More of the Essential John Wyndham by John Wyndham

Author:John Wyndham [Wyndham, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-22T21:00:00+00:00

Before the Council

The Council Chamber, to which their guide led them, proved to be a cave of medium size, but sufficiently large to contain all the party. Word of their coming evidently preceded them, for they found a row of the creatures waiting; fifteen grey Batrachs who watched their arrival with calm, interested eyes. They sat upon a kind of stone shelf, seven to each side of one who was raised a little higher. It worried Angus a little that they showed no trace of fear, nor even anxiety, but, without delay, he plunged into the heart of the matter, addressing the central figure. “We understand that you are holding a number of men and women of Earth prisoners here?”

The other studied Angus unhurriedly. When he answered, it was in a voice of lower pitch than their prisoner’s, but still unpleasantly shrill. “We are,” he said briefly.

“And we demand that you free them at once.”

“You ‘demand?’” The Batrach showed a tinge of surprise at the choice of words. David and Joe exchanged glances. Both would have favored a less outspoken policy. The party was scarcely in a position to “demand” anything. But Angus merely nodded. The Batrach forbore to point out that they were virtually prisoners themselves. He asked: “And why do you think we would surrender prisoners to you who are useful to us?”

“Because you would stand a very poor chance of success against a warship from Earth.”

The Batrach considered. “But if we imprison you, Earth may never know.”

There was an uneasy stir among most of the Martians and Earthmen present, but Angus smiled. “That,” he said triumphantly, “is where you are mistaken. You have held the passengers from the Red Glory only because we did not know what had become of them. We thought that the ship had been destroyed. Had we even suspected the true state of affairs, you would have had a visit from a warship long ago.

“Now, however, the case is altered. The Argenta is undamaged. If we fail to return, someone will take her back to Earth and report. Should you manage to prevent this, the delay will only be slight for our destination was known to officials at home and they will shortly send out a searching party.”

His words evidently went home to the council. They started to speak in their shrill, wailing tones. The central Batrach quieted them. “It would mean the end for many of us,” he admitted, “but I doubt even your people’s power to conquer and hold all our passages and caves. It would, in fact, be better for them not to try. We could trap party after party so that they would starve. We know your weapons and we know their limitations.”

Angus shook his head. “You know only a few of our weapons.” He went on to describe in some detail the effects of some poison gases, and to tell how the heavier types could be poured into the tunnel mouths to percolate throughout the Batrach warrens and kill any who got so much as a sniff of them.

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