[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
astonishing show of speed off into the misty south west.
"That's the direction of the sea gap. The net fishers?"
"The juveniles are clearing away," said Bonnard. "Looks like fish for lunch
to me."
Out of the mist now appeared wing-weary giffs, barely skimming the water,
rising with obvious effort to ledges where they settled, wings unclosed and
drooping. Varian was certain she'd seen grass trailing from the rear claws of
one. They waited, and so did the juveniles, occasionally poking at each
other. Bonnard, fretting with the interval, moved towards the sled exit but
Varian stopped him, just as they saw an adult giff land on their terrace.
"Don't move a muscle, Bonnard."
The adult watched, its eyes never moving from the sled.
"Now move slowly back from the exit," Varian told him and when he had
completed the manoeuvre, she let out a deep sigh of relief. "What did I tell
you the other day? You don't bother animals with their food. You sure as
rakers don't bother creatures waiting for lunch, if you want to stay in good
with them."
"I'm sorry, Varian."
"That's all right, Bonnard. You have to learn these things.
Fortunately no harm's done -- either to you or to our mission." She smiled at
Bannard's downcast face. "Cheer up. we've also learned something else. They
haven't let up surveillance of us for one minute. And they've figured out
where we enter and leave this sled. Pretty clever creatures, I'd say."
Never taking his eyes off their guard, the boy sank to the floor of the sled.
They waited another three-quarters of an hour before Kai, remembering to keep
his gesture slow, alerted them to the returning giffs. Cries raised from
every quarter and so many giffs were airborne that Bonnard complained that his
frames would show more furred bodies and wings than anything informative.
Bonnard and Varian saw a repetition of the previous performance as the
shimmering piles of fish were spewed from the nets. The juveniles waddled in
and one adult, spotting a youngster stocking up his throat pouch, tapped it
smartly on the head and made it regurgitate. Kai observed another adult
separating fringes from the mass, dextrously flipping them over the edge of
the cliff with smart sweeps of his beak. When it had apparently completed
that task on its side of the catch, it carefully scrubbed its beak against
stone.
"I got that on tape, Varian," Bonnard assured her as Kai pointed out another
curiosity, an adult giff whose beak was being stuffed by others. The giff
then waddled off the cliff edge, gained wing room and disappeared into one of
the larger caves. Another took his place, to be filled up before flying off,
this time to another large aperture. The juveniles were allowed to eat one
fish at a time. There was a repeat of juvenile terror over a fringe, two fell
over and were intertwined until rescued by a watching adult.
Page 66
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Bonnard fretted at having to remain inside the sled instead of on it where he
could have got much better tapes of the incident.
Gradually the supply dwindled, the juveniles losing interest and disappearing
from the summit. Soon after, Varian noticed that no giffs were to be seen.
They waited patiently until Kai became so restless with inactivity that Varian
could not ignore the fact that they were not furthering their study of the
giff by remaining either in the sled or on the terrace.
It was well past midday now. She'd enough on tapes for hours of study.
Her announcement that they'd better get back to the compound met with instant
action on the part of the two males. Kai checked the sled's lock for flight,
motioned Bonnard to strap himself in and did so himself. Both were ready
while she, laughing, was barely seated.
As she took off, she circled once more over the summit, noting that small
fringes were left to bake and deteriorate on the summit. She'd answered a few
of her questions, but more had been raised by the day's happenings. She was
reasonably pleased with the excursion, if only because it had been something
she'd wanted to do.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kai noticed the absence of the sleds as they circled an encampment strangely
motionless. Only Dandy was visible, half asleep in his pen, one hind leg
cocked at the ankle. For some reason, that reassured Kai. Dandy had shown a
marked tendency to react to any tension or excitement in the compound by
cowering against the fencing of his pen.
"Everyone is indeed resting," said Varian who was piloting the sled.
"My teams must have made an early return to their camps."
"Yes, but where are my heavy-worlders? Not all the sleds should be gone."
"Bakkun said something about going to his place," said Bonnard.
"His place?" Kai and Varian asked in chorus.
"Yes. North," said Bonnard, pointing. "Bakkun's special place is in the
north."
"What sort of special place?" asked Varian, signalling Kai with a quick glance
to let her do the questioning. "Have you been there?"
"Yes, last week when I was out with Bakkun. It's not what I'd call special,
just a clear circular place among the trees, closed off at one end by a rock
fall. There's a bunch of the big grass-eaters, like Mabel, and some other
smaller types. They've all got hunks out of their sides, Varian.
Bakkun told me Paskutti was interested in them. Didn't he mention it to you?"
"Probably hasn't had time," said Varian in such an off-handed manner that Kai
knew Paskutti hadn't mentioned it to her.
"Time? That was a week ago."
"We've all been busy," said Varian, frowning as she slipped the sled into hold
and landed it lightly on the ground.
Lunzie was at the veil lock now, waiting to open it for them.
"Successful trip?" she asked.
"Yes, indeed. Everyone enjoying a quiet restful day here, too?" asked
Varian.
Lunzie gave her a long searching look.
"As far as I know," said Lunzie slowly, her eyes never leaving Varian's as she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
astonishing show of speed off into the misty south west.
