little monkey's nails. It jumped forward. Johnny put a sugar cube in
its paws. With a gurgle of pleasure, the monkey swallowed the sugar and
put out its paw for more.
"Jump on my shoulder," Johnny clicked. The little creature regarded him
silently. Then, with a graceful hop, it was on his shoulder.
"I don't believe it," Ed's voice rumbled.
As soon as the hunter outlaw spoke, the little monkey growled and bared
his teeth at him. The man muttered something under his breath, angry
that a small boy had done what he couldn't do. He started out toward
them, and was quickly in range of the creature's teeth.
"You'd better not," Johnny said. "He'll--"
The monkey dived at Ed, his teeth slicing into the man's shoulder. The
outlaw jumped back, cursing. Blood ran down his shirt.
"I'm sorry, Ed," Johnny said. "Let me work with him just a little
while, and maybe he'll make friends with you, too." In his anger the
man had picked up a heavy stick to hit the monkey. The other men broke
into laughter.
Ed grunted something, and threw his stick at the men who were laughing.
"Come on," he said, "let's play cards." Johnny turned back to the
monkey.
For almost half an hour Johnny talked to the monkey in the marva
clicking language while the outlaws played cards across the room. He
guessed the little animal could understand a little more than the
mother leopard could. That wasn't too much, but it was enough. He made
the creature understand that when he was released, he was to fly at
the men. He wasn't to hurt them, but make them chase him until Johnny
could get the door open. Then the monkey was to leap for the opening.
The hardest job was getting the monkey to understand that he shouldn't
harm Rick if the ex-bodyguard came with them. Johnny wasn't sure the
monkey understood.
With his back turned to the outlaws, Johnny undid the collar about the
monkey's throat. Keeping the little animal out of their sight he walked
toward the exit door. He picked up an old boot to use on the outer door.
"Hey," Ed suddenly shouted, "where's the monk?"
"After them," Johnny clicked. The monkey leaped at the oncoming Ed. He
clawed his face, then leaped at the other men. He made great jumps by
swinging from light fixtures by his long black tail. Ed wheeled and
charged like a bull after the tiny screaming creature.
"The kid let the crazy thing loose!" he shouted. "Catch it!"
"Shoot him!" yelled Shorty, drawing his ato-tube pistol from its
holster. Ed knocked it from his hand, and it went sliding along the
floor.
"Want to kill us, too, you fool?"
In the excitement Johnny worked the latch on the exit door, and pressed
the button that opened it. He saw Rick half way through the kitchen
door. Rick reached down and grabbed up something from the floor. The
monkey was jumping from head to head among the yelling outlaws. Not one
of them noticed what Johnny was doing.
The door was open. Johnny nodded his head toward Rick, who came at a
dead run. When Rick was almost there, Johnny clicked as loud as he
could, "Come, friend-pet! Come!"
In one leap the little animal sailed across the room and landed on his
shoulder. Johnny and Rick pushed through the door, slammed it behind
them, and opened the outside door.
Johnny paused a second and wedged the boot he had picked up into the
outer door. The outside door could not close and the safety lock would
keep the inner door closed.
"Come on, Johnny," Rick shouted. "This way!" He rushed through the
helicopter landing space toward the tank entrance. Rick pulled the
switch that opened the duro-steel door.
"Dive for the nearest tree trunk," Rick shouted. "They have gun mounts
on the roof."
Johnny ran after Rick, his short legs unable to keep up with the older
man. The little monkey was riding on top of his head, shrieking and
chattering. As soon as they reached the forest the monkey jumped into a
tree.
Johnny stopped dead. He needed that monkey. The little animal could
tell other animals he and Rick were friendly.
"Friend-pet monkey, friend-pet monkey," he clicked, "come with me." For
an instant he was afraid the animal had not heard. Then, with a shock,
he felt it drop down on his head.
"Rick, Rick," he yelled, "stay with me." With relief he heard the
big man coming back. "You gotta stay with me," Johnny panted.
"Arrow-birds." Rick nodded, and ran along beside Johnny.
They ran among the great pillars of the diamond-wood forest until
Johnny thought his breath would come no more. His feet were heavy
against the springing leaves, his legs began to twist with fatigue.
When he was about to fall, Rick whisked him up in his arms.
The little monkey screamed and jumped at Rick's head.
"No, no!" Johnny clicked. The tiny creature jumped back on Johnny's
head, but he had left red claw marks on Rick's face.
