Read Online The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick - Free Book Online Page B

get the ship in condition for the trip back.”
    “It’ll be days before we can take off,” Fomar said. “We should keep every man working here. We can’t afford to send out a party.”
    Nasha smiled a little. “We’ll send you in the first party. Maybe you can discover—what was it you were so interested in?”
    “Legumes. Edible legumes.”
    “Maybe you can find some of them. Only—”
    “Only what?”
    “Only watch out. They fired on us once without even knowing who we were or what we came for. Do you suppose that they fought with each other? Perhaps they couldn’t imagine anyone being friendly, under any circumstances. What a strange evolutionary trait, inter-species warfare. Fighting within the race!”
    “We’ll know in the morning,” Fomar said. “Let’s get some sleep.”
     
    The sun came up chill and austere. The three people, two men and a woman, stepped through the port, dropping down on the hard ground below.
    “What a day,” Doric said grumpily. “I said how glad I’d be to walk on firm ground again, but—”
    “Come on,” Nasha said. “Up beside me. I want to say something to you. Will you excuse us, Tance?”
    Tance nodded gloomily. Doric caught up with Nasha. They walked together, their metal shoes crunching the ground underfoot. Nasha glanced at him.
    “Listen. The Captain is dying. No one knows except the two of us. By the end of the day-period of this planet he’ll be dead. The shock did something to his heart. He was almost sixty, you know.”
    Doric nodded. “That’s bad. I have a great deal of respect for him. You will be captain in his place, of course. Since you’re vice-captain now—”
    “No. I prefer to see someone else lead, perhaps you or Fomar. I’ve been thinking over the situation and it seems to me that I should declare myself mated to one of you, whichever of you wants to be captain. Then I could devolve the responsibility.”
    “Well, I don’t want to be captain. Let Fomar do it.”
    Nasha studied him, tall and blond, striding along beside her in his pressure suit. “I’m rather partial to you,” she said. “We might try it for a time, at least. But do as you like. Look, we’re coming to something.”
    They stopped walking, letting Tance catch up. In front of them was some sort of a ruined building. Doric stared around thoughtfully.
    “Do you see? This whole place is a natural bowl, a huge valley. See how the rock formations rise up on all sides, protecting the floor. Maybe some of the great blast was deflected here.”
    They wandered around the ruins, picking up rocks and fragments. “I think this was a farm,” Tance said, examining a piece of wood. “This was part of a tower windmill.”
    “Really?” Nasha took the stick and turned it over. “Interesting. But let’s go; we don’t have much time.”
    “Look,” Doric said suddenly. “Off there, a long way off. Isn’t that something?” He pointed.
    Nasha sucked in her breath. “The white stones.”
    “What?”
    Nasha looked up at Doric. “The white stones, the great broken teeth. We saw them, the Captain and I, from the control room.” She touched Doric’s arm gently. “That’s where they fired from. I didn’t think we had landed so close.”
    “What is it?” Tance said, coming up to them. “I’m almost blind without my glasses. What do you see?”
    “The city. Where they fired from.”
    “Oh.” All three of them stood together. “Well, let’s go,” Tance said. “There’s no telling what we’ll find there.” Doric frowned at him.
    “Wait. We don’t know what we would be getting into. They must have patrols. They probably have seen us already, for that matter.”
    “They probably have seen the ship itself,” Tance said. “They probably know right now where they can find it, where they can blow it up. So what difference does it make whether we go closer or not?”
    “That’s true,” Nasha said. “If they really want to get us we haven’t a chance. We have no