air. Melanthius recovered the peg and tossed it back onto the table without changing expression. The baboon snatched it up and, in two tries, found the right hole. In the end, he managed to get two-thirds of the pegs in the proper holes.
Melanthius took away the peg board and Dione set three colored bowls on the table. One was red, one green, and one blue. The old alchemist brought a brass bowl of colored wooden beads, all mixed together, and set it before the baboon. The baboon did not seem to need coaching. He picked up two red beads and dropped them at once into the red bowl. But he confused blue and green, dropping three green beads into the blue bowl.
Melanthius frowned, then returned his face to its former blandness. None of the other humans responded or spoke. The baboon picked up another bead, a blue one, then seemed to realize its mistake. He picked up the blue bowl and dumped the contents into the green bowl.
Princess Farah was delighted, hiding her smile behind her hand. But the old Greek was openly smiling. He gestured for the bowls to be removed and searched through another box, this one with a design of stars and comets inlaid in mother-of-pearl. He produced a small, plain wooden box and set it on the table. He crossed the laboratory, found a banana in a bowl of fruit, and returned to the baboon’s test site. He put the banana inside the wooden box, then fastened down the lid with a complicated combination of padlock and key. With his face blank he handed the key to the baboon.
The baboon turned the key one way, then another, then tested it with his teeth. Without warning he threw the key over his shoulder. There was a crash behind them, then the slither of a powder falling from a shattered beaker. The baboon reached out to a nearby table, where a halved geode lay, the marvelous inner world of a rock exposed, snatched up the geological specimen and in one quick blow knocked the lock cleanly from the box. He flipped open the lid and casually plucked the banana from its interior. Without a look at the humans the baboon delicately peeled and ate the fruit.
“Like the Gordian knot,” Sinbad muttered to himself. He glanced at Melanthius covertly and saw the scientist’s eyes glimmering with mounting excitement. Sinbad leaned close to Princess Farah and whispered in her ear, “I think he’s beginning to believe.”
Farah gave him a sharp look. “And you?” she asked.
Sinbad shrugged. “It could be several things. I will let the Greek decide.” Sinbad turned away and saw Dione watching him with a curious expression. She quickly averted her eyes, watching her father removing the shattered box and setting out the new test.
It was an old one, and simple. Melanthius put out three walnut shells, old and brittle and polished with use. He found a small round pebble in a pot and capped it with a walnut shell. His hands quickly switched the position of the shells, back and forth, several times. Then he gestured to the baboon.
The black-furred animal looked at him, gibbered, a fingertip on his lips, then reached out and picked up a shell, exposing the pebble. Sinbad grinned to himself ruefully. He had thought it was another.
Deftly the old alchemist covered the pebble with a shell and switched the shell halves back and forth, then took away his hand. There was no hesitation at all this time. The baboon’s long, spidery fingers darted forth almost before the alchemist’s hand had left the shells. Again he uncovered the pebble.
And again.
And a fourth time, correctly.
As the old Greek started to do the shell game trick for a fifth time the baboon’s hands waved him away. He captured the pebble under the shell half and briskly shuffled the shells around. He stopped, looking up at Melanthius with dark, quick eyes. The old man hesitated, looking from the three shells to the baboon. Then his finger touched a shell half and raised it.
Empty.
The baboon raised a shell, exposing the pebble, then covered it and
Melanthius took away the peg board and Dione set three colored bowls on the table. One was red, one green, and one blue. The old alchemist brought a brass bowl of colored wooden beads, all mixed together, and set it before the baboon. The baboon did not seem to need coaching. He picked up two red beads and dropped them at once into the red bowl. But he confused blue and green, dropping three green beads into the blue bowl.
Melanthius frowned, then returned his face to its former blandness. None of the other humans responded or spoke. The baboon picked up another bead, a blue one, then seemed to realize its mistake. He picked up the blue bowl and dumped the contents into the green bowl.
Princess Farah was delighted, hiding her smile behind her hand. But the old Greek was openly smiling. He gestured for the bowls to be removed and searched through another box, this one with a design of stars and comets inlaid in mother-of-pearl. He produced a small, plain wooden box and set it on the table. He crossed the laboratory, found a banana in a bowl of fruit, and returned to the baboon’s test site. He put the banana inside the wooden box, then fastened down the lid with a complicated combination of padlock and key. With his face blank he handed the key to the baboon.
The baboon turned the key one way, then another, then tested it with his teeth. Without warning he threw the key over his shoulder. There was a crash behind them, then the slither of a powder falling from a shattered beaker. The baboon reached out to a nearby table, where a halved geode lay, the marvelous inner world of a rock exposed, snatched up the geological specimen and in one quick blow knocked the lock cleanly from the box. He flipped open the lid and casually plucked the banana from its interior. Without a look at the humans the baboon delicately peeled and ate the fruit.
“Like the Gordian knot,” Sinbad muttered to himself. He glanced at Melanthius covertly and saw the scientist’s eyes glimmering with mounting excitement. Sinbad leaned close to Princess Farah and whispered in her ear, “I think he’s beginning to believe.”
Farah gave him a sharp look. “And you?” she asked.
Sinbad shrugged. “It could be several things. I will let the Greek decide.” Sinbad turned away and saw Dione watching him with a curious expression. She quickly averted her eyes, watching her father removing the shattered box and setting out the new test.
It was an old one, and simple. Melanthius put out three walnut shells, old and brittle and polished with use. He found a small round pebble in a pot and capped it with a walnut shell. His hands quickly switched the position of the shells, back and forth, several times. Then he gestured to the baboon.
The black-furred animal looked at him, gibbered, a fingertip on his lips, then reached out and picked up a shell, exposing the pebble. Sinbad grinned to himself ruefully. He had thought it was another.
Deftly the old alchemist covered the pebble with a shell and switched the shell halves back and forth, then took away his hand. There was no hesitation at all this time. The baboon’s long, spidery fingers darted forth almost before the alchemist’s hand had left the shells. Again he uncovered the pebble.
And again.
And a fourth time, correctly.
As the old Greek started to do the shell game trick for a fifth time the baboon’s hands waved him away. He captured the pebble under the shell half and briskly shuffled the shells around. He stopped, looking up at Melanthius with dark, quick eyes. The old man hesitated, looking from the three shells to the baboon. Then his finger touched a shell half and raised it.
Empty.
The baboon raised a shell, exposing the pebble, then covered it and
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