"That's the direction of the sea gap. The net fishers?"
"The juveniles are clearing away," said Bonnard. "Looks like fish for lunch
to me."
Out of the mist now appeared wing-weary giffs, barely skimming the water,
rising with obvious effort to ledges where they settled, wings unclosed and
drooping. Varian was certain she'd seen grass trailing from the rear claws of
one. They waited, and so did the juveniles, occasionally poking at each
other. Bonnard, fretting with the interval, moved towards the sled exit but
Varian stopped him, just as they saw an adult giff land on their terrace.
"Don't move a muscle, Bonnard."
The adult watched, its eyes never moving from the sled.
"Now move slowly back from the exit," Varian told him and when he had
completed the manoeuvre, she let out a deep sigh of relief. "What did I tell
you the other day? You don't bother animals with their food. You sure as
rakers don't bother creatures waiting for lunch, if you want to stay in good
with them."
"I'm sorry, Varian."
"That's all right, Bonnard. You have to learn these things.
Fortunately no harm's done -- either to you or to our mission." She smiled at
Bannard's downcast face. "Cheer up. we've also learned something else. They
haven't let up surveillance of us for one minute. And they've figured out
where we enter and leave this sled. Pretty clever creatures, I'd say."
Never taking his eyes off their guard, the boy sank to the floor of the sled.
They waited another three-quarters of an hour before Kai, remembering to keep
his gesture slow, alerted them to the returning giffs. Cries raised from
every quarter and so many giffs were airborne that Bonnard complained that his
frames would show more furred bodies and wings than anything informative.
Bonnard and Varian saw a repetition of the previous performance as the
shimmering piles of fish were spewed from the nets. The juveniles waddled in
and one adult, spotting a youngster stocking up his throat pouch, tapped it
smartly on the head and made it regurgitate. Kai observed another adult
separating fringes from the mass, dextrously flipping them over the edge of
the cliff with smart sweeps of his beak. When it had apparently completed
that task on its side of the catch, it carefully scrubbed its beak against
stone.
"I got that on tape, Varian," Bonnard assured her as Kai pointed out another
curiosity, an adult giff whose beak was being stuffed by others. The giff
then waddled off the cliff edge, gained wing room and disappeared into one of
the larger caves. Another took his place, to be filled up before flying off,
this time to another large aperture. The juveniles were allowed to eat one
fish at a time. There was a repeat of juvenile terror over a fringe, two fell
over and were intertwined until rescued by a watching adult.
Page 66
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Bonnard fretted at having to remain inside the sled instead of on it where he
could have got much better tapes of the incident.
Gradually the supply dwindled, the juveniles losing interest and disappearing
from the summit. Soon after, Varian noticed that no giffs were to be seen.
They waited patiently until Kai became so restless with inactivity that Varian
could not ignore the fact that they were not furthering their study of the
giff by remaining either in the sled or on the terrace.
It was well past midday now. She'd enough on tapes for hours of study.
Her announcement that they'd better get back to the compound met with instant
action on the part of the two males. Kai checked the sled's lock for flight,
motioned Bonnard to strap himself in and did so himself. Both were ready
while she, laughing, was barely seated.
As she took off, she circled once more over the summit, noting that small
fringes were left to bake and deteriorate on the summit. She'd answered a few
of her questions, but more had been raised by the day's happenings. She was
reasonably pleased with the excursion, if only because it had been something
she'd wanted to do.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kai noticed the absence of the sleds as they circled an encampment strangely
motionless. Only Dandy was visible, half asleep in his pen, one hind leg
cocked at the ankle. For some reason, that reassured Kai. Dandy had shown a
marked tendency to react to any tension or excitement in the compound by
cowering against the fencing of his pen.
"Everyone is indeed resting," said Varian who was piloting the sled.
"My teams must have made an early return to their camps."
"Yes, but where are my heavy-worlders? Not all the sleds should be gone."
"Bakkun said something about going to his place," said Bonnard.
"His place?" Kai and Varian asked in chorus.
"Yes. North," said Bonnard, pointing. "Bakkun's special place is in the
north."
"What sort of special place?" asked Varian, signalling Kai with a quick glance
to let her do the questioning. "Have you been there?"
"Yes, last week when I was out with Bakkun. It's not what I'd call special,
just a clear circular place among the trees, closed off at one end by a rock
fall. There's a bunch of the big grass-eaters, like Mabel, and some other
smaller types. They've all got hunks out of their sides, Varian.
Bakkun told me Paskutti was interested in them. Didn't he mention it to you?"
"Probably hasn't had time," said Varian in such an off-handed manner that Kai
knew Paskutti hadn't mentioned it to her.
"Time? That was a week ago."
"We've all been busy," said Varian, frowning as she slipped the sled into hold
and landed it lightly on the ground.
Lunzie was at the veil lock now, waiting to open it for them.
"Successful trip?" she asked.
"Yes, indeed. Everyone enjoying a quiet restful day here, too?" asked
Varian.
Lunzie gave her a long searching look.
"As far as I know," said Lunzie slowly, her eyes never leaving Varian's as she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]