It was gruff, drawling English, sometimes not plain, but it was
English. And it kept coming. "I've waited so long," the creature
said. He lifted an arm in welcome. Nance noted the fingers were joined
together. "I've waited and paid with each moment for an error my
ancestors made." He moved his shaggy head and surveyed the crumbled
room. "Now my abode is not fit to receive guests," he rumbled.
"Who.... What are you?" Commander Boone managed, making a gallant
effort to sound authoritative.
Braun suddenly laughed. "He looks like a comic strip St. Bernard," he
roared, and then laughed some more at the thought. Boone glared at him,
obviously not sharing his mirth.
The creature laughed also. He leaned his head back and laughed
uproariously. "My name is Staang," he said. "I am a Martian ...
naturally ... in your language. And I am something more than a Martian
in your language." A new wave of laughter shook the creature.
"Are there any more here like you?" Commander Boone demanded.
"A few, just a few," Staang said. "But won't you sit down. There's not
much to offer you in the way of comfort, but the floor will do. There
must be things you'd like to ask me."
Staang rose to his feet with evident effort. "Moving," he grunted, "how
I detest moving." He took a box from an indenture in the wall and began
eating the contents, apparently a type of meat. He ate the bone and
all. Staang glared at his guests through shaggy eyebrows and smiled.
"You're puzzled," he said. "You don't understand my knowing about you,
do you?" He seemed extremely pleased with himself.
Nance began doing the talking. "Do you mean Martians have visited the
Earth?" he asked.
Staang chuckled loudly. "Yes ... yes, I do mean that. Come, let me tell
you a story, my friends. I am sure you will find it most interesting."
"Wait a minute," Boone barked, his hand now touching his gun. "We're
here for facts. You're coming back to our ship--peacefully or by force."
"Peacefully, I assure you, Commander," Staang said. "But my story--"
"Let him tell it," Braun said. "Maybe it will explain things. And a lot
needs explaining. He seems to have been expecting us."
"I have, I have," the Martian muttered, disposing of the last of his
food. He threw the box into a corner already piled high with rubble.
"You saw the buildings here in this ... what was once a great city.
These buildings are a few which are left of a civilization which grew
weary. 'Twas not a young race as the one which fostered your world, but
an old race which tired of working--even of thinking. The civilization
went untended, until finally my ancestors decided they would have
to invade another world to find servants to relieve Martians of the
work--and the thinking--which they had grown to dislike so much. They
reasoned that with proper servants they would have nothing to do but
eat and sleep as they wanted.
"So my people invaded another planet."
"You had space travel then?" Boone demanded. "How long ago was this?"
"Three thousand ... maybe four thousand years ago as you count time."
"But with space travel four thousand years ago," Nance stammered,
"it seems the first planet you would have visited would have been
ours--Earth."
Staang laughed again. "Perhaps it was," he said. "But let me finish my
story."
"As I said, my people were fat and lazy, as I am now. Thus, open
fighting as a means of bringing another race to be our slaves was out
of the question. They had to find another way. And they did.
"Our first troops were sent to Agar, and they reported very
satisfactory results. Soon, practically the whole population migrated
to Agar and the Agarians became our slaves. A few Martians, such as my
ancestors, remained here. They kept the record of this invasion and
also recorded all correspondence between this planet and Agar. Ah,
would they had gone also, so that today I would have nothing to do but
eat and sleep, as most of my race does--on Agar." He yawned at the
thought. "Do not think badly of my race," he implored suddenly. "Some
day your people also will grow old and tired."
Boone grabbed Staang by the arm and shook him firmly. "But where does
Earth come in?" he demanded.
Staang gazed at the stern old General and then once again burst into
peals of laughter. "You see," he giggled. "We Martians have another
name for your Earth. We call it Agar. Your world is the one my
ancestors invaded thousands of years ago. Your people are my people's
slaves until today."
"Wh ... what is he saying?" Nance stammered.
"You're crazy," Boone bellowed. "Now I know that you are crazy."
"That was the nice thing about our invasion." Staang explained
patiently. "The Earthmen did not even realize that they were being
invaded--do not even realize today that they are slaves. My people,
in their long stay on Earth, have grown even lazier, and particularly
their brains have become sluggish during the long years of inaction.
Also there have been slight handicaps incurred because of conditions on
your world.
"For thousands of years there was regular communication between this
planet and our invaders on Earth. The records were kept faithfully
by the few Martians remaining here, and in my long years of almost
complete solitude I learned your language and the history of my people
on your world. I knew that perhaps in my lifetime Earthmen would reach
this planet. One of my people predicted in 1396 that your world would
attain space travel in the latter part of the 20th century."
Nance stumbled for words. What creatures of Earth could this being be
speaking of, that had such power and progress.
But Staang was talking again in his gruff tones. "Correspondence
ceased before my birth. I suppose my people grew too lazy, but the
main objective had been reached. There is no work for the higher class
Martians on your world, only an easy life with servants plenteous."
"Wait," spoke up Braun. "You said higher class Martian. Are there
different breeds?"
"Oh, there are many breeds of Martians. Naturally, we had a slave type
here in the height of our civilization, and these slaves were worked
into your scheme of things to continue being slaves. They aid you
Earthmen so that you may better serve the aristocrat Martians."
"But why haven't we seen the Martians?" Braun exclaimed. "I've seen
nothing on Earth like you."
"No?" said Staang. "Our records say you Earthmen love us and are happy
to serve."
* * * * *
Nance had been studying Staang's features with a practiced eye, the
incredibility of his thoughts silencing his tongue.
But suddenly he realized that the creature was telling the truth--to
a point. He knew that the Martians had invaded Earth. "Look at him,
Commander," Nance said. "Don't you see the resemblance. Martians are on
Earth, but we call them--"
"Good Grief!" exclaimed Commander Boone.
Staang snickered. "You call us 'Man's Best Friend,' I believe," he
offered.