quality. Ty-gor. Boy, with a name like that and the attack cry of the Bimoonda people Dad was—”
“What are the Bimoonda people?” Tad asked.
“Oh, just some people who yell frightening things when they attack their enemies.”
“Do they live around here?”
“They used to,” said Dik. “Ka-anga always claimed the tribe never existed and dad made up the yell. We, though, have the family scrapbooks up in the tree mansion and—”
“Do you live in a tree?” asked the girl.
“You have to,” answered Dik. “It’s part of the tradition. Jungle man, tree house. Of course, since there are three of us, we had to build bigger—”
“I’m certain you lads have other chores to attend to,” put in Electro. “A jungle man’s lot is a busy one, no doubt. We’ll bid you a fond farewell,”
“Matter of fact,” admitted Jerry, “you folks are the first lost travelers we’ve had in over a month.”
“We sure would be pleased to guide you someplace,” Dik offered, smiling hopefully at them.
“My own abilities as a guide are unexcelled,” Electro told them. “Even though I didn’t have the advantage of a parent who was suckled by a tiger.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain any further,” said Jerry, his handsome face downcast.
“If you have nothing better to do,” said Jana, “you can guide us for awhile. We’re en route to the old URTS depot.”
“Nix,” the robot whispered in her ear, adding a gentle nudge in the ribs. “I don’t want to confide our destination to anyone.”
“We can trust the Ty-gor Triplets,” she said. “Let them, Electro. It’ll brighten their whole day.”
After nearly a minute Electro said, “Lead on, gentlemen.”
Chapter 21
“You’ve never known which way north is,” Dik told Mort. “For a jungle man you have a piss poor sense of—”
“I know one thing, I know dad never went around using foul language in front of—”
“Gents,” said Electro, addressing the halted trio. “We wish to take a leftwards direction at this forking of the trail. The entrance to the long abandoned underground railway facility should lie a scant half mile from us.”
“But that path doesn’t go north,” said Dik.
“Yes, it does,” Electro assured him. “Trust me, I have a built-in compass.”
“One of the toughest things,” Jerry said to Tad when they were moving along the new trail, “about being a jungle man is having to go barefoot. Even now, with my poor feet fairly calloused, I don’t much enjoy it. Sometimes you step on a burr or prickers or a little spikey lizard and you let out a howl.”
“Maybe you should,” suggested Tad, “get into another line of work.”
“Nope, that’s impossible. Dad brought us up to be jungle men, it’s in our blood. Dropping a tradition like the Ty-gor tradition isn’t possible.”
“Have you thought about wearing shoes?”
“Jungle men don’t.”
Jana was walking near the robot at the moment. “Why was this tunnel system we’re heading for abandoned? Is it safe?”
“Perfectly safe and nearly in mint condition,” replied Electro. “The Underground Rapid Transit System respresents a colossal boondoggle, my dear. Built near twenty years ago to enrich a gaggle of crooked local politicos. Oh, and there was some talk about bringing civilization to this part of the wilderness. Since no one in his or her right mind would want to inhabit this pesthole of a jungle, the system never thrived and soon fell into disuse.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to characterize our jungle as a pesthole,” said Dik.
“It is not a tourist’s delight,” said the robot. “You should be thankful URTS was a failure. Otherwise you’d be swinging from lamp posts instead of trees.”
“Yes, but we’d have a lot more people passing through,” said Mort. “One of the negative things about this jungle man trade is the tedium. Sit around and wait, sit around and wait.”
“It wouldn’t be boring if there were
“What are the Bimoonda people?” Tad asked.
“Oh, just some people who yell frightening things when they attack their enemies.”
“Do they live around here?”
“They used to,” said Dik. “Ka-anga always claimed the tribe never existed and dad made up the yell. We, though, have the family scrapbooks up in the tree mansion and—”
“Do you live in a tree?” asked the girl.
“You have to,” answered Dik. “It’s part of the tradition. Jungle man, tree house. Of course, since there are three of us, we had to build bigger—”
“I’m certain you lads have other chores to attend to,” put in Electro. “A jungle man’s lot is a busy one, no doubt. We’ll bid you a fond farewell,”
“Matter of fact,” admitted Jerry, “you folks are the first lost travelers we’ve had in over a month.”
“We sure would be pleased to guide you someplace,” Dik offered, smiling hopefully at them.
“My own abilities as a guide are unexcelled,” Electro told them. “Even though I didn’t have the advantage of a parent who was suckled by a tiger.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain any further,” said Jerry, his handsome face downcast.
“If you have nothing better to do,” said Jana, “you can guide us for awhile. We’re en route to the old URTS depot.”
“Nix,” the robot whispered in her ear, adding a gentle nudge in the ribs. “I don’t want to confide our destination to anyone.”
“We can trust the Ty-gor Triplets,” she said. “Let them, Electro. It’ll brighten their whole day.”
After nearly a minute Electro said, “Lead on, gentlemen.”
Chapter 21
“You’ve never known which way north is,” Dik told Mort. “For a jungle man you have a piss poor sense of—”
“I know one thing, I know dad never went around using foul language in front of—”
“Gents,” said Electro, addressing the halted trio. “We wish to take a leftwards direction at this forking of the trail. The entrance to the long abandoned underground railway facility should lie a scant half mile from us.”
“But that path doesn’t go north,” said Dik.
“Yes, it does,” Electro assured him. “Trust me, I have a built-in compass.”
“One of the toughest things,” Jerry said to Tad when they were moving along the new trail, “about being a jungle man is having to go barefoot. Even now, with my poor feet fairly calloused, I don’t much enjoy it. Sometimes you step on a burr or prickers or a little spikey lizard and you let out a howl.”
“Maybe you should,” suggested Tad, “get into another line of work.”
“Nope, that’s impossible. Dad brought us up to be jungle men, it’s in our blood. Dropping a tradition like the Ty-gor tradition isn’t possible.”
“Have you thought about wearing shoes?”
“Jungle men don’t.”
Jana was walking near the robot at the moment. “Why was this tunnel system we’re heading for abandoned? Is it safe?”
“Perfectly safe and nearly in mint condition,” replied Electro. “The Underground Rapid Transit System respresents a colossal boondoggle, my dear. Built near twenty years ago to enrich a gaggle of crooked local politicos. Oh, and there was some talk about bringing civilization to this part of the wilderness. Since no one in his or her right mind would want to inhabit this pesthole of a jungle, the system never thrived and soon fell into disuse.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to characterize our jungle as a pesthole,” said Dik.
“It is not a tourist’s delight,” said the robot. “You should be thankful URTS was a failure. Otherwise you’d be swinging from lamp posts instead of trees.”
“Yes, but we’d have a lot more people passing through,” said Mort. “One of the negative things about this jungle man trade is the tedium. Sit around and wait, sit around and wait.”
“It wouldn’t be boring if there were
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