Far in the distance they heard the noise of a tank motor starting. The
diamond-wood trees were beginning to thin out. Soon they would be in
the jungle of meat trees which always surrounded a grove of the giant
trees. The sound of a helicopter motor starting up was added to the
sound of the tank. The noise of the tank motor lessened. The outlaws
had headed in the wrong direction. The helicopter was the great danger
now. Hiding under a meat tree, with its heavy leaves, was their best
chance.
"We'd better get under something, Rick," Johnny said. His breath had
returned. "Let me down."
Rick nodded. His breath was coming in great gasps. A heavily leafed
tree surrounded by brush was a few hundred yards ahead of them.
Johnny pointed to it and Rick nodded. Johnny prayed that there were
no arrow-birds feeding there. This close to the hunters' lodge there
shouldn't be many animals--but arrow-birds were always on the watch.
As they worked through the brush to get under the meat tree Johnny
really missed Baba. The first branches were too high for either Johnny
or Rick to reach. If Baba had been there they could have easily climbed
up into the protection of the tree's leaves and branches. Luckily the
brush was high and thick around it, screening them from view from the
side. The tree itself screened off the sky.
Once they had reached the trunk of the tree, they stood wordlessly for
a while, breathing hard.
"Any idea where we are, Rick?" Johnny asked in a whisper.
Rick's big, bony face broke into a smile. He reached into a pocket. Out
came a small map of the Venus continent.
"Not for sure," he said. "But we can't be far from the lodge." He
pointed to a mark on the map. "Once we see the lay of the land, we
should be able to tell." Suddenly Rick froze stone still. Johnny looked
up.
An arrow-bird had flown into the tree. Since its head was not in
position to strike, it was probably looking for a meat fruit. Just as
Johnny saw it, its head turned toward them.
Johnny clicked out a sharp command for it to leave them alone.
As the little purple eyes sought them out, its head snapped into
striking position. But as Johnny clicked on, it moved its head back to
a friendlier position. Its little purple eyes stared directly at them.
Rick regarded Johnny with wonder.
"I don't know what that little bear taught you, but it sure is a
miracle," he said. He then reached into his shirt. "I'm still glad I
got this. Did you see Ed knock it out of Shorty's hand?" He pulled an
ato-tube pistol out of the shirt.
As soon as the gun came out, the red ape leaped from Johnny's head,
screaming. The arrow-bird snapped its head into position to strike.
"Drop it, Rick! Drop it!" Johnny yelled.
Amazement swept over Rick's face.
"But why--?"
"Bother us not, friend-pet," Johnny clicked loudly. At the same time he
knocked the ato-tube from Rick's hand.
He was too late.
The arrow-bird shot with a sickening smack into Rick's shoulder. Almost
as quickly it withdrew its blood-stained beak and was hovering in the
air for another strike.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
_Captured!_
Rick stood rigid, his face twisting with pain, a hand clutching his
upper arm. The greenish bird hovered in the air, its wings a blur of
motion.
"We are friends. We are friends. Bother us not, friend-pet!" Johnny
clicked deep in his throat. The bird continued to hover, its little
purple eyes darting back and forth from Johnny to the wounded Rick. Its
bloody head stayed in arrow position, but it drifted farther away.
Johnny remembered that when he had had an arrow-bird on his shoulder,
the others had left him alone. He dreaded changing his command, but he
did.
"Come to your friend," he clicked firmly. The arrow-bird stared at him
distrustfully, but came closer. The monkey dropped back on Johnny's
head. With a sigh of relief, Johnny saw the arrow-bird's head snap out
of attack position. He put out his hand and the arrow-bird lit on it.
"Are you hurt bad, Rick?" he asked. The words made the arrow-bird
flutter with alarm, but Johnny soothed it by petting it with his other
hand.
Rick shook his head.
"Not too bad," he said through clenched teeth. "The thing seemed to
dodge when you made that clicking noise."
"I'm sorry, Rick," Johnny said. "You just shouldn't have shown that
gun--you'll have to leave it behind. If they think you'd harm any of
them, they'll kill you, just like that. The monkeys almost got me
'cause of a pocket knife."
"I didn't know," Rick said. He looked at the bird on Johnny's shoulder.
"Seems peaceful enough now."
"You better let him sit on your shoulder, Rick." Johnny looked down at
the arrow-bird and stroked it again. When it was quiet he placed it on
Rick's shoulder. The man was nervous and the bird was worried, but they
both did as they were told.
