Lin Carter - Down to a Sunless Sea by Lin Carter, Ken W. Kelly - Cover Page B
Authors: Lin Carter, Ken W. Kelly - Cover
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before any of them awoke.
Brant stretched tired muscles and yawned a jaw-cracking yawn. Then he got up and went out of the narrow cave to relieve himself. He found Harbin already up and dressed.
"I figured you'd still be snoozing," the big Earthsider grunted. The older man smiled ruefully.
"Old bones don't rest easy," Harbin admitted. "People of my age don't need that much sleep, you know. After all, the Big Sleep is nearer for us than for you young folks."
Brant grimaced and spat. "Hell, Doc, you'll see me in my grave, more than likely. Anybody else up?"
Will Harbin shook his head briefly. Stepping away from the cliffwall, Brant scanned the ridgeline with slow and careful gaze.
"Any signs of company?" he inquired.
Harbin shook his head again. "None that I can discern," he said. "But I hardly suppose that they will be on our track this quickly."
"Let's hope not, anyway," Brant growled. "Another ride like the one we had last night will about do me in!"
Agila emerged from the mouth of the cave shortly thereafter. He ignored Brant as best he might, greeting his employer briefly. Before long, the delicious smell of food being cooked was on the air. Brant sniffed hungrily.
"Soup's on, I guess. That means the women must be up."
They broke their fast ravenously, and seldom had hot food tasted better to any of the travelers.
Later on, having fed the lopers, Brant saddled his beast and rode out into the midst of the dunes. Climbing to the top of the tallest one he could find easily, he spent a long time carefully searching the ridgeline with his binoculars. Eventually, finding no slightest sign of their pursuers, he remounted his steed and rode back to the cave, reporting his discovery, or lack of any discovery, to the old scientist.
"Thing is, do we hole up here or keep goin'?" Brant concluded.
"I thought you were the leader of this miniature expedition," Harbin remarked lightly.
The other shrugged. "Doesn't matter who's boss. You've got the brains and all the know-how; I got the muscle and the wilderness experience. So what d'you think? Stay, or keep movin'?"
Harbin chewed it over thoughtfully. Finally, he said:
"Our friends will have to split into two groups, one riding north and the other heading south, since they have no way of knowing in which direction we went. Just as you surmised yesterday. And, that is, if they are still tracking us."
"So?"
"So, even if they come this way, and are still riding the high country, they'll have no chance of seeing us, providing that we keep to the cave."
Brant shook his head. "Wrong, Doc. What if they have a pack of hunters?"
Hunters were small, fleet domesticated reptiles used by the Martian natives for much the same purpose as Earthsiders use hunting dogs. They possessed a remarkable sense of smell, and could easily have detected the odors of cooking food or fresh droppings from the lopers, even from the ridgeline.
Harbin scratched his nose. "I didn't see any hunters before," he said. Brant shrugged.
"Neither did I. But that doesn't mean they don't have 'em. If I gotta gamble my life, I'd like it to be on a sure thing."
"So you think we should keep moving, eh?"
Brant looked stubborn. "Goes against my grain to run from a fight," he admitted heavily. "But they outnumber us and probably are better armed. We got a good head start on them right now, and it might be smart to hang onto that advantage."
"We simply can't keep running forever," Harbin observed shrewdly, "and I, for one, would like to be sure they are still after us, before I continue this flight from a trouble that may, after all, no longer be there."
"Not bad thinking, 1 guess," nodded Brant. "Besides, the lopers are still tired from that all-night ride. Let's hang around here for a while more, keeping a sentinel posted out on the dunes. We can take shifts. And there's something else . . . ?"
"Which is?" prompted the scientist.
Brant looked at him squarely.
"I want to find out why they're after us, whoever
Brant stretched tired muscles and yawned a jaw-cracking yawn. Then he got up and went out of the narrow cave to relieve himself. He found Harbin already up and dressed.
"I figured you'd still be snoozing," the big Earthsider grunted. The older man smiled ruefully.
"Old bones don't rest easy," Harbin admitted. "People of my age don't need that much sleep, you know. After all, the Big Sleep is nearer for us than for you young folks."
Brant grimaced and spat. "Hell, Doc, you'll see me in my grave, more than likely. Anybody else up?"
Will Harbin shook his head briefly. Stepping away from the cliffwall, Brant scanned the ridgeline with slow and careful gaze.
"Any signs of company?" he inquired.
Harbin shook his head again. "None that I can discern," he said. "But I hardly suppose that they will be on our track this quickly."
"Let's hope not, anyway," Brant growled. "Another ride like the one we had last night will about do me in!"
Agila emerged from the mouth of the cave shortly thereafter. He ignored Brant as best he might, greeting his employer briefly. Before long, the delicious smell of food being cooked was on the air. Brant sniffed hungrily.
"Soup's on, I guess. That means the women must be up."
They broke their fast ravenously, and seldom had hot food tasted better to any of the travelers.
Later on, having fed the lopers, Brant saddled his beast and rode out into the midst of the dunes. Climbing to the top of the tallest one he could find easily, he spent a long time carefully searching the ridgeline with his binoculars. Eventually, finding no slightest sign of their pursuers, he remounted his steed and rode back to the cave, reporting his discovery, or lack of any discovery, to the old scientist.
"Thing is, do we hole up here or keep goin'?" Brant concluded.
"I thought you were the leader of this miniature expedition," Harbin remarked lightly.
The other shrugged. "Doesn't matter who's boss. You've got the brains and all the know-how; I got the muscle and the wilderness experience. So what d'you think? Stay, or keep movin'?"
Harbin chewed it over thoughtfully. Finally, he said:
"Our friends will have to split into two groups, one riding north and the other heading south, since they have no way of knowing in which direction we went. Just as you surmised yesterday. And, that is, if they are still tracking us."
"So?"
"So, even if they come this way, and are still riding the high country, they'll have no chance of seeing us, providing that we keep to the cave."
Brant shook his head. "Wrong, Doc. What if they have a pack of hunters?"
Hunters were small, fleet domesticated reptiles used by the Martian natives for much the same purpose as Earthsiders use hunting dogs. They possessed a remarkable sense of smell, and could easily have detected the odors of cooking food or fresh droppings from the lopers, even from the ridgeline.
Harbin scratched his nose. "I didn't see any hunters before," he said. Brant shrugged.
"Neither did I. But that doesn't mean they don't have 'em. If I gotta gamble my life, I'd like it to be on a sure thing."
"So you think we should keep moving, eh?"
Brant looked stubborn. "Goes against my grain to run from a fight," he admitted heavily. "But they outnumber us and probably are better armed. We got a good head start on them right now, and it might be smart to hang onto that advantage."
"We simply can't keep running forever," Harbin observed shrewdly, "and I, for one, would like to be sure they are still after us, before I continue this flight from a trouble that may, after all, no longer be there."
"Not bad thinking, 1 guess," nodded Brant. "Besides, the lopers are still tired from that all-night ride. Let's hang around here for a while more, keeping a sentinel posted out on the dunes. We can take shifts. And there's something else . . . ?"
"Which is?" prompted the scientist.
Brant looked at him squarely.
"I want to find out why they're after us, whoever
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