distinct smell that reminded Jack of a pigsty. Jasar put up a hand for caution and they approached the wire barrier slowly.
"Beast-pen
of some kind," Jasar murmured. "For fresh protein. Seems the Dargoon do themselves well here. On a ship, or the usual space
station, a man expects to have to be satisfied with synthetic protein. I wonder
what kind of stock they keep here." They came to a halt now on either side
of an upright metal column that served to support the wire web.
Jack was curious about the floor beyond the
fence. It was pierced with holes in regular array, so far as he could see under
the random scatter of dry weed. "How would a man muck out such a
chamber?" he demanded sofdy. "The droppings would fall through those
holes!"
"That's
the whole idea. The stuff falls through and is carried away by machinery and
processed automatically."
"But ..." He was about to object that a beast could put its foot through holes like that,
and break a leg, when a squeal caught his ear and attention. Directly ahead,
some twenty feet away, a flap-door lifted open under the push of a head and
snout, and he goggled at the beast that came into view. It was only slightly
smaller than a shire-horse in height, it galloped heavily on six stumpy legs,
and it looked for all the world like a wild pig that
had run into a wall and flattened its snout beyond recovery. Yellow tusks
flared on either side of a mouth like a shovel blade under a sack, and beady
black eyes were half hidden under flop-ears. Jasar snorted gently.
"Never
did I see anything like that before, nor want to, outside a cage. Stars and
comets, here's another!"
Beast
two came from a similar flap-door away to their left, approaching at a
thudding, thundering trot that spurned the dry weed. Beast one swung a head to
observe, let out a snort, then just stood and waited. The other came on at full
gallop. Jack held his breath. The collision was a booming thunder as the flat
snout of beast two struck beast one full in the side. Jack winced in
anticipation of the goring battle to follow, but no. The first beast staggered
a little, gave a grunt, shook its head, and stood fast, while the aggressor
galloped off in a tight arc and came back to do it all over again. Jack stared,
scratched his head, then the obvious answer dawned on him.
"Jasar!"
he muttered. "Were these creatures swine, I would
say this one is a sow in heat, and that one a boar, preparing to mount and
service. Do you see it like that?"
"I
do. And what's more"—the little man looked up and about anxiously—"I
think we could be at risk. Unless I am very much mistaken, this would be a
moment to be observed and recorded. Yes. I thought so. Up there, see? A spy-eye
pointed this way."
Jack
followed his indication and saw a bulbous dull thing in the comer of the roof
that seemed to peer at the spectacle. "Can it see us also?" he asked.
"Hard to be sure. Depends on the angle of vision, depth of focus. We had better keep still, anyway. Bum my circuits, they make enough noise with their mating. A man would think murder was being
done!"
"Swine
are noisy beasts," Jack agreed, watching the curious spectacle. By now
the aggressive male had battered the female into what was for him an acceptable
position, for he was marching on her steadily from the rear, while she stood
shaking her head and squealing. In that moment
Jack
felt Jasar's grasp fasten on his arm, heard the litde man gasp.
"Look there! Over to your right!
See?"
Jack
stiffened as he saw yet another flap-door open, cautiously this time, and out
of it came a man. Undoubtedly an ordinary, normal, mortal
man, bowed and plodding under the weight of a miniature version of the two
beasts that were now coupling in screeching, struggling harmony. The
stranger had only a fleeting glance to spare for the rowdy spectacle before he
ran, heavily but swifdy, away into the uncertain gloom of the far right of the
cage.
"Come
on!" Jasar urged. "If he is stealing Dargoon fodder, then
"Beast-pen
of some kind," Jasar murmured. "For fresh protein. Seems the Dargoon do themselves well here. On a ship, or the usual space
station, a man expects to have to be satisfied with synthetic protein. I wonder
what kind of stock they keep here." They came to a halt now on either side
of an upright metal column that served to support the wire web.
Jack was curious about the floor beyond the
fence. It was pierced with holes in regular array, so far as he could see under
the random scatter of dry weed. "How would a man muck out such a
chamber?" he demanded sofdy. "The droppings would fall through those
holes!"
"That's
the whole idea. The stuff falls through and is carried away by machinery and
processed automatically."
"But ..." He was about to object that a beast could put its foot through holes like that,
and break a leg, when a squeal caught his ear and attention. Directly ahead,
some twenty feet away, a flap-door lifted open under the push of a head and
snout, and he goggled at the beast that came into view. It was only slightly
smaller than a shire-horse in height, it galloped heavily on six stumpy legs,
and it looked for all the world like a wild pig that
had run into a wall and flattened its snout beyond recovery. Yellow tusks
flared on either side of a mouth like a shovel blade under a sack, and beady
black eyes were half hidden under flop-ears. Jasar snorted gently.
"Never
did I see anything like that before, nor want to, outside a cage. Stars and
comets, here's another!"
Beast
two came from a similar flap-door away to their left, approaching at a
thudding, thundering trot that spurned the dry weed. Beast one swung a head to
observe, let out a snort, then just stood and waited. The other came on at full
gallop. Jack held his breath. The collision was a booming thunder as the flat
snout of beast two struck beast one full in the side. Jack winced in
anticipation of the goring battle to follow, but no. The first beast staggered
a little, gave a grunt, shook its head, and stood fast, while the aggressor
galloped off in a tight arc and came back to do it all over again. Jack stared,
scratched his head, then the obvious answer dawned on him.
"Jasar!"
he muttered. "Were these creatures swine, I would
say this one is a sow in heat, and that one a boar, preparing to mount and
service. Do you see it like that?"
"I
do. And what's more"—the little man looked up and about anxiously—"I
think we could be at risk. Unless I am very much mistaken, this would be a
moment to be observed and recorded. Yes. I thought so. Up there, see? A spy-eye
pointed this way."
Jack
followed his indication and saw a bulbous dull thing in the comer of the roof
that seemed to peer at the spectacle. "Can it see us also?" he asked.
"Hard to be sure. Depends on the angle of vision, depth of focus. We had better keep still, anyway. Bum my circuits, they make enough noise with their mating. A man would think murder was being
done!"
"Swine
are noisy beasts," Jack agreed, watching the curious spectacle. By now
the aggressive male had battered the female into what was for him an acceptable
position, for he was marching on her steadily from the rear, while she stood
shaking her head and squealing. In that moment
Jack
felt Jasar's grasp fasten on his arm, heard the litde man gasp.
"Look there! Over to your right!
See?"
Jack
stiffened as he saw yet another flap-door open, cautiously this time, and out
of it came a man. Undoubtedly an ordinary, normal, mortal
man, bowed and plodding under the weight of a miniature version of the two
beasts that were now coupling in screeching, struggling harmony. The
stranger had only a fleeting glance to spare for the rowdy spectacle before he
ran, heavily but swifdy, away into the uncertain gloom of the far right of the
cage.
"Come
on!" Jasar urged. "If he is stealing Dargoon fodder, then
Similar Books