They waited under the tree while the helicopter went back and forth
above them. Johnny looked at Rick's wound. It didn't look too serious,
but Johnny knew better than to count on that. The slightest arrow-bird
wound could be deadly if not treated. Johnny had seen hunters brought
into the colony sick from an untreated scratch. They should have
brought an emergency kit, but the kits were only carried in special
pockets of the armor.
They let Rick's wound bleed to cleanse it as much as possible. Then
Johnny bound the arm tightly and made a sling for it from a piece of
Rick's shirt. Rick gave Johnny his wrist watch to wear, since his
wrist was hidden by the sling. After that they waited. It seemed the
helicopter would never go away. Once it hovered almost directly above
them, but then went on.
While they waited Johnny looked over the map. The outlaw hideout was
not as far from the colony as he had feared. They had to start soon and
make good time, but they just might be able to make it to the meeting
place the outlaws had set before Johnny's father got there. There was a
fighting chance if Rick didn't get too sick.
Finally they heard the sound of the helicopter landing far in the
distance. Taking direction from the map, they set out on their way.
Rick's wound was less painful now, but Johnny kept his eye on his
redhaired friend. They started out at a fast clip, following an animal
track which led in the direction they wanted to go.
In a few hours of steady marching they were a safe distance from the
outlaw hideout. Johnny's idea was working out. Several flights of
arrow-birds had passed them by with no more than a glance in their
direction. One flight had hovered above them while the arrow-bird on
Rick's shoulder twittered and shrieked to them. Then they had flown off
at top speed. A troop of monkeys had also let them pass without doing
them any harm. Hundreds of the small red apes had followed along beside
them for some time. Johnny's monkey chattered to them from his perch on
the boy's head. Then they, too, had swung off through the trees at top
speed. Rick had been awed, for he had never seen Venus animals so close
except when they were attacking.
At first Rick's strides had been long and Johnny had had to run every
few steps to keep up. Now Rick's steps were short and slow. He seemed
to be getting weaker and weaker. They had stopped and cleaned his wound
again at a spring and rebound it, but he was not doing well. The big
redhaired man was pale under his freckles; his lips were set tight.
Johnny kept close beside him as they moved forward. They had worked out
a path to follow that skirted diamond-wood groves and avoided rivers.
It was too easy to become lost in the dense forest, and Johnny was very
unsure of what river snakes would do.
Suddenly Rick stumbled. He stopped and balanced himself by leaning on
Johnny's shoulder. He looked at Johnny with bloodshot eyes, sighed and
crumpled up on the ground. The arrow-bird that had been sitting on his
shoulder hovered in the air above him making little squeaking noises.
He flew toward Johnny and then down an animal trail that led off toward
a diamond-wood grove. As Johnny leaned over to look at Rick the monkey
jumped from Johnny's head.
Johnny stared down at Rick Saunders' face. His cheeks were flushed but
the rest of his face was grey. The little monkey sniffed the wounded
man and chattered something at Johnny. Then he, too, ran down the side
trail. When Johnny paid no attention, he came up to Johnny and plucked
his sleeve, chattering all the while. Johnny looked around. He thought
the monkey was drawing his attention to some antelope berries growing
down the path. Johnny clicked to the little red monkey to gather some.
When the red monkey returned, clutching a cluster of the large berries
in each tiny paw, Johnny took them and squeezed the clear red juice
into Rick's mouth.
The man coughed and turned his face away. But gradually his eyes
opened. They were dull and feverish. His hand went to his shoulder and
he winced. In the few hours that had passed, his arm and shoulder had
already swollen a great deal. He raised his head. Johnny helped him to
his feet, but when he staggered, Johnny helped him lie down again on a
patch of grass by the antelope berry bush.
"I can't go any farther, Johnny." Rick's voice was hoarse. "Those birds
must have some kind of poison on their beaks. That wound feels like
it's on fire."
"It's not poison, Rick," Johnny explained. "They eat the meat fruit and
little pieces stick to their beaks. The pieces get rotten and infect
wounds bad." Johnny remembered that Rick was an Earthie and had been on
Venus barely a year.
"There's only one thing to do," Johnny went on. "I'll have to light a
signal fire with lots of smoke. Somebody'll see us then."
