As the trading center had been, the hall was a circular enclosure open to the sky above but divided in wheel-spoke8 fashion with posts of the red wood, each supporting a metal basket filled with imflammable material. Here were no lowly stools or trading tables. One vast circular board, broken only by a gap at the foot, ran completely around the wall. At the end opposite the entrance was the high chair of the chieftain, set on a two step dais. Though the feast had not yet officially begun, the Terrans saw that the majority of the places were already occupied.
They were led around the perimeter9 of the enclosure to places not far from the high seat. Van Rycke settled down with a grunt10 of satisfaction. It was plain that the Free Traders were numbered among the nobility. They could be sure of good trade in the days to come.
Delegations12 from neighboring clans13 arrived in close companies of ten or twelve and were granted seats, as had been the Terrans, in groups. Dane noted14 that there was no intermingling of clan with clan. And, as they were to understand later that night, there was a very good reason for that precaution.
"Hope all our adaption shots work," Ali murmured, eyeing with no pleasure at all the succession of platters now being borne through the inner opening of the table.
While the Traders had learned long ago that the wisest part of valor16 was not to sample alien strong drinks, ceremony often required that they break bread (or its other world equivalent) on strange planets. And so science served expediency17 and now a Trader bound for any Galactic banquet was immunized, as far as was medically possible, against the evil consequences of consuming food not originally intended for Terran stomachs. One of the results being that Traders acquired a far flung reputation of possessing bird-like appetites—since it was always better to nibble18 and live, than to gorge19 and die.
Groft had not yet taken his place in the vacant chieftain's chair. For the present he stood in the center of the table circle, directing the captive slaves who circulated with the food. Until the magic moment when the clan themselves would proclaim their overlord, he remained merely the eldest20 son of the house, relatively21 without power.
As the endless rows of platters made their way about the table the basket lights on the tops of the pillars were ignited, dispelling22 the dusk of evening. And there was an attendant stationed by each to throw on handsful of aromatic23 bark which burned with puffs24 of lavender smoke, adding to the many warring scents26. The Terrans had recourse at intervals27 to their own pungent28 smelling bottles, merely to clear their heads of the drugging fumes29.
Luckily, Dane thought as the feast proceeded, that smoke from the braziers went straight up. Had they been in a roofed space they might have been overcome. As it was—were they entirely30 conscious of all that was going on around them?
His reason for that speculation31 was the dance now being performed in the center of the hall—their fight with the gorp being enacted32 in a series of bounds and stabbings. He was sure that he could no longer trust his eyes when the claw knife of the victorious33 dancer-hunter apparently34 passed completely through the chest of another wearing a grotesque35 monster mask.
As a fitting climax36 to their horrific display, three of the men who had been with them on the reef entered, dragging behind them—still enmeshed in the hunting net—the gorp which Dane had stunned37. It was uncurled now and very much alive, but the pincer claws which might have cut its way to safety were encased in balls of hard substance.
Freed from the net, suspended by its sealed claws, the gorp swung back and forth38 from a standard set up before the high seat. Its murderous jaws39 snapped futilely41, and from it came an enraged42 snake's vicious hissing43. Though totally in the power of its enemies it gave an impression of terrifying strength and menace.
The sight of their ancient foe44 aroused the Salariki, inflaming45 warriors who leaned across the table to hurl46 tongue-twisting invective47 at the captive monster. Dane gathered that seldom had a living gorp been delivered helpless into their hands and they proposed to make the most of this wonderful opportunity. And the Terran suddenly wished the monstrosity had fallen back into the sea. He had no soft thoughts for the gorp after what he had seen at the reef and the tales he had heard, but neither did he like what he saw now expressed in gestures, heard in the tones of voices about them.
A storm priest put an end to the outcries. His dun cloak making a spot of darkness amid all the flashing color, he came straight to the place where the gorp swung. As he took his stand before the wriggling48 creature the din6 gradually faded, the warriors settled back into their seats, a pool of quiet spread through the enclosure.
Groft came up to take his position beside the priest. With both hands he carried a two handled cup. It was not the ornamented49 goblet50 which stood before each diner, but a manifestly older artifact, fashioned of some dull black substance and having the appearance of being even older than the hall or town.
