speak?” said Zhem.
The Pwez nodded again, and Zhem said, “What have I to do with these two of the desert? Why am I here?”
“If you can talk your tribe into leaving Mngumwa and living on the southern limits of our border, as the Eyzonuh would on our north, you could help us against the Juju. It is true that we decimated the army they sent against us. But we know that the Juju are many and that they have formed an alliance with the white nation to their north, the Jinya. It’s not much of an alliance; the two may be fighting each other before they ever reach us. They are planning to send several armies against us, even if we live a thousand miles from them. We suspect the Skego are behind this, that the Skego have falsely warned the two that we plan to march on them as soon as we conquer Skego.”
“They are wrong, of course. It will be some years before we will be in a position to make war against them.”
Benoni could not help thinking that Jinya and the Juju were just being foresighted in waging war now against the Kaywo, in trying to crush them before they became too strong and while they were fighting for their survival against Skego. But he said nothing.
“If you think that there is a chance your people will accept our generous offer, we will send you with our ambassadors to your countries, you will speak on our behalf. You will tell them of the might of Kaywo, of how we shattered the Juju savages and the civilized Senglwi. You will tell them that they have much to gain and little to lose.”
Except our lives, thought Benoni.
“Before you go,” continued the Usspika, “you must spend some time learning our language better. Not too much time, for we do not have much. But enough so that you can speak of us to your people with authority. And our ambassadors must begin learning your language. They will continue the lessons while riding towards your lands.”
“Now, what do you say?”
“I say yes!” said Joel loudly. “I am sure that my people will accept your offer!”
There was nothing after that for Benoni to say but that he, too, thought the offer might be acceptable to his people. In any event, nothing could be lost by making the offer.
He did not say he really thought that, even though the Kaywo might be sincere, they might also be presenting a very dangerous temptation to the Eyzonuh.
“Good!” said Mohso. “Now, Zhem Smed, what do you think?”
“I think that my people would consider the idea. But that I cannot take it to them.”
The Usspika’s white eyebrows rose, and the Pwez’s dark eyebrows bent in a frown.
“Why not?” she said sharply.
“I allowed myself to be taken prisoner,” said Zhem. “I am in eternal disgrace. I would be slain on sight if I set foot inside the borders of my tribe’s territory.”
“Even if you were accompanied by many of bur soldiers?”
“Even then.”
“We will make you a citizen of Kaywo,” said Usspika. “Surely, your people would not dare slay one of us.”
“Perhaps,” replied Zhem. “But you would have to explain very carefully just what my being a citizen meant before they saw me.”
“We will do that. Although, it is not as necessary in your case that we have you as a guide because we would not have much difficulty in locating your people. But these two,” he added, indicating Joel and Benoni, “come from a land so far away we have never heard of it. We need them to show us the way and also to act as intermediaries.”
“May I speak?” said Benoni. Seeing the Pwez nod, he said, “On our way to Fiiniks, I would like to investigate a very strange thing I saw on the great plains. That is a great house, or fort, or some kind of building, made of a silvery seamless metal. It is shaped like a needle, and it is inhabited by a strange people. It . . .”
“The Hairy Men from the Stars!”
It was the Usspika who gasped out those words and who rose and clutched the edge of the table with his gnarled hands.
“The ship of
The Pwez nodded again, and Zhem said, “What have I to do with these two of the desert? Why am I here?”
“If you can talk your tribe into leaving Mngumwa and living on the southern limits of our border, as the Eyzonuh would on our north, you could help us against the Juju. It is true that we decimated the army they sent against us. But we know that the Juju are many and that they have formed an alliance with the white nation to their north, the Jinya. It’s not much of an alliance; the two may be fighting each other before they ever reach us. They are planning to send several armies against us, even if we live a thousand miles from them. We suspect the Skego are behind this, that the Skego have falsely warned the two that we plan to march on them as soon as we conquer Skego.”
“They are wrong, of course. It will be some years before we will be in a position to make war against them.”
Benoni could not help thinking that Jinya and the Juju were just being foresighted in waging war now against the Kaywo, in trying to crush them before they became too strong and while they were fighting for their survival against Skego. But he said nothing.
“If you think that there is a chance your people will accept our generous offer, we will send you with our ambassadors to your countries, you will speak on our behalf. You will tell them of the might of Kaywo, of how we shattered the Juju savages and the civilized Senglwi. You will tell them that they have much to gain and little to lose.”
Except our lives, thought Benoni.
“Before you go,” continued the Usspika, “you must spend some time learning our language better. Not too much time, for we do not have much. But enough so that you can speak of us to your people with authority. And our ambassadors must begin learning your language. They will continue the lessons while riding towards your lands.”
“Now, what do you say?”
“I say yes!” said Joel loudly. “I am sure that my people will accept your offer!”
There was nothing after that for Benoni to say but that he, too, thought the offer might be acceptable to his people. In any event, nothing could be lost by making the offer.
He did not say he really thought that, even though the Kaywo might be sincere, they might also be presenting a very dangerous temptation to the Eyzonuh.
“Good!” said Mohso. “Now, Zhem Smed, what do you think?”
“I think that my people would consider the idea. But that I cannot take it to them.”
The Usspika’s white eyebrows rose, and the Pwez’s dark eyebrows bent in a frown.
“Why not?” she said sharply.
“I allowed myself to be taken prisoner,” said Zhem. “I am in eternal disgrace. I would be slain on sight if I set foot inside the borders of my tribe’s territory.”
“Even if you were accompanied by many of bur soldiers?”
“Even then.”
“We will make you a citizen of Kaywo,” said Usspika. “Surely, your people would not dare slay one of us.”
“Perhaps,” replied Zhem. “But you would have to explain very carefully just what my being a citizen meant before they saw me.”
“We will do that. Although, it is not as necessary in your case that we have you as a guide because we would not have much difficulty in locating your people. But these two,” he added, indicating Joel and Benoni, “come from a land so far away we have never heard of it. We need them to show us the way and also to act as intermediaries.”
“May I speak?” said Benoni. Seeing the Pwez nod, he said, “On our way to Fiiniks, I would like to investigate a very strange thing I saw on the great plains. That is a great house, or fort, or some kind of building, made of a silvery seamless metal. It is shaped like a needle, and it is inhabited by a strange people. It . . .”
“The Hairy Men from the Stars!”
It was the Usspika who gasped out those words and who rose and clutched the edge of the table with his gnarled hands.
“The ship of
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