Rick shook his head slowly. "No, Johnny, it won't do. If those hunters
come they'll get you again and they're likely to finish me off. You
take the map and go on...." Rick's voice trailed away. He struggled to
sit up.
Johnny stepped forward, wondering what was wrong. The monkey leaped off
his head and bounded into a tree. Slowly Rick raised his good arm and
pointed directly behind Johnny.
Johnny turned. Staring at him through a bush was a coal black
sabre-toothed leopard, crouched to spring.
"Friend-pet, go away!" Johnny clicked in the marva tongue. Oh, if Baba
were only here! The monkey chattered from a tree.
"Go away! Go away!" Johnny repeated. Then he saw a second leopard. A
third. None of them was his friend, the mother leopard. These leopards
stood almost a foot higher and were solid black. Their sabre fangs were
a full foot long. These were deadly males, hunting in a pack.
The one behind the bush gave a coughing growl. All three slinked slowly
toward Johnny and Rick on silent feet, their mouths half open, their
white teeth shining.
"Go away, bother us not! Friend-pets, bother us not!" Johnny repeated.
The leopards moved smoothly forward, their steel-like muscles rippling
under the shining black fur.
Frantically, Johnny turned to Rick, who was struggling to his feet.
"They won't obey, Rick!"
"Run, Johnny," Rick said. "Run for a tree!" Rick thrust the boy behind
him, but Johnny would not leave his friend. Rick turned, pulling
Johnny, and started to run.
At the same moment a leopard sprang through the air, high over their
heads. A split second later he was in front of them, barring their way,
his gold eyes glistening, his fanged mouth giving forth a low growl.
The growl meant, "Come."
Johnny looked about. Not four steps away was another of the lion-sized
cats. They were ringed around by the creatures. Johnny tried clicking
again, but they paid no attention.
"My arm, Johnny!" Rick groaned. He ran his hand over a forehead which
was dripping sweat. Slowly his legs gave way and he fell in a heap
beside Johnny. The leopards moved closer, their mouths wide. The one in
front was getting so close that Johnny could feel its breath blowing
against his bare arm.
Then it moved too fast for Johnny to follow. Johnny felt the great jaws
close around his middle, and he was hurled off his feet. Frantically he
beat at the big head. The jaws tightened, gripping him painfully. As
Johnny cried out in pain he saw the other two leopards leap upon Rick.
A few seconds later Johnny was being carried down the path in the jaws
of the monster cat. The jaws had tightened no more than was necessary
to hold him firmly as the animal trotted along. From this strange
position Johnny witnessed an even stranger sight. Behind the leopard
carrying Johnny strode the two others. Side by side they walked,
dividing Rick Saunders' weight between them. One had its jaws about
Rick's arms and shoulders; the other held his hips and legs. They moved
along easily, their heads held high so that his feet would not drag on
the ground.
Then Johnny saw that his arrow-bird friend was riding on the shoulder
of one of the leopards that was carrying Rick. He heard a chattering
noise, and knew that the little red monkey was close by.
The leopards were taking them some place, but who could know where?
In his odd position Johnny could not tell even the direction they
were going. But soon they were in the patchwork shadow of a meat tree
forest. Here the leopards had their lairs. But they did not stop. They
went on and on. Johnny kept trying to watch the leopards which carried
Rick. Once in a while he could catch a glimpse of them, Rick's head
bobbing as they moved. He was still unconscious.
Then Johnny heard a shout and a scuffling noise. The leopard carrying
him turned around. Rick was conscious. His head was turning about
wildly and he was yelling. His eyes lit on Johnny.
"What's happening?" he all but screamed.
"They're taking us somewhere," Johnny answered. "They haven't hurt me
yet."
Rick was kicking his feet and struggling, making it hard for the
leopards to walk. Johnny could see their jaws tightening as Rick
struggled.
"You better not fight, Rick," Johnny said. "You can't get away and
they'll just hurt you more. I'll tell them you won't fight if they'll
hold you easier." He clicked the message to the big cats. His own
leopard turned back up the trail, and he couldn't see what the other
leopards did. A few seconds later he heard Rick's voice.
"You were right, Johnny. When I eased up they eased up, too." Then he
laughed in a strained way. "I wish they'd eat us right now and get it
over with."
"Maybe they won't."
They said no more. They were coming to the edge of the meat tree grove.
As was often the case, the last group of meat trees was beside a river.
