish."
"How friendly do they get?"
"They sometimes trade with the Neshgai and the humans. They bring in strange sea stones or fish or goods from sunken ships and exchange these for wine or beer."
Ulysses wondered if they could become allies in his war against the Neshgai, that is, if hehad a war against the Neshgai. Ghlikh did not think they would take sides, unless one side gravely offended them. But even the arrogant Neshgai treated them with courtesy and occasional gifts. The Neshgai had a large fleet which they did not want to see on the bottom of the ocean.
The rock and its strange burden dropped behind them. Ghlikh said, "Another day at this rate, and you will be along the coast ruled by the Neshgai. Then what?"
"We shall see," Ulysses said. "You are fluent in their speech?"
"Very fluent," Ghlikh said. "Moreover, many of them can speak Ayrata."
"I hope they're not too astonished when they see me and my crew. I would not want them to attack just because they panicked."