One of the warriors who had helped to bring in the gorp now made a quick and accurate cast with a looped rope, snaring51 the monster's head and pulling back almost at a right angle. With deliberation the storm priest produced a knife—the first straight bladed weapon Dane had seen on Sargol. He made a single thrust in the soft underpart of the gorp's throat, catching52 in the cup he took from Groft some of the ichor which spurted53 from the wound.
The gorp thrashed madly, spattering table and surrounding Salariki with its life fluid, but the attention of the crowd was riveted54 elsewhere. Into the old cup the priest poured another substance from a flask55 brought by an underling. He shook the cup back and forth, as if to mix its contents thoroughly56 and then handed it to Groft.
Holding it before him the young chieftain leaped to the table top and so to stand before the high seat. There was a hush57 throughout the enclosure. Now even the gorp had ceased its wild struggles and hung limp in its bonds.
Groft raised the cup above his head and gave a loud shout in the archaic58 language of his clan. He was answered by a chant from the warriors who would in battle follow his banner, chant punctuated59 with the clinking slap of knife blades brought down forcibly on the board.
Three times he recited some formula and was answered by the others. Then, in another period of sudden quiet, he raised the cup to his lips and drank off its contents in a single draught60, turning the goblet upside down when he had done to prove that not a drop remained within. A shout tore through the great hall. The Salariki were all on their feet, waving their knives over their heads in honor to their new ruler. And Groft for the first time seated himself in the high seat. The clan was no longer without a chieftain. Groft held his father's place.
"Not yet. They'll probably make a night of it. Here comes another round of drinks—"
"And trouble with them,"—that was Captain Jellico being prophetic.
"By the Coalsack's Ripcord!" That exclamation61 had been jolted62 out of Rip and Dane turned to see what had so jarred the usually serene63 Astrogator-apprentice. He was just in time to witness an important piece of Sargolian social practice.
A young warrior3, surely only within a year or so of receiving his knife, was facing an older Salarik, both on their feet. The head and shoulder fur of the older fighter was dripping wet and an empty goblet rolled across the table to bump to the floor. A hush had fallen on the immediate64 neighbors of the pair, and there was an air of expectancy65 about the company.
"Here and now?" Dane had heard of the personal combat proclivities67 of the Salariki.
"Should be to the death for an insult such as that," Ali remarked, as usual surveying the scene from his chosen role as bystander. As a child he had survived the unspeakable massacres68 of the Crater69 War, nothing had been able to crack his surface armor since.
"The young fool!" that was Steen Wilcox sizing up the situation from the angle of a naturally cautious nature and some fifteen years of experience on a great many different worlds. "He'll be mustered70 out for good before he knows what happened to him!"
The younger Salarik had barked a question at his elder and had been promptly71 answered by that dripping warrior. Now their neighbors came to life with an efficiency which suggested that they had been waiting for such a move, it had happened so many times that every man knew just the right procedure from that point on.
In order for a Sargolian feast to be a success, the Terrans gathered from overheard remarks, at least one duel must be staged sometime during the festivities. And those not actively72 engaged did a lot of brisk betting in the background.
"Look there—at that fellow in the violet cloak," Rip directed Dane. "See what he just laid down?"
The nobleman in the violet cloak was not one of Groft's liege men, but a member of the delegation11 from another clan. And what he had laid down on the table—indicating as he did so his choice as winner in the coming combat, the elder warrior—was a small piece of white material on which reposed73 a slightly withered74 but familiar leaf. The neighbor he wagered75 with, eyed the stake narrowly, bending over to sniff76 at it, before he piled up two gem77 set armlets, a personal scent25 box and a thumb ring to balance.
At this practical indication of just how much the Terran herb was esteemed78 Dane regretted anew their earlier ignorance. He glanced along the board and saw that Van Rycke had noted that stake and was calling their Captain's attention to it.
