"Look," said Janus. "In the lower right corner--a metal ring hanging
from one of the pegs."
* * * * *
And that was all we saw on the wall. Hundreds of squares with figures in
them--a small peg set in each--and a ring hanging on one of the pegs.
"You know what?" Allenby said slowly. "I think it's a calendar! Just a
second--thirty squares wide by twenty-two high--that's six hundred and
sixty. And that bottom line has twenty-six--twenty-_seven_ squares. Six
hundred and eighty-seven squares in all. That's how many days there are
in the Martian year!"
He looked thoughtfully at the metal ring. "I'll bet that ring is hanging
from the peg in the square that represents _today_. They must move it
along every day, to keep track...."
"What's a calendar got to do with my crossing the street?" Randolph
asked in a pained tone.
He started to take another step. The chief squeaked as if it were a
matter of desperate concern that he make us understand. Randolph stopped
again and swore impatiently.
Allenby made his questioning sound again.
The chief pointed emphatically at his shadow, then at the communal
calendar--and we could see now that he was pointing at the metal ring.
Burton said slowly, "I think he's trying to tell us that this is
_today_. And such-and-such a _time_ of day. I bet he's using his shadow
as a sundial."
"Perhaps," Allenby granted.