I puzzled over what he had said for a moment, but in the end decreed
that his message was sensefree. As I was about to speak, however, he
said suddenly: "Let's rove, man." And all five of them walked quickly
away a few "yards." It was quite disappointing. I observed them
conferring among themselves, glancing at me, and for a time proposed
terminating my venture, for I then believed that it would be better to
return "home," as you say, in order to more adequately research the
matter.
* * * * *
However, the five young men came toward me again. The one who had spoken
before, who I now detected was somewhat taller and fatter than the
others, spoke as follows: "You're wanting the Mafia?" I agreed. He
looked at me for a moment. "Are you holding?"
He was inordinately hard to understand. I said, slowly and with
patience, "Keska that 'holding' say?"
"Money, man. You going to slip us something to help you find these
cats?"
"Certainly, money. I have a great quantity of money instantly
available," I rejoined him. This appeared to relieve his mind.
There was a short pause, directly after which this first of the young
men spoke: "You're on, man. Yeah, come with us. What's to call you?" I
queried this last statement, and he expanded: "The name. What's the
name?"
"You may call me Foraminifera 9," I directed, since I wished to be
incognito, as you put it, and we proceeded along the "street." All five
of the young men indicated a desire to serve me, offering indeed to take
my carry-all. I rejected this, politely.
I looked about me with lively interest, as you may well believe. Kwel
dirt, kwel dinginess, kwel cold! And yet there was a certain charm which
I can determine no way of expressing in this language. Acts and facts,
of course. I shall not attempt to capture the subjectivity which is the
charm, only to transcribe the physical datum--perhaps even data, who
knows? My companions, for example: They were in appearance overwrought,
looking about them continually, stopping entirely and drawing me with
them into the shelter of a "door" when another man, this one wearing
blue clothing and a visored hat appeared. Yet they were clearly devoted
to me, at that moment, since they had put aside their own projects in
order to escort me without delay to the Mafia.
* * * * *
Mafia! Fortunate that I had found them to lead me to the Mafia! For it
had been clear in the historical work I had consulted that it was not
ultimately easy to gain access to the Mafia. Indeed, so secret were they
that I had detected no trace of their existence in other histories of
the period. Had I relied only on the conventional work, I might never
have known of their great underground struggle against what you term
society. It was only in the actual contemporary volume itself, the
curiosity titled _U.S.A. Confidential_ by one Lait and one Mortimer,
that I had descried that, throughout the world, this great revolutionary
organization flexed its tentacles, the plexus within a short distance of
where I now stood, battling courageously. With me to help them, what
heights might we not attain! Kwel dramatic delight!
My meditations were interrupted. "Boomers!" asserted one of my five
escorts in a loud, frightened tone. "Let's cut, man!" he continued,
leading me with them into another entrance. It appeared, as well as I
could decree, that the cause of his ejaculative outcry was the discovery
of perhaps three, perhaps four, other young men, in coats of the same
shiny material as my escorts. The difference was that they were of a
different color, being blue.
* * * * *
We hastened along a lengthy chamber which was quite dark, immediately
after which the large, heavy one opened a way to a serrated incline
leading downward. It was extremely dark, I should say. There was also an
extreme smell, quite like that of the outer air, but enormously
intensified; one would suspect that there was an incomplete combustion
of, perhaps, wood or coal, as well as a certain quantity of general
decay. At any rate, we reached the bottom of the incline, and my escort
behaved quite badly. One of them said to the other four, in these words:
"Them jumpers follow us sure. Yeah, there's much trouble. What's to
prime this guy now and split?"
Instantly they fell upon me with violence. I had fortunately become
rather alarmed at their visible emotion of fear, and already had taken
from my carry-all a Stollgratz 16, so that I quickly turned it on them.
I started to replace the Stollgratz 16 as they fell to the floor, yet I
realized that there might be an additional element of danger. Instead of
putting the Stollgratz 16 in with the other trade goods, which I had
brought to assist me in negotiating with the Mafia, I transferred it to
my jacket. It had become clear to me that the five young men of my
escort had intended to abduct and rob me--indeed had intended it all
along, perhaps having never intended to convoy me to the office of the
Mafia. And the other young men, those who wore the blue jackets in place
of the orange, were already descending the incline toward me, quite
rapidly.
"Stop," I directed them. "I shall not entrust myself to you until you
have given me evidence that you entirely deserve such trust."
* * * * *
They all halted, regarding me and the Stollgratz 16. I detected that one
of them said to another: "That cat's got a zip."
The other denied this, saying: "That no zip, man. Yeah, look at them
Leopards. Say, you bust them flunkies with that thing?"
I perceived his meaning quite quickly. "You are 'correct'," I rejoined.
"Are you associated in friendship with them flunkies?"
"Hell, no. Yeah, they're Leopards and we're Boomer Dukes. You cool them,
you do us much good." I received this information as indicating that the
two socio-economic units were inimical, and unfortunately lapsed into an
example of the Bivalent Error. Since p implied not-q, I sloppily assumed
that not-q implied r (with, you understand, r being taken as the class
of phenomena pertinently favorable to me). This was a very poor
construction, and of course resulted in certain difficulties. Qued,
after all. I stated:
"Them flunkies offered to conduct me to a recruiting office, as you say,
of the Mafia, but instead tried to take from me the much money I am
holding." I then went on to describe to them my desire to attain contact
with the said Mafia; meanwhile they descended further and grouped about
me in the very little light, examining curiously the motionless figures
of the Leopards.
They seemed to be greatly impressed; and at the same time, very much
puzzled. Naturally. They looked at the Leopards, and then at me.
They gave every evidence of wishing to help me; but of course if I had
not forgotten that one cannot assume from the statements "not-Leopard
implies Boomer Duke" and "not-Leopard implies Foraminifera 9" that,
qued, "Boomer Duke implies Foraminifera 9" ... if I had not forgotten
this, I say, I should not have been "deceived." For in practice they
were as little favorable to me as the Leopards. A certain member of
their party reached a position behind me.
I quickly perceived that his intention was not favorable, and attempted
to turn around in order to discharge at him with the Stollgratz 16, but
he was very rapid. He had a metallic cylinder, and with it struck my
head, knocking "me" unconscious.