[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
their course on the side indicated. Whatever it was, was doing so
deliberately, for it was at once keeping up with them, and keeping out of
sight among the trees and brush off to their left.
Without looking directly to his left, Hal set himself to seeing what he could
pick up out of the corner of his eyes. It took a little time, but eventually
he became aware of whatever it was, more by the faint noises and small
movements of the ferns and branches it pushed aside in its passage-though it
was apparently trying to move as quietly as it could-than by actual sight of
it.
He glanced at Amanda and questioned her with a raised eyebrow.
Amanda shook her head in puzzlement, and her hands moved in small movements,
quick but unobtrusive signals. "It's human-a child, or child-sized, I think,"
she said in this silent fashion. "It's interested in us for some reason.
There's an open spot of nothing much more than bush and fern just ahead. Let's
sit down there as if we're taking a break and try to tempt it out into the
open."
Hal blinked a signal of agreement at her, and a few moments later when they
had emerged into the open area she had referred to and reached close to the
center of it, she yawned, stretched and stopped. Hal stopped with her. "Let's
sit down a bit, she said clearly. Whoever was shadowing them could not
have failed to overhear. "There's no hurry. "
She had stopped by a small bank overgrown with fern-a tiny variety rather than
the larger growth that had been interspersed with the trees earlier. This was,
in fact, a natural stopping place. It occurred to Hal that these would make an
excellent bed for
THE CHANTRY GUILD
125
Amanda and himself to stretch out on, together. They sat down on the bank now,
cross-legged and facing each other. "Chit!" said Amanda. "Reelin."
She had switched now to the audible " short- language." On the Dorsai a number
of code words were generally known by everyone, since these could come in
useful if two Dorsai on a foreign planet wanted to exchange information within
the hearing of others when they did not wish to be understood. In addition,
each family tended to have its own private code of made up words; and the
members of the Morgan and the Graeme families, growing up and playing together
as children, knew most of each others' private codes. As youngsters, there had
also been a particular pleasure in being able to exchange secret information
under the noses of nonunderstanding adults. So the codes were always improved
upon by each new generation.
In effect, what Amanda had just said was, "Let's talk in a
way our shadower can't understand. Maybe we can trick whoever it is into
coming closer to try and hear better, andfigure out what we're up to."
"Right," said Hal. There was no particular reason not to use a plainly
understandable word in answer, and a few understandable words might increase
the temptation of the listener to come in close and hear enough of them to
make out what the tenor of conversation was. "Muckle minny cat," he added.
He was pointing out that there were two of them, and since whatever or whoever
it was that had been shadowing them was not large, one of them ought to be
able to catch it while the other blocked its escape in this direction. Implied
was the question of who should chase and who should block.
Amanda smiled, slightly but firmly. "One! (I'll be the one to chase), '' she
said. "Home snapback (you stay here and get ready in case whoever we're
chasing doubles back this way.)" "R," he said, agreeing. She would be faster
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
and more agile at broken-country running than he. "Mark!"
The last word was to remind her that their listener had crept close enough so
that now an effort might be made to catch him or it. "R," said Amanda.
"One-C."
126
Gordon R. Dickson
THE CHANTRY GUILD
The last code word reasserted the fact that she was in Command; and, as the
chaser, she would pick her own moment to begin pursuit. Meanwhile, with their
gazes apparently only upon each other, they were both using their peripheral
vision to try and observe something about their watcher, who had indeed
slipped closer to them to try to understand their strange conversation.
"Whisper stonewall (I've heard some talk about this person, but I could never
get an 'v definite information),'' said Amanda. They both had their shadower
plainly in view out of the corners of their eyes now. " Y'un. "
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]