[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Naran Makun looked across the table at the caravan master.
"And you couldn't find a trace of him?"
"Nothing. Not even a scrap of his cargo or so much as the bones of a
long-neck. He just dropped out of sight of his whole train. He went
through this big estate, you see. Then he cut back to pick up some of
his stops on the northern swing. Well, that was all. He didn't get to
the first one." The other waved a hand.
"Weird situation, too. Oh, the null was swirling, we know that, and he
could have been caught in an arm. It happens, but it isn't too often
that an experienced man like your brother gets in so deep he can't get
out somehow--or at least leave some trace of what happened." The man
picked up his cup, eying it thoughtfully.
"Oh, we've all had close ones, sure. We've all lost a long-neck or so,
now and then. Whenever the null swirls, it can cover big territory in a
big hurry and most of that northern swing is null area at one time or
another. One of those arms can overrun a train at night and if a man
loses his head, he's in big trouble." He sipped from his cup.
"Young caravan master got caught that way, just a while back. A friend
of mine, Dr. Zalbon, was running the swing after the null retracted. He
found what was left."
"Told me he ran into a herd of carnivores. Fifteen or twenty real big
fellows. Jaws as long as a man. He killed them off and then found they'd
been feeding on what was left of Dar Konil's train."