John Rackham by Beanstalk

floor. It was resilient, yielding to his feet, making no
sound. Jasar was on his back, one arm twisted, his legs splayed, his eyes fast
shut. But he breathed and was warm. Jack knew a little about broken bones,
enough to make him very careful as he drew that twisted arm straight and
settled it. So far as his touch could tell him, there was nothing broken under
that walnut skin. That was hard to believe from such a fall, but Jack didn't
waste time wondering at it. With all these pipes and vats there ought to be
water near. He prowled, searching.
    The
cavem floor was laid out in long lanes between bulky blocks that he assumed were
all machines of some kind or other. All were purring, or growling, or clicking,
like so many great animals drowsing. He ran a little way, then back, tried a side lane, using his ears. There! In a recess in one machine a
small pipe spouted a thin stream of water into a coppery cup, to fill it. Then
it ceased, waiting until the cup was drained, and began all over again. Above
that cup a patient green light winked on with each filling, as if counting.
With great daring Jack thrust his cupped hands into the path of the stream,
then ran fast to dash the water into Jasar's face. As he came back from a
second run the little man stirred, opened his eyes, and groaned.
    "Jack! What ... Tm all wet!" He started to sit up and groaned again, lay
carefully back. "Stars and comets! I'm all jelly
inside. What the ... ah! Yes! I fell down .. ."—his eyes rolled to pass Jack's anxious face and see the ladder—"down
there, was it?" Jack nodded, and the little man sighed. "All I
remember is that it was a long drop. And impact. If it hadn't been that my belt
was set for one-eighth gee, I'd be dead now for sure. Stupid
thing to do. I'm not exactly bursting with health as it is!"
"Are you mortally hurt, Jasar?"
    "I
doubt it. By the feel, I'm all scrambled inside, but that doesn't mean much.
Wait there while I probe." Jasar lay still, seemed to sag, and go utterly
inert. Even his breathing ceased, for what seemed an agonizingly long time, to
Jack. Then he stirred again, drew an enormous breath, opened his eyes and
smiled, but only briefly.
    "Don't
look so distressed, lad. I was only tracing out my systems. But ... I forget ... you probably don't understand that. It's one of the
curiosities in humanoid cultures, so our wise men say, that a culture has to reach a fairly high level of development before it
bothers to acquire an efficient physical awareness of the individual. Odd,
isn't it? You'd think the first thing any sentient body would learn would be
its own workings, wouldn't you?" Jack stared at him blankly, not
understanding, and Jasar smiled again. "Never mind, lad. The important
thing is , I assure you, that I'm all right. Or will be
when I've had a bite to eat and a chance to rest up."
    "How are we to achieve
that, here?"
    "That's
the next thing to work on. Give me your arm." With help, Jasar struggled
to his feet and was able to stand, none too steadily, while he looked around. "Some kind of pump-room, by the look of it. With continuous-process analysis and control. Nutrient vats.
Supply pipes. Probably automated. Not much risk of
meeting opposition here. It would help if we knew which way the central tower
lies from here."
    "I
think I know," Jack offered, staring at the ladder and casting his mind
back to his painful crawling around the rim up there. He moved to stand under
the tube, scratched his head in thought, then nodded.
"The tower is in that direction, immediately opposite to the
handholds."
    "You sure?" Jasar came to look up, then at the ladder, and then at Jack. "You
came down that thing?"
    "What else could I do,
Sir Jasar?"
    The
little man shook his head slowly, looked stern. "I could think of a few
things, offhand. Jack Earl Fairfax, take my hand. I tell you this. I Jasar-am- Bax, am honored and proud to call you friend and equal.
Three times now have you saved my life and in several ways have shown that