Presently, a greater gloom came over the jungle, bringing a sudden
stillness to the wild life. There was a chittering commotion from the
natives in the trees around the sled. Tanub shifted behind Orne.
"We may go now," he said. "Slowly ... to stay behind my ... scouts."
"Right." Orne eased the sled forward around an obstructing root.
* * * * *
Silence while they crawled ahead. Around them shapes flung themselves
from vine to vine.
"I admired your city from the air," said Orne. "It is very beautiful."
"Yes," said Tanub. "Why did you land so far from it?"
"We didn't want to come down where we might destroy anything."
"There is nothing to destroy in the jungle," said Tanub.
"Why do you have such a big city?" asked Orne.
Silence.
"I said: Why do you--"
"You are ignorant of our ways," said Tanub. "Therefore, I forgive you.
The city is for our race. We must breed and be born in sunlight.
Once--long ago--we used crude platforms on the tops of the trees. Now
... only the ... wild ones do this."
Stetson's voice hissed in Orne's ears: _"Easy on the sex line, boy.
That's always touchy. These creatures are oviparous. Sex glands are
apparently hidden in that long fur behind where their chins ought to
be."_
"Who controls the breeding sites controls our world," said Tanub. "Once
there was another city. We destroyed it."
"Are there many ... wild ones?" asked Orne.
"Fewer each year," said Tanub.
_"There's how they get their slaves,"_ hissed Stetson.
"You speak excellent Galactese," said Orne.
"The High Path Chief commanded the best teacher," said Tanub. "Do you,
too, know many things, Orne?"
"That's why I was sent here," said Orne.
"Are there many planets to teach?" asked Tanub.
"Very many," said Orne. "Your city--I saw very tall buildings. Of what
do you build them?"
"In your tongue--glass," said Tanub. "The engineers of the _Delphinus_
said it was impossible. As you saw--they are wrong."
_"A glass-blowing culture,"_ hissed Stetson. _"That'd explain a lot of
things."_
Slowly, the disguised sled crept through the jungle. Once, a scout
swooped down into the headlights, waved. Orne stopped on Tanub's order,
and they waited almost ten minutes before proceeding.
"Wild ones?" asked Orne.
"Perhaps," said Tanub.
A glowing of many lights grew visible through the giant tree trunks. It
grew brighter as the sled crept through the last of the jungle, emerged
in cleared land at the edge of the city.
Orne stared upward in awe. The city fluted and spiraled into the moonlit
sky. It was a fragile appearing lacery of bridges, winking dots of
light. The bridges wove back and forth from building to building until
the entire visible network appeared one gigantic dew-glittering web.
"All that with glass," murmured Orne.
_"What's happening?"_ hissed Stetson.
Orne touched his throat contact. _"We're just into the city clearing,
proceeding toward the nearest building."_
"This is far enough," said Tanub.
* * * * *
Orne stopped the sled. In the moonlight, he could see armed Gienahns all
around. The buttressed pedestal of one of the buildings loomed directly
ahead. It looked taller than had the scout cruiser in its jungle landing
circle.
Tanub leaned close to Orne's shoulder. "We have not deceived you, have
we, Orne?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You have recognized that we are not mutated members of your race."