The Five Gold Bands

Paddy went to the chart of the planet. 'That location is right on the lip of the cliff-North Cape, it's called, on Kolkhorit Island.'

She said doubtfully, 'I think your interpolations are slack. I got a point just off the cliff.'

Paddy laughed. 'Won't that be just like a woman? Her navigation sets us out in the ocean. You'll see that I'm right,' he promised her. 'We'll find what we're looking for on the edge of the cliff.'

She shook her head. 'The point's off the edge of the cliff.' She glanced at him sidewise with raised eyebrows. 'What's the matter?'

'You're too authoritative to suit the blood of one of the Skibbereen Blackthorns. We're a proud clan.'

She smiled. 'They'll never hear about it unless you tell them. And I'm only giving orders because I'm more efficient and smarter than you are.'

'Hah!' cried Paddy. 'Now then, you're as vain as the Shaul jailer that did the cube roots in his head, and an arrogant cur he was, and he's still nursing the bruise I gave him. I'll do the same for you, my black-headed minx, if you're not less bothersome with your orders.'

She made a mock obeisance. 'Lead on, Sultan. Take it from here. You're the boss. Let's see how you handle it.'

'Well,' Paddy rubbed his chin, 'at least we'll talk things over a bit and there won't be these lordly decisions. Here's my idea-we'll drop low over that gas ocean and make for the shore. Well find a bit of quiet beach near the cliff, we'll drop down, seal our ship, get out and see what's to be done.'

'Good enough,' said Fay. 'Let's go.'

The gas ocean showed a queer roiling surface like slow-boiling water. In color it was the dirty yellow of oily smoke and the yellow light of Alpheratz penetrated only a few feet into the depths. From time to time the wind would scoop up a tall yellow tongue, lift it high, blow it over backwards.

Paddy brought the boat down almost to the surface, steered cautiously toward the lavender-blue bulk of Kolkhorit Island. The finger of the North Cape suddenly appeared through the haze with the sharp-cut silhouette of the cliff at the tip.

Paddy changed course and the cape loomed swiftly over them-a rocky tumble of porphyry, pegmatite, granite. He cut the power, the boat drifted close to shore. Below them appeared a small table, rimmed by walls of shadowed gray rock and almost awash in the seethe of brown gas. Paddy dropped the boat into the most secluded corner and five minutes later they stood on the barren windy rock with the ship sealed.

Paddy walked to the edge of the table, peered into the fog below. 'Strange stuff.' He turned. 'Let's go.'

They climbed up over the rocks and after a hundred yards scrambling across loose gravel, came out on a well-paved path. Fay clutched Paddy's sleeve.

'A couple of Eagles-there in the rocks. I hope they didn't see us land.'

The Eagles hopped solemnly up to the path, man-creatures seven feet tall with leathery hide stretched tight over sharp bones, narrow skulls with jutting noses, little red eyes, foot-long crests of orange hair. They bore pouches bulging with red gelatinous globes like jelly-fish.

Paddy watched them advancing with truculent eyes. 'A more curious race was never bred. They'll want to know all about us. Ah, these planets are like cuckoo's eggs in a wren's nest and to think that Earth once spent her best on them.'

He nodded to the Eagles. 'Good morning, friend Eagles,' he said in a syrupy voice. 'And how's your bulb- picking today?'

'Good enough.' They look around the horizon. 'Where's the little air-boat?'

'Air-boat? Ah, yes. It flew very swiftly to the east and out of sight in a twinkling.'

The Eagles examined Paddy and Fay with sharp interest. 'And what are you doing here along the shore?'

'Well now-' Began Paddy. Fay interrupted him. 'We're tourists walking up to the top of the North Cape. Could you tell us the best way?'

The Eagle motioned. 'Just follow the path. It will lead into the Sunset Road. You're Earthers?' He spat slyly to the side.

'That we are-and as good as the best of you.'

'Better,' said Fay softly.

'What's your business on Alpheratz A?'

'Och, but we're fond of your lovely landscape, your marvelous cities. There's never sights like these on old Earth. Truth to tell, we're tourists, out to see the wonders of the universe.'

The Eagles made a noise like 'Rrrr r rr.' Without further words they both set off down the path, muttering to each other.

Paddy and Fay watching covertly, saw them pause, gesture along the horizon, point toward the rocks. But finally the continued along the path.

Fay said, 'They were only a hundred yards from where you insisted on leaving the boat. It's just blind luck they didn't climb the rocks.'

Paddy threw up his arms. 'Like all women she will never miss the opportunity to crow at honest error. Lucky the day when I last see her skinny posterior walking away.'

Fay's eyebrows rose. 'Skinny? It's not either.'

'Humph,' said Paddy. 'You don't get hams from a chicken.'

'For my size it's just right,' said Fay. 'I've even had it pinched-once or twice.'

Paddy made a face. 'Faith, it's a sordid life you female agents live.'

She cocked her head. 'Perhaps not so sordid as you might think. And if you've finished deriding my figure and slandering my morals, we'll be off.'

Paddy shook his head wonderingly, had no more to say. They turned their backs to the ocean of turbid gas, climbed the path the two Eagles had pointed out.

They gained a rocky meadow, passed a small village. Here they saw a central obelisk topped by a whirling- bladed fetish, concentric circles of conical houses, a long raised platform for the Pherasic pavanne-like dancing. A dozen Eagles, standing in a solemn group near a half-unpacked crate of machinery, looked like odd hybrids of man and stick-insect.

Fay said dreamily as they walked, 'Isn't it a marvel, Paddy? When man first landed here he was man. In two generations the tall skinny ones predominated, in four the skull formation had begun. And now look at them. And to think that in spite of their appearance they're men. They can breed with true men and the same goes for the Asmasians, the Canopes, the Shauls-'

'Don't forget the Maevites!' cried Paddy enthusiastically. 'Ah, them beautiful women!'

'-then there are the Loristanese, the Creepers, the Green-bags-and all the rest of the inbred overmen. It's truly wonderful how the planetary influence acts.'

Paddy snorted. 'Earth populates them and a hundred years later they come returning like curses to spite their grandsires.'

Fay laughed. 'We shouldn't be too arrogant, Paddy. It was the same differentiation and specialization that split the original simian stock into gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, a dozen types of submen-finally the true Cro- Magnon.

'The situation has backfired now, Paddy. Today we're the root-stock, and all these splits and changes brought about by the differences in light, food, atmosphere, gravity-they may produce a race as much better than men as men were superior to the proto-simians.'

Paddy snorted, 'That I'll believe when-'

'Consider,' said Fay seriously. 'The Shauls can do complex mathematical operations in their heads. In a contest for survival that depended on mathematical ability they'd win. The Loristanese are physically keen. They can telepathize to some extent, and they're subtle in person-to-person dealings. They're the merchants of the universe and wonders at group enterprise.

'These Eagles here-their curiosity is insatiable and they're so naturally persistent that there's no word for the quality in their language. Any more than the Earthers have a word for the will to live.

'Men will shrug off a problem or a task but the Eagles will work till they've accomplished what they've started. The Asmasians have that pineal pleasure-lobe. It doesn't give them much survival value but how they enjoy their lives! Sometimes I wish I were an Asmasian.'

Paddy said contemptuously, 'I've heard all of that in grade school. The Kotons are the ruthless chess-players,