[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
open _ocean_ reasonably well as long as the waves didn't crest dangerously
high.
Behind them the Skatandah Delta was a long line of green marking the
horizon. Lyra sent them flying southwestward, toward the great city-state of
Losithi. They were careful to stand well out to sea, clear of the heavy
commerce that crowded the waters beyond the harbor.
A thousand kilometers and more to north and south, the
eight-thousand-meter-high cliffs of the Guntali Plateau probed the sky. From
the Losithi-Po Rabi area, distance and planetary curvature made them
invisible, though there were places where the cliffs dropped sheer to the sea,
a sight unequaled on any other inhabited world. Only where rivers like the
Skar had cut their way to the ocean were cultivation and urbanization
possible.
Page 17
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Lyra's voice sounded through the intercom membrane built into the cockpit
dome. "I've got something on the scan-ner, a few degrees to starboard. Want to
run over and check it out?"
"Sure, I want to check it out. What Porlezmozmith doesn't know won't hurt
her." He clung to the railing and watched the foils slit the surface of the
sea.
Lyra smiled back at him as she angled the boat slightly to starboard. The
moving dot on the scanner was soon within sight-a triple-decked trimaran, a
big merchant cruiser and a fine example of Mai shipbuilding. Her three hulls
rode low in the water, bursting with trade goods gathered from her journey
around the circular sea. If she wasn't based in Lo-sithi she would have just
arrived from distant Ko Phisi and before that, Suphum. From here she would
move on to Po Rabi on the other side of the Skatandah, thence around to
Chienba and points east.
She was making good speed with the wind at her back. The trade winds
moved eternally clockwise around the circumference of the Groalamasan. Only in
the vicinity of the warm southern pole could a native captain test confused
winds and sometimes shorten the homeward journey around the great ocean.
Gesturing and chattering, sailors were already lining the upper decks and
scrambling into the rigging for a look at the strange alien vessel. More
exciting to a Mai seaman than the hydrofoil's silhouette was the fact that it
moved at impossible speed and against the wind, not to mention without sails.
As Lyra raced the hydrofoil around the massive merchant-man for a thorough
look, Mai sailors and passengers rushed from deck to deck to keep them in
view.
After recording the merchantman for their journal, the Redowls passed
among a fleet of shallow-hull fishing boats reaping the rich harvest of life
that thrived where salt water mixed with fresh.
As they slowed to thread more easily between the first islets and
clusters of pseudopalms, one large craft suddenly moved toward them. Its
occupants brandished eager expres-sions together with long gaffs, axes,, and
pikes. The Mai would gladly have slit the throats of the two humans in order
to gain possession of the invaluable hydrofoil. Etienne ex-perienced
unscientific thoughts as Lyra nudged the accel-erator and left the would-be
pirates in their wake.
"Nasty little bastards," he muttered as he stared astern.
"That's not being very understanding of a primitive cul-ture, Etienne,"
Lyra said disapprovingly.
"All right, so they're primitive nasty little bastards."
"Avaricious, not vicious," she insisted. "You must try to view them in
light of their society's laws. A typically primitive plutocratic culture where
personal wealth signifies an individual's social standing. You can't let your
own view point affect your observations."
"Like hell I can't. Porlezmozmith feels the same way about the Mai."
"She's an administrator, a bureaucrat, a byte-pusher who knows nothing of
xenology and cares less."
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"All I said was that some of their ingrained habits could stand some
modification."
"Environment dictates their actions, not personal choice."
"What environment?" He made a sweeping gesture to-ward the nearing line
of high trees. "This is a warm, lush land. How do you go from that to a highly
combative so-ciety?"
"They sublimate most of a natural aggressive drive in competition for
commerce and trade. Isn't that better than organized war between the
city-states?"
"It's healthier, sure, but from the standpoint of what's civilized
there's something to be said for slugging it out with your neighbor toe to toe
instead of trying to steal him blind."
"Their attempts at thievery are governed by a strict code of rules, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
open _ocean_ reasonably well as long as the waves didn't crest dangerously
high.
Behind them the Skatandah Delta was a long line of green marking the
horizon. Lyra sent them flying southwestward, toward the great city-state of
Losithi. They were careful to stand well out to sea, clear of the heavy
commerce that crowded the waters beyond the harbor.
A thousand kilometers and more to north and south, the
eight-thousand-meter-high cliffs of the Guntali Plateau probed the sky. From
the Losithi-Po Rabi area, distance and planetary curvature made them
invisible, though there were places where the cliffs dropped sheer to the sea,
a sight unequaled on any other inhabited world. Only where rivers like the
Skar had cut their way to the ocean were cultivation and urbanization
possible.
Page 17
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Lyra's voice sounded through the intercom membrane built into the cockpit
dome. "I've got something on the scan-ner, a few degrees to starboard. Want to
run over and check it out?"
"Sure, I want to check it out. What Porlezmozmith doesn't know won't hurt
her." He clung to the railing and watched the foils slit the surface of the
sea.
Lyra smiled back at him as she angled the boat slightly to starboard. The
moving dot on the scanner was soon within sight-a triple-decked trimaran, a
big merchant cruiser and a fine example of Mai shipbuilding. Her three hulls
rode low in the water, bursting with trade goods gathered from her journey
around the circular sea. If she wasn't based in Lo-sithi she would have just
arrived from distant Ko Phisi and before that, Suphum. From here she would
move on to Po Rabi on the other side of the Skatandah, thence around to
Chienba and points east.
She was making good speed with the wind at her back. The trade winds
moved eternally clockwise around the circumference of the Groalamasan. Only in
the vicinity of the warm southern pole could a native captain test confused
winds and sometimes shorten the homeward journey around the great ocean.
Gesturing and chattering, sailors were already lining the upper decks and
scrambling into the rigging for a look at the strange alien vessel. More
exciting to a Mai seaman than the hydrofoil's silhouette was the fact that it
moved at impossible speed and against the wind, not to mention without sails.
As Lyra raced the hydrofoil around the massive merchant-man for a thorough
look, Mai sailors and passengers rushed from deck to deck to keep them in
view.
After recording the merchantman for their journal, the Redowls passed
among a fleet of shallow-hull fishing boats reaping the rich harvest of life
that thrived where salt water mixed with fresh.
As they slowed to thread more easily between the first islets and
clusters of pseudopalms, one large craft suddenly moved toward them. Its
occupants brandished eager expres-sions together with long gaffs, axes,, and
pikes. The Mai would gladly have slit the throats of the two humans in order
to gain possession of the invaluable hydrofoil. Etienne ex-perienced
unscientific thoughts as Lyra nudged the accel-erator and left the would-be
pirates in their wake.
"Nasty little bastards," he muttered as he stared astern.
"That's not being very understanding of a primitive cul-ture, Etienne,"
Lyra said disapprovingly.
"All right, so they're primitive nasty little bastards."
"Avaricious, not vicious," she insisted. "You must try to view them in
light of their society's laws. A typically primitive plutocratic culture where
personal wealth signifies an individual's social standing. You can't let your
own view point affect your observations."
"Like hell I can't. Porlezmozmith feels the same way about the Mai."
"She's an administrator, a bureaucrat, a byte-pusher who knows nothing of
xenology and cares less."
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"All I said was that some of their ingrained habits could stand some
modification."
"Environment dictates their actions, not personal choice."
"What environment?" He made a sweeping gesture to-ward the nearing line
of high trees. "This is a warm, lush land. How do you go from that to a highly
combative so-ciety?"
"They sublimate most of a natural aggressive drive in competition for
commerce and trade. Isn't that better than organized war between the
city-states?"
"It's healthier, sure, but from the standpoint of what's civilized
there's something to be said for slugging it out with your neighbor toe to toe
instead of trying to steal him blind."
"Their attempts at thievery are governed by a strict code of rules, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]