But such side issues were forgotten as the duelists vaulted79 into the circle rimmed80 by the table, a space now vacated for their action. They were stripped to their loin cloths, their cloaks thrown aside. Each carried his net in his right hand, his claw knife ready in his left. As yet the Traders had not seen Salarik against Salarik in action and in spite of themselves they edged forward in their seats, as intent as the natives upon what was to come. The finer points of the combat were lost on them, and they did not understand the drilled casts of the net, which had become as formalized through the centuries as the ancient and now almost forgotten sword play of their own world. The young Salarik had greater agility81 and speed, but the veteran who faced him had the experience.
To Terran eyes the duel had some of the weaving, sweeping82 movements of the earlier ritual dance. The swift evasions83 of the nets were graceful84 and so timed that many times the meshes85 grazed the skin of the fighter who fled entrapment86.
Dane believed that the elder man was tiring, and the youngster must have shared that opinion. There was a leap to the right, a sudden flurry of dart87 and retreat, and then a net curled high and fell, enfolding flailing88 arms and kicking legs. When the clutch rope was jerked tight, the captured youth was thrown off balance. He rolled frenziedly, but there was no escaping the imprisoning89 strands90.
A shout applauded the victor. He stood now above his captive who lay supine, his throat or breast ready for either stroke of the knife his captor wished to deliver. But it appeared that the winner was not minded to end the encounter with blood. Instead he reached out a long, befurred arm, took up a filled goblet from the table and with serious deliberation, poured its contents onto the upturned face of the loser.
For a moment there was a dead silence around the feast board and then a second roar, to which the honestly relieved Terrans added spurts91 of laughter. The sputtering92 youth was shaken free of the net and went down on his knees, tendering his opponent his knife, which the other thrust along with his own into his sash belt. Dane gathered from overheard remarks that the younger man was, for a period of time, to be determined93 by clan council, now the servant-slave of his overthrower and that since they were closely united by blood ties, this solution was considered eminently94 suitable—though had the elder killed his opponent, no one would have thought the worse of him for that deed.
It was the Queen's men who were to provide the next center of attraction. Groft climbed down from his high seat and came to face across the board those who had accompanied him on the hunt. This time there was no escaping the sipping95 of the potent96 drink which the new chieftain slopped from his own goblet into each of theirs.
The fiery97 mouthful almost gagged Dane, but he swallowed manfully and hoped for the best as it burned like acid down his throat into his middle, there to mix uncomfortably with the viands98 he had eaten. Weeks' thin face looked very white, and Dane noticed with malicious99 enjoyment100, that Ali had an unobtrusive grip on the table which made his knuckles101 stand out in polished knobs—proving that there were things which could upset the imperturbable102 Kamil.
Fortunately they were not required to empty that flowing bowl in one gulp103 as Groft had done. The ceremonial mouthful was deemed enough and Dane sat down thankfully—but with uneasy fears for the future.
Groft had started back to his high seat when there was an interruption which had not been foreseen. A messenger threaded his way among the serving men and spoke to the chieftain, who glanced at the Terrans and then nodded.
Dane, his queasiness104 growing every second, was not attending until he heard a bitten off word from Rip's direction and looked up to see a party of I-S men coming into the open space before the high seat. The men from the Queen stiffened—there was something in the attitude of the newcomers which hinted at trouble.
"What do you wish, sky lords?" That was Groft using the Trade Lingo105, his eyes half closed as he lolled in his chair of state, almost as if he were about to witness some entertainment provided for his pleasure.
"We wish to offer you the good fortune desires of our hearts—" That was Kallee, the flowery words rolling with the proper accent from his tongue. "And that you shall not forget us—we also offer gifts—"
At a gesture from their Cargo-master, the I-S men set down a small chest. Groft, his chin resting on a clenched106 fist, lost none of his lazy air.
"They are received," he retorted with the formal acceptance. "And no one can have too much good fortune. The Howlers of the Black Winds know that." But he tendered no invitation to join the feast.
Kallee did not appear to be disconcerted. His next move was one which took his rivals by surprise, in spite of their suspicions.
"Under the laws of the Fellowship, O, Groft," he clung to the formal speech, "I claim redress—"
Ali's hand moved. Through his growing distress107 Dane saw Van Rycke's jaw40 tighten108, the fighting mask snap back on Captain Jellico's face. Whatever came now was real trouble.
Groft's eyes flickered109 over the party from the Queen. Though he had just pledged cup friendship with four of them, he had the malicious humor of his race. He would make no move to head off what might be coming.
