He licked his lips and his tongue was dry.
"I mean," she said. "Isn't that queer? A great big strong man like Nic
afraid of a little boy like Vanny? Why is that, I wonder?"
Caine took his hands from the controls and rubbed them against his
knees. He could feel it breaking apart. He couldn't hang onto it.
Then the boy yelled and scrambled to the opposite side of the cabin.
The girl's feet went up and Caine caught the flash of her tan legs. She
laughed and shook her hair.
"Lookee!" cried the boy. "A purple plateau."
Caine straightened the ship and began moving swiftly away.
"No, no!" screamed the boy. "Put her down there! On the ground!" He
waved his hands and pointed at the purple-colored rise of land. "Did
you hear me, Driver? Put her down, put her down!"
"This is Venusian land," Caine said grimly, "and I wouldn't put this
ship down anyplace but Colony land."
* * * * *
The boy was behind Caine, his thin fingers digging into Caine's
shoulder, "I'll tell you what to do, friend. You just do it."
Caine turned and looked at the boy's white, unhealthy-looking face. The
boy's lips curled again.
"If you want to fly," Caine said, "I'll fly you all day. But if you
want to land in Venusian territory you get yourself another driver." He
accented the word, driver.
The boy clutched at Caine's shoulder and hopped behind his seat. "Put
her down on that purple plateau!" the boy yelled. "Damn you, I don't
want to listen to your stupid voice! Just put her down, do you hear me,
Driver?"
Caine could feel the fingers pinching his shoulder and he could see the
white crazy face bobbing beside him. He wanted to lift just one of his
hands and slap the screaming boy across the cabin. But if he did there
would be much trouble when they got back.
The girl's father, Caine knew, was the Treasurer of the Colony. This
boy was her guest. They could make a lot of trouble for him.
He knew it wouldn't help, but he made one try: "Look," he said, "We've
got a written agreement with the Venusians to stay off this part of the
land. Don't you understand?"
"Oh, hell!" the boy shouted, "Oh, hell! Damn the Venusians! Put her
down there, Driver. Do you hear me?"
Caine swept the ship in a slow circle. He felt the slim foot at his arm
again. "Did you hear him, Driver?" asked the girl, her eyes mocking him
through the mirror.
Caine dropped the ship.
The boy plunged back through the cabin, chattering, giggling, clicking
his camera.
Caine looked at the purple plateau. It was not a plateau, really, it
was a rather flat hill in the midst of the thick swampy jungle. Around
it he could see the reflection of liquid and then the shimmering
slick-looking vine-trees.
The boy's reaction to the fact that this was Venusian territory was
what was wrong with this whole planet, Caine thought as he examined the
purple hill.
"Damn the Venusians," was the slogan for the Colony. Damn them this
way, damn them that way. Write a treaty with them, wink, and forget
about it. Get them going and coming and sideways. Because their skin
was green and their heads were round and hairless, that meant they were
stupid and inhuman and thus to be taken advantage of.
They were not stupid, Caine knew, nor were they inhuman. And how much
more advantage could be taken of them, Caine didn't know. There was a
point of resistance to everything, even to Venusians. And Caine did not
doubt that sooner or later the Colonists would push the Venusians to
it. What then, only God knew.
Right now, however, all Caine cared about was getting away from here so
he wouldn't have to watch this thing anymore. He was sick of it. Sick
to the core. The months and months he'd spent trying to help establish
Earth's civilization on this planet appeared now like having driven
around in a constant circle, and finally realizing that neither he nor
anyone else had gone anywhere.
And all because of people like the two behind him.
Caine swore bitterly to himself and circled the purple hill once more.
"Down, down!" the boy was screaming, and Caine could hear the girl
laughing.