Beyond was a diamond-wood grove. The three animals plunged into the
cool water, and soon were swimming, with Johnny's and Rick's heads held
well above the water. On the opposite bank they dived into the shadow
of the diamond-wood grove.
As soon as they entered the grove Johnny was startled to see that there
were several antelope walking beside them. Then, suddenly, the little
red monkey he had rescued from Ed was squatting on the leopard's back.
Johnny heard a swishing sound almost under his head. By twisting hard
he could see the ground. There was a river snake crawling beside them.
Its ugly horned head was right beneath him. It was the first time he
had ever seen one.
Then his heart leaped.
He heard the clicking of the marva language. Johnny twisted his body
against the leopard's teeth, trying to see where the clicking was
coming from. The leopard growled, and Johnny lay still again.
"Take the big killer to the healer," the voice clicked. "The little
killer take to the council." The clicks were somehow different from
Baba's, firmer and louder; but Johnny could understand them perfectly.
Johnny caught sight of the two leopards carrying Rick. They were
turning down another path. The river snake and the antelope took the
same path. But Johnny's leopard went on forward. After a short time the
leopard stopped and very carefully opened its jaws and eased Johnny to
the ground. It turned and walked a few steps away. There it crouched.
Johnny got slowly to his feet. The little red monkey jumped on his
head. The arrow-bird perched on his shoulder. In a clearing among the
diamond-wood trees Johnny stood in the center of a circle of jewel
bears, their blue nails glowing in the half light. All but one or
two were dark about the muzzle. They sat on their haunches, staring
straight at Johnny.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
_A City in the Trees_
Except for faint animal sounds in the distance, there was silence in
the diamond-wood grove. More marva than any other person had ever seen
surrounded Johnny. Most of them were dark muzzled and very old. From
old Jeb's hunting tales Johnny knew that as a marva grows older the fur
about its muzzle darkens. A jewel bear with a black muzzle was a rare
thing. This was no ordinary group of marva, but a gathering of elders.
They seemed neither friendly nor unfriendly. They seemed to be waiting
patiently for Johnny to do something.
"Hello," Johnny broke the silence, greeting them in their own clicking
language. "I am very glad to see you." Once started, Johnny had so much
to say the words fairly rushed from him. "Your leopards sure scared
us. Maybe you can tell me how to get to some people quick. Before it
knew we wouldn't hurt it, this arrow-bird wounded my friend and he's
very sick. And Baba's got caught again, and some bad men are trying to
get him. If you could help us get back to the colony, oh, I'd thank
you! Baba's a marva, you know, just like you and he's my best friend.
We tried to find you, but the outlaws captured me and Baba went home
because I'm his friend-pet-brother and he thought I'd be there. Rick
will die if you--"
The torrent of words was cut short by a marva with a coal black
muzzle. He stood up and raised both furry blue paws for silence.
"It was well reported that the little killer can speak our language,"
he clicked, with a sound very like a human chuckle. "You speak well,"
he clicked to Johnny, "but you speak too much at once." A ripple of
amusement passed over the faces of the jewel bears. Then they became
stern once more.
"You must try to tell a little at a time," the old marva continued.
"But first, let me answer one of your questions, for I think you are
full of questions. The red-furred killer has been sent to the healers.
He will soon be treated. We heard of you and of the wound from our
friend-pets. You need not worry, little killer. Our healers have had
many wounds to deal with since your kind has been in the green lands."
"You mean _you_ will fix up my friend?" Johnny asked. "You have
doctors?"
"Yes, little killer," the black muzzled one answered.
"But he won't understand," Johnny said. "He wouldn't let any of you
touch him--not unless I talk to him."
"Follow the leopard, then. He will take you to the healers. Then return
here." The black muzzled marva waved his paw and the leopard rose and
trotted off. Johnny ran beside him.
In another clearing Johnny paused in amazement. It was filled with many
animals. He saw several rhinosaurs with great gaping ato-tube wounds.
A leopard with a cut on its shoulder lay whimpering before a marva,
who was squeezing the juice of some berries upon the cut. Fascinated,
Johnny watched as the marva sewed up the cut--a fine piece of marva
claw for his needle. The berry's juice must have killed the pain for
the leopard stopped whimpering and lay very still.
Then Johnny saw Rick. He was lying on his back, but his eyes were open.
The two leopards were right beside him, their heavy paws holding him
down.
"Rick!" Johnny called, running up to him.
"Get away from here," Rick yelled. "There's a horned snake right beside
me. He'll kill us!"