"By the right of the knife and the net," he intoned, "you have the power to claim personal satisfaction. Where is your enemy?"
Kallee turned to face the Free Traders. "I hereby challenge a champion to be set out from these off-worlders to meet by the blood and by the water my champion—"
The Salariki were getting excited. This was superb entertainment, an engagement such as they had never hoped to see—alien against alien. The rising murmur of their voices was like the growl110 of a hunting beast.
Groft smiled and the pleasure that expression displayed was neither Terran—nor human. But then the clan leader was not either, Dane reminded himself.
"Four of these warriors are clan-bound," he said. "But the others may produce a champion—"
Dane looked along the line of his comrades—Ali, Rip, Weeks and himself had just been ruled out. That left Jellico, Van Rycke, Karl Kosti, the giant jetman whose strength they had to rely upon before, Stotz the Engineer, Medic Tau and Steen Wilcox. If it were strength alone he would have chosen Kosti, but the big man was not too quick a thinker—
Jellico got to his feet, the embodiment of a star lane fighting man. In the flickering111 light the scar on his cheek seemed to ripple112. "Who's your champion?" he asked Kallee.
The Eysie Cargo-master was grinning. He was confident he had pushed them into a position from which they could not extricate113 themselves.
"You accept challenge?" he countered.
The Eysie who stepped up was no match for Kosti. He was a slender, almost wand-slim young man, whose pleased smirk115 said that he, too, was about to put something over on the notorious Free Traders. Jellico studied him for a couple of long seconds during which the hum of Salariki voices was the threatening buzz of a disturbed wasps116' nest. There was no way out of this—to refuse conflict was to lose all they had won with the clansmen. And they did not doubt that Kallee had, in some way, triggered the scales against them.
Jellico made the best of it. "We accept challenge," his voice was level. "We, being guesting in Groft's holding, will fight after the manner of the Salariki who are proven warriors—" He paused as roars of pleased acknowledgment arose around the board.
"Therefore let us follow the custom of warriors and take up the net and the knife—"
Was there a shade of dismay on Kallee's face?
"And the time?" Groft leaned forward to ask—but his satisfaction at such a fine ending for his feast was apparent. This would be talked over by every Sargolian for many storm seasons to come!
Jellico glanced up at the sky. "Say an hour after dawn, chieftain. With your leave, we shall confer concerning a champion."
"My council room is yours," Groft signed for a liege man to guide them.
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1
stockade
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| n.栅栏，围栏；v.用栅栏防护 | |
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2
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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cubicle
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| n.大房间中隔出的小室 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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8
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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9
perimeter
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| n.周边，周长，周界 | |
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grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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delegation
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| n.代表团；派遣 | |
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delegations
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| n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派 | |
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clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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dispelling
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的现在分词 ) | |
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aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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42
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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43
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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44
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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inflaming
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| v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的现在分词 ) | |
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46
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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47
invective
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| n.痛骂，恶意抨击 | |
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48
wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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49
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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51
snaring
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| v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的现在分词 ) | |
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52
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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53
spurted
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺 | |
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54
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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55
flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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56
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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57
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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58
archaic
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| adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的 | |
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punctuated
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| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
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draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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proclivities
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| n.倾向，癖性( proclivity的名词复数 ) | |
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massacres
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| 大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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75
wagered
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| v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的过去式和过去分词 )；保证，担保 | |
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76
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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rimmed
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| adj.有边缘的，有框的v.沿…边缘滚动；给…镶边 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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evasions
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| 逃避( evasion的名词复数 )； 回避； 遁辞； 借口 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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meshes
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| 网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境 | |
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entrapment
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| n.（非法）诱捕，诱人犯罪；诱使犯罪 | |
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dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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flailing
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| v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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imprisoning
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| v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 ) | |
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strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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sipping
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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100
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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101
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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103
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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104
queasiness
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| n.恶心 | |
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105
lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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108
tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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111
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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112
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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113
extricate
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| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
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114
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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115
smirk
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| n.得意地笑；v.傻笑；假笑着说 | |
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116
wasps
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| 黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人 | |
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