himself, who cashed them.'
'Twenty thousand tarns of gold,' I said.
'The money,' said Msaliti, in fury, 'is being invested in the formation of a fleet of a hundred ships, fully fitted and supplied, and crewed by fifty men each. These ships are being specifically built to be sectioned and rejoinable, to make possible their portage about difficult areas. Our money, that which we paid for the ring, is being used to outfit an expedition for the exploration of the Ua!'
'That is a venture,' I said, 'surely of interest to both a geographer, such as Shaba, and a Ubar, such as Bila Huruma.'
'I thought he wanted the gold for himself!' said Msaliti.
'Gold is perhaps of less interest to him than glory,' I said.
'He will not get away with it,' said Msaliti. 'We will recover the ring.'
'It will take time to prepare such ships,' I said.
'The work commenced, months ago,' said Msaliti.
'Surely this could not have been unknown to you,' I said. 'The work was done in the shipyards of Ianda,' he said. 'I had heard rumors of such a project but did not understand the nature of the ships or that this ubarate was involved. But now the ships are already moving upstream on the Nyoka.'
'It seems,' I said, 'that Bila Huruma does not take you into his full confidence.'
'He is a secretive man,' said Msaliti.
'Perhaps it is fortunate for him that he does not fully trust you.'
'Surely the hand of Shaba may be seen in this,' said Msaliti.
'Doubtless,' I said.
'Of those in these lands,' said Msaliti, 'only you and I, and Shaba, know of the ring.'
'I gather that you now know the whereabouts of Shaba,' I said.
'He is here, the bold rascal,' said Msaliti, 'in this very palace, living openly, protected by Bila Huruma.'
'He is a courageous fellow,' I said.
'He thinks he has little to fear,' said Msaliti.
'What is your plan?' I asked.
'Bila Huruma, this very morning,' said he, 'holds court. You, in the guise of an ambassador of Teletus, will bring forward gifts for his viewing. I will do the speaking. You need do little or nothing. Almost no one present will be able to understand Gorean. I will explain that the details of your proposal for a commercial treaty will be discussed with the appropriate wazir, and presented later for approval.'
'In short,' I said, 'it will appear little more than an official greetings exchanged between governments.'
'That would be appropriate at this stage of negotiation,' said Msaliti.
'Very well,' I said. 'But what do you have further in mind?'
'Shaba, as one close to Bila Huruma, will be present in the court,' he said. 'You will attack Shaba and slay him. I will then have you placed under arrest by askaris. I will obtain the ring from the body of Shaba, and you, later, by arrangement, will be permitted to escape. I will pay you a hundred tarns of gold and I myself will then return the ring to the beasts.'
'Bila Huruma will not connect my attack with you in any way?' I asked.
'Presumably not,' said Msaliti. 'I must remain in the clear, you understand.'
'Of course,' I said. 'Why do you not hire just any assassin to do this thing?' I asked.
'You are a fellow agent of Kurii,' he said. 'You seem an ideal choice.'
'Of course,' I said.
'I think I may trust you,' he said.
'Why is that?' I asked.
'You have had a taste of the canal,' he said.
'If I am not fully cooperative,' I said, 'you will return me to the rogues' chain?'
'I have that power,' he said.
'Permit me to don the robes of an ambassador of Teletus,' I said.
'Certainly,' said he.
18
What Occurred When Court Was Held In The Palace Of Grass; I Meet Bila Huruma; A New Plan Must Be Formed
'Do you have the dagger?' whispered Msaliti to me.
'Surely,' I said, 'in the sleeve sheath.'
He then left my side. There were more than two hundred individuals in the great court, both men and women, of high station, and certain commoners with causes to plead. Too, there were guards, and chieftains, and envoys. The robes were generally of animal skin, some marvelously marked. There was much gold and silver jewelry. Anklets and wristlets of feathers were common. The hair of the men and women was worn in a variety of fashions. Too, there were ornate headdresses in evidence, usually of skins and feathers. In the lips of some of the men were brass plugs. Facial tattooing, in various designs, was common. The opulence and color of the court of Bila Huruma was quite impressive. I was sure that it would have shamed the display and pageantry of many Ubars in the north. There were various racial types represented in the court, almost all black. I was the only white present. There were some brown fellows from Bazi, though, and one of the attending physicians was oriental. Even among very similar black types there was variety in hair style and tattooing, and dress, which I took as evidence of cultural or tribal difference. One of the difficulties in the ubarate of Bila Huruma was this sort of racial and tribal heterogeneity. Fortunately most of these people, generally all from the Ushindi region, spoke closely related dialects. This heterogeneity was surely a challenge to the ubarate of Bila Huruma and that his government was as stable as it was said as much, I think, for the intelligence of his governance as for the ruthlessness of his policies and the indomitability of his will.
When I entered the court Bila Huruma had just finished accepting the reports of his officers on the battle with the forces of Kisu. This battle, interestingly, had occurred in the marshes well west of Ngao, indeed, only a few pasangs from the work lines. Kisu, with his small handful of men, as it turned out, incredibly enough, had been marching on Bila Huruma. So bravely and pathetically might an ant have attacked a giant. I hack no doubt as to the courage of Kisu; I was less confident, however, that he had the common sense and wisdom expected of a Mfalme.
Some of these officers presented men before him who were then commended for their deeds in the recent action.
Rings of gold and now insignia of rank, feathers and necklaces, were distributed.
Once Bila Huruma lifted his hand and said, 'Good.' The soldier then commended would then, I think, rather have died than betray Bila Huruma. Such small things, I think, may be scorned by those who do not understand the nature of war or men, and be seen as manipulative and laughable., and yet such a small commendation, when warranted and sincere, is worth more to some men than the material treasures that might move those who hold themselves their superiors. Let each man choose his own treasures. The cynical, mercantile mind will never understand the mind of the soldier. The soldier has stood with comrades in arms, and held. I do not think he would exchange that for the contemptuous pretense to wisdom of those whom he protects, who would scorn him. He has maintained his post. But perhaps some, even those who have never marched in the mud, with comrades, singing. on a clear and windy morning, a spear upon their shoulder, can understand this. Why does the nibbling urt chatter and laugh at the larl? Is it because he himself is not a larl, or is it because he fears its paw?
I looked up at the high, conical ceiling, of interwoven branches and grass, of the court of Bila Huruma. It was some seventy feet over my head. The room itself, a great round room, was a hundred feet in width.
Msaliti again slipped to my side. 'Are you ready?' he asked.
'Yes,' I said.
Bila Huruma was then hearing cases at law, selected for his attention.
