"Don't interrupt with your half truths," said Dimanche. "Huntners
_are_ special; their brain structure, too. Not necessarily better,
just different. Only the auditory and visual centers of their brains
resemble that of man. You can guess the results of even superficial
tampering with those parts of her mind. And stolen identification would
involve lobotomy."
He could imagine? Cassal shook his head. No, he couldn't. A blinded
and deaf Murra Foray would not go back to the home of the Huntners.
According to her racial conditioning, a sightless young tiger should
creep away and die.
Again there was silence. "No, she's not pretending unconsciousness,"
announced Dimanche. "For a moment I thought--but never mind."
The conversation was lasting longer than he expected. The ship must be
obsolete and slow. There were still a few things he wanted to find out,
if there was time.
"When are you going on Drive?" he asked.
"We've been on it for some time," answered Dimanche.
"Repeat that!" said Cassal, stunned.
"I said that we've been on faster-than-light drive for some time. Is
there anything wrong with that?"
Nothing wrong with that at all. Theoretically, there was only one means
of communicating with a ship hurtling along faster than light, and that
way hadn't been invented.
_Hadn't been until he had put together the instrument he called Manche._
Unwittingly, he had created far more than he intended. He ought to have
felt elated.
Dimanche interrupted his thoughts. "I suppose you know what she thinks
of you."
"She made it plain enough," said Cassal wearily. "A teddy bear. A
brainless, childish toy."
"Among the Huntners, women are vigorous and aggressive," said Dimanche.
The voice grew weaker as the ship, already light-years away, slid into
unfathomable distances. "Where words are concerned, morals are very
strict. For instance, 'dear' is never used unless the person means it.
Huntner men are weak and not over-burdened with intelligence."
The voice was barely audible, but it continued: "The principal romantic
figure in the dreams of women...." Dimanche failed altogether.
"Manche!" cried Cassal.