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Phemropit couldn't detect it. But the quakes had dislodged that part of the mountain which had previously covered it. The labor of extracting the ore was long and hard. A long search of the area found a source of flint, and from this they fashioned digging tools. These broke frequently, requiring more trips for more flint. But finally the time came when they had a pile of several tons of broken ore.
They made two small wagons under Sloosh's supervision—none except him knew the principle of the wheel as a means of transportation—and they dragged them into the jungle. They had to cut a path, a weary back-breaking labor, but eventually they got the wagons to Phemropit.
It mounted the piles and took the rocks into its body through an opening in the belly. When it had
"digested" a certain amount, a plate of metal-stone slid back, and the useless residue dropped out. It now had enough energy to go a few miles into the jungle. The party returned to the mountain and extracted more ore. This time, they didn't have to travel so far. Phemropit ate their offerings, dropped its stony excrement, and went on a few more miles.
A long, long time passed. And then the creature was able to dig into the mountain itself, and their work was done. Phemropit put out from its belly a structure which bore an endless track with sharp metal teeth instead of treads. The hard rock was cut apart and picked up and taken into the belly.
Another long time passed with the creature never pausing in its work. Finally, it was through. Its belly was full, and the mountain had a large hole in it. Below the hole was a great pile of residue.
Sloosh may have been beaming behind the leaves. He sounded as if he were. "There now. It wasn't so bad, was it? It certainly was worth all the time and effort."
"It had better be," the Yawtl said. "I've got calluses on my hands that will never wear off, and a pain in my back that'll stay until I die. Even so, my ghost may suffer backache throughout eternity."
Later, when they were riding on Phemropit's back, Hoozisst grudgingly admitted that the "god" had its uses. Moreover, when they came to seaside villages, they didn't have to detour. The tribespeople ran screaming into the jungle and hid until this terrifying monster and its strange riders were long gone. The passengers would get off its back and take whatever they wanted of the food or any interesting artifacts.
The Yawtl loaded its top with so many useless if pretty objects that he was forced to throw away most of them. He shouted and threatened but did as ordered. He also complained about the space that Feersh and
Jowanarr took up. Sloosh, however, said that they too would have their use.
They came to a highway of the ancients which ran out from the jungle and curved parallel to the beach.
Sloosh said that this meant that they were far past the great inland lake.
"The planetoid destroyed all the highways for many thousands of square miles around the crater. This highway may have been twisted and rippled, but it has straightened out."
Phemropit went on the road, and they traveled on it for many miles before they came to a junction.
Jowanarr told her mother that there were signal-poles there.
Feersh said, "Stop! I can find out how far we are from the edge of The Jeweled Wasteland. If, that is, some cataclysm hasn't snapped this particular circuit."
They all got down. Jowanarr led the witch to the nearest pole. Feersh put her hands on its cool metallic substance. She stood for a long time, listening, as she said, with her whole body. Since she'd requested silence, the others did not talk during this time.
When she was through with this phase of her interrogation, she said, "I didn't tell you about this secret, though Jowanarr knew, of course. I have used the highways of the ancients to monitor the approach of my enemies. When you were on the highway, I knew exactly where you were and how many you were.
It was when you left the road that I lost track of you."
"Most interesting," Sloosh said. "Do you know the power source of the highways?"
"No. I suspect that it comes from the heat still left in the metal core of Earth. I'm surprised that the leads from the highways to the power source haven't been broken before now by the many earthquakes.
Perhaps they are very flexible. The ancients built well indeed."
Phemropit was brought up alongside the pole, and Feersh and Jowanarr got onto its back. Directed by her mother, Jowanarr felt along the rim of the pole's eye, which gave the green color. She pressed at two places, and the covering of the eye popped out. She guided Feersh's finger into the hole and onto the round metallic projection which was emitting the green light. Then she took her mother's other hand and put the finger of her left hand onto the emitter. Her finger did not touch her mother's.
The two stood there for a long time, Feersh staring sightlessly but no doubt "seeing" with the cells of her body, Jowanarr with her eyes closed, also "seeing." Then the witch withdrew her finger, and her daughter opened her eyes and took her finger away.
"The edge of The Wasteland is approximately a thousand miles away," she said. "By the highway that goes into the jungle, that is. The one along the beach would take us five hundred miles more before we'd come to The Wasteland."
Vana was more sensitive than the others to subtleties in a person's voice. She said, "Why are you doubtful about taking the shorter route?"
"There are some of the people Fat Bull called the Ski
"Could they be the things-with-a-nose-like-a-snake?" Deyv asked.
"No. These beings are much much larger. I wish I knew more about them, but all I get is an impression of something massive and savage."
"Would they have anything worth stealing?" Hoozisst asked.
Feersh cackled. "No, Yawtl!"
"Then I suggest we take the longer but safer road."
Sloosh thought otherwise. He was very curious about the beings. He didn't recall ever hearing or reading anything about them.
"Of course, it may have slipped my mind."
"How could it?" Deyv asked. "You have absolute recall."
"Oh, yes. I forgot I had a perfect memory."
After the others had quit laughing, Sloosh said, "We should study this creature. It would add to our knowledge, and my colleