Read Online Star Ship on Saddle Mountain by Richard Ackley - Free Book Online

get
out on that rim and go around there—to where the mountain side is
just a short jump down for the both of us. Remember, Nav—remember
—the stagger fence poles, Nav! The corral fence poles, Nav!"
Charlie repeated. "You never let them stop you from getting out—go
on, Nav, kick —let
'em have it!"
With a brief whinny, Navajo showed he understood.
Winding up as Charlie talked to him, Navajo pranced about a little,
then lowered his neck—stretching it out low, for more balance. At
that same moment he heaved his hind quarters up—clear of the deck.
In those few seconds Navajo shot out both back legs—slamming a
shattering double blow against the crystal surface of the panoramic
view.
    "Again, Nav—hit it again!"
Trampling about and once more establishing a sure
footing, Navajo once more repeated the process. The awful clash of
the iron horse shoes on the pane made Charlie blink his eyes. Twice
more Navajo followed Charlie's orders, then Charlie stopped him.
His sides heaving mightily, Navajo looked around as Charlie
inspected the clear pane. There were only small scratches on the
clear surface.
Charlie walked slowly around, in front of Navajo,
patting him. The old horse had really tried. Navajo's nostrils were
still flaring wide as he breathed heavily from the exertion.
"Thanks, Nav. It's okay. I know you tried real
hard, Nav. You sure did."
Charlie took out his handkerchief and stroked off
the sweat ( beads on Navajo's neck.
"That's so's you won't catch cold," he said,
repeating the process on the other side. "That window's barely
scratched, Nav. Just as if we hadn't even tried."
As he talked to the horse, Charlie heard the sound
of running feet on the deck above—then the panel door opened in the
cylinder and five aliens rushed out. Charlie could tell they were
really angry about something, and he figured he and Navajo knew
what it was. He could feel their confused thoughts directed at him,
and their mounting anger.
They stopped abruptly before him. Now their thought
impulses were slowing down, and Charlie began to understand them.
One alien, seeming to hold more authority than the others, stood
before him, his bright green eyes flashing. Charlie felt they were
looking right through him now, reading his every thought. Then the
alien sighed shortly, seeming to relax a little. His expression
became less severe as he looked down at Charlie. Charlie got a
fleeting thought, not directed at him, but seeming to be from this
leader to the other aliens.
"What has been done is done, the past is prologue,"
the tall alien seemed to shrug his shoulders, as if to get it over
with, and Charlie thought he'd heard that impulse somewhere
before.
"You have," the alien replied briefly to his
thought, then continued, "but since you are not yet fully grown,
there is no use of further moralizing."

About to tell the man he had almost reached his
full height, a good height for an Earthman, Charlie thought better
of it and said nothing. Instead, he tried to understand them as
they talked to each other, tossing impulses back and forth. And to
his surprise, he was gaining speed, for he caught some of what they
said. Then the leader turned to him again.
"We told you, Primitive, escape is not possible. To
try further may only make it advisable for us to take the only
course left. Any further interruption of our scheduled work, and
you may possibly be destroyed."
"Yes, sir," Charlie said, nodding. "I—I only wanted
to get o u t ... to go home."
"I understand," came the other's immediate impulse,
"but that desire cannot be realized. You must accept the
circumstance."
Charlie was silent. No matter what, he couldn't
agree not to try and escape. He would try, every chance he got. He
would never go to Saturn—if he could possibly help it—to their
homeland in the Barrier World.
The aliens turned, rapidly exchanging thoughts
between themselves, and Charlie once again found himself admiring
them a little, and liking their strange and brilliant