Chapter 17
Superintendent Philander stood watching the natives feeding, and hecould not help seeing how they appeared to appreciate the new food.After some time he said admiringly, "It looks like you've hit onsomething, George. If it continues to work out, we'll feed all of 'emthis stuff, and I'll requisition plenty more next time the freightercomes in."
They left the compound, carefully locking both gates behind them, andwalked back to the office. Once there, Hanlon said, "I see you have achess set, sir. Do you play? I love the game."
"You do?" Philander's eyes gleamed. "It's been a long time since therewas anyone here who did."
"Then I hope you'll let me come in occasionally for a game. I getlonesome here. The other guards aren't worth talking to, and I'm noteducated enough in science or technology to get in on the arguments ofthe engineers and other technies."
"Sure, sure, come in any time. I'll be mighty glad to have you, for Ilove chess. I get lonesome, too, and I have to stay a whole year at atime. Feel free to come in any evening."
Back in his room Hanlon left tremendously satisfied with the evening'swork. He had done something for the natives that would help make theirintolerable situation more bearable until the time came when they couldbe freed of their slavery ... and he had made a new friend who couldprove very useful.
He was very anxious for the next work-period to come, so he could talkto Geck via the voice-transformer. For he was not yet adept enough attelepathy to be sure he had got all the information needed about the useof nitrates in the Guddu's diet.
But the next day when he went to herd his crew from their compound anddown into the mine, he could not help noticing at first glance how muchsprightlier they looked than the other crews. The minute they hadreached the stope he unearthed the machine from its hiding place and gotinto conversation with the friendly Guddu.
"The food stuff?" he asked eagerly. "Is it something you can use?"
"Oh, yes. An-yon," Geck almost sputtered in his eagerness, and wordstumbled out so swiftly Hanlon could hardly translate them. "It arewonderful! Can you fix so all we can have?"
"Yes, they'll all be fed rations of it from now on, although perhaps notmuch until the ship can bring more from another planet. I don't know howmuch we have on hand. But the Boss-man liked my idea, and is going tosee to it that there is always some on hand for all the natives. He'llprobably spread the word to the other mines and factories, too."
"Almost us ingest too many last dark," Geck gave what Hanlon knew was ashamefaced laugh. "It such very good eat us become ..." he hesitated.
"Drunk, you mean?" Hanlon laughed. "I can see it might do that to you.You'll have to warn the others about that."
They chatted away for some minutes, about how much the Guddusappreciated Hanlon's thoughtfulness.
"Say, I just wondered," Hanlon interrupted Geck's thanks. "Do you haveany idea where your planet is located in space? I mean, do you know thesuns closest to yours, anything about their distances or magnitudes?"
Geck's thoughts and expression were a blank, and it took most of thework-period even to make him understand what Hanlon was trying to ask.When he did finally manage to grasp the thought-concept, his answer wasa decided negative.
"No, An-yon, us know nothing about other sun other planet. Before humanscome suppose we only intelligent life anywhere. Things you call suns usthought little fires light sky at night. Wonder many night who build.Wonder what is burn where is nothing. Wonder why only one big fire comeday. Wonder why big fire die come night."
Hanlon's disappointment about that was tempered somewhat when thechecker came running into his room where he was resting before dinner,to tell him that his crew had suddenly got out almost half a ton moreore that day than any previous record he had made.
* * * * *
A new cook had come to the mine recently. He had a fox terrier, andHanlon got into the habit of playing with the dog, to keep up hisability to handle animal minds, and to learn more of the technique. Hewas always careful to say out loud the command for whatever trick hewanted the animal to perform, but actually he was controlling its brainand nerves and muscles.
One evening he was working thus with the dog when Gorton, his head-woundstill bandaged, came into the messhall. Seeing Hanlon with the terrier,his heavy lip curled.
"So th' fair-haired boy's also a animal trainer, eh?"
"That he is," Cookie said from the doorway leading into the kitchen."And good, too! He's got Brutus doing things I never knew a dog coulddo."
Gorton sneered again. "Teachin' tricks t' a dog is kid stuff."
"Can you do it?" the cook asked sarcastically.
"Who'd bother t' try?"
Hanlon looked up, blandly. "You couldn't expect that of Mr. Gorton,Cookie. To teach an animal to do tricks you have to know more than itdoes."
"Why, you ..." Gorton started forward, his face aflame, while the othermen roared with laughter at the rough wit.
But the big guard did not reach Hanlon. One of the newer guards, a giantSwede named Jenssen, stopped him. "Aw, lay off the kid, Gort. He's okay.That stunt of feeding the Greenies fertilizer makes 'em turn out lotsmore work, and we'll get us bigger bonuses 'cause of it."
But Gorton was not the type to know when to quit. Nor was he high enoughin the ethical scale to know appreciation for the fact that it was thevery man he had been reviling who was the first to go to his aid when hewas hurt.
Hanlon had come to realize that the big man was determined to provokehim to another fight. He knew that tempers were edgy and explosive inthis enervating heat, and usually tried to bear Gorton's insults andpetty meannesses in silence. He wouldn't demean himself by descending tothe big guard's low level ... although occasionally, when the heat wastoo much even for him, as tonight, he couldn't resist making someanswer.
Gorton, he had long since decided, was one of those men who, havingnothing of worth to offer the world, did their utmost to tear down andhumiliate anyone who had. And his smallness of soul and intellect wereshown by the sort of tricks he was continually pulling, thinking themsmart.
Such as scrawling with chalk on Hanlon's room door, "Super's pet";continually upsetting Hanlon's beverage cup, or "accidentally" droppingthings in Hanlon's plate of food.
The young SS man could have moved to another place at the table, but hewouldn't give the big guard that satisfaction.
But one of Gorton's tricks backfired to such an extent that it haddisastrous results for Gorton himself. That was the night he, knowingthat Hanlon had been the last at the compound, sneaked out and unlockedall the gates. He figured, of course, that it would be apparent toeveryone that it was Hanlon's rank carelessness that had allowed all theGreenies to escape.
But to the surprise of everyone--except Hanlon--not a single one hadleft; all were inside their huts the next morning.
Philander came running when he heard about it. "Who did it?" he demandedangrily.
"Th' punk there, o' course!" Gorton sneered.
Philander swivelled about, surprise on his face. "You, George? Did youforget to lock the gates?"
"No, sir, I locked them all when I went in to dinner."
"He's lyin'. He was th' last one t' bring up his gang."
"That's true, I was. But I know I locked all the gates very carefully,as always."
One of the engineers spoke up. "I saw him doing it, Pete. I also saw oneof the other guards leave the messhall for a few minutes just before wesat down to eat. When he came back I saw him grinning mysteriously asthough very self-satisfied about something."
"Who was that?"
"Sorry, I name no names."
"I tell," big Jenssen spoke up. "It was Gort. He's got it in for George.He's one big fool!"
Philander wheeled in rage. "I told you, you brainless slob, to leaveHanlon alone, and by Jupiter, I mean it! Cut it out! One more stunt, andyou go into irons, then back to Sime for an interview with His Highness.You go back next trip anyway. I'm done with you."
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br /> The rest of the men stood by in hostile silence, and it was clear fromtheir attitudes that this time Gorton had gone too far. How it happenednone of the natives had run away, puzzled them all.
But Hanlon guessed, and when he had taken his crew down to work hecalled Geck to him, and by means of the transformer asked about it.
"Was one Guddu in hut by main gate who first see gate were open. Himmind-tell all we to run far into forest. This crew us stop all they.Tell other Guddu how kind are you. How you get we 'oigm'-food. Tell howyou's work to make all we free; make free all Guddu everywhere. Us saymaybe so we's all get free now small time. But say come humans withshock-rod, hunt we, hurt we, make we work more hard, be more cruel towe. Say then plan of you never get chance to make all we free all time."
Hanlon bowed his head in silent thanks for the tremendous compliment. "Ionly hope I can justify your faith in me, Geck," he said humbly. "Itwill be a miracle if I can bring it about, but I certainly intend tokeep on trying. It will take some time, you know that. I can't possiblydo anything until after I leave here. But if it's humanly possible, I'llbring the fleet here to free you."
"Us know will be hard, that maybeso it never come we be free," the Guddusaid. "But us know you are only hope. So us help you all us can. Gudduin mines try get more rock out as you say. But Guddu who help humansbuild big egg you call 'ships' do most. Each day some of they find waybreak something, do wrong thing. Two Guddu spoil much metal when jump invat where metal be melt."
"Oh, no!" Hanlon cried in shocked anguish. "That was wonderfully braveof them, but none of the others must ever do things like that! Tell themnot to sacrifice their lives that way! I feel sure from all the reportsit isn't needed. I'll be going back in another few weeks, and the humanswon't have any of those biggest ships ready by then. Those are the onlyones we need to fear--the little ships don't count."
It was too bad Hanlon did not know what else the humans were building,besides ships, at the shipyards.
Hanlon's campaign to "get in good" with Philander was bearing tastyfruit, for the two were becoming fast friends. They spent many eveningsover a hotly-contested chess board. It was plain now that the nervous,worried superintendent felt he could relax in the company of this young,naive guard, for the latter was so patently no challenge to hisposition. Besides, it was also very evident that he liked Hanlon as aman. Day by day his attitude grew more fatherly.
Hanlon, on his part, came to realize more the true, innate measure ofPhilander's inherent worth as a man, a gentleman, and an engineer. Hehad a fine mind, was well read, and thought deeply on many subjectsoutside his own technical line.
"All he needs are some psychiatric treatments to reduce that awfulinferiority complex of his," Hanlon mused one night as he walked backslowly to his room. "Then he'll really be the big, fine man he's capableof being, and will forget all this conspiracy nonsense."
Thus Hanlon felt he was taking no special chance one night when the twowere standing on the little porch of the office, their game ended, andHanlon about to leave. He glanced up at the brilliant night sky.
"Sure looks different here than it does back on Terra," he saidconversationally. "Naturally it would, seeing we're so far away fromthere. But I never get tired of looking at it, and trying to see if Ican figure out some of the brighter suns." He pointed to one bright stardirectly overhead. "That's Sirius, I know. It's always directly aboveyou."
Philander laughed heartily. "No, Sirius is almost exactly opposite.Don't forget we're about a hundred light years out from Sol."
Hanlon made himself look crestfallen. "And there I was sure I knew oneof 'em, at least." He yawned pretentiously. "Well, guess I'll hit thehay. Reckon the stars'll stay put, whether I can pick 'em out or not."
Philander laughed again, and clapped him on the back in comradelyfashion. "I wouldn't wonder. Goodnight, George."
"'Night, Mr. Philander." And as Hanlon walked back to his own room hisheart was light. He'd learned another important fact about theirlocation in space--the approximate distance from Sol.
Man of Many Minds Page 17
