Galaxy Magazine (April 1957) by Galaxy

Author:Galaxy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 1957-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

Hadwell selected a stylus with a finer point and wrote, "There is a girl named Mele who—" He crossed out the line and wrote, "A black-haired girl named Mele, lovely beyond compare, came close to me and gazed deep into my eyes—" He crossed that out, too.

Frowning deeply, he tried several possible lines:

"Her limpid brown eyes gave promise of joys beyond —"

"Her small red mouth quivered ever so slightly when I — n

"Though her small hand rested on my arm for but a moment —"

He crumpled the page. Five months of enforced celibacy in space was having its effect, he decided. He had better return to the main issue and leave Mele for later.

He wrote, "There are many ways in which a sympathetic observer such as myself could help these people. Medically, for example. But the temptation is strong to do absolutely nothing, for fear of disrupting their culture and breeding dissatisfaction."

Closing his notebook, Hadwell looked out a port at the distant village, now lighted by torches. Then he opened the notebook again.

"But their culture appears to be strong and flexible. Certain kinds of aid can do nothing but profit them. And these I will freely give."

He closed the notebook with a snap and put away his stylus.

THE following day, Hadwell began his good works. He found many Igathi suffering from a variety of diseases transmitted by migratory vegetation. By judicious selection of antibiotics, he was able to arrest all except the most advanced cases. Then he directed work teams to drain the fields where the hobo plants bred. As he went on his healing

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rounds, Mele accompanied him. The beautiful Igathian girl quickly learned the rudiments of nursing and Hadwell found her assistance invaluable.

Soon, all significant disease was cleared up in the village. Hadwell then began to spend his days in a sunny grove not far from Igathi, where he rested and worked on his book.

A town meeting was called at once by Lag, to discuss the import of this.

"Friends/' said the old priest, "our friend Hadwell has done wonderful things for the village. He has cured our sick, so that they, too, may live to partake of Thangookari's gift. Now Hadwell is tired and rests in the suns. Now

Hadwell expects the reward he came here for."

"It is fitting," the merchant Vassi said, "that the emissary receive his reward. I suggest that the priest take his mace and go forth ~"

"Why so stingy?" asked Juele, a priest-in-training. "Is Thangoo-kari's messenger deserving of no finer death? Hadwell merits better than the mace! Much better!"

"You are right," Vassi admitted slowly. "In that case, I recommend that we drive poisonous legenberry quills under his fingernails."

"Maybe that's good enough for a merchant," said Tgara, the

stone-cutter, "but not for Hadwell. He deserves a chiefs death! I move that we tie him down and kindle a small fire at his toes, gradually —"

"Wait," said Lag. "The emissary has earned the Death of an Adept. Therefore let him be taken, tenderly and firmly, to the nearest giant anthill and there be buried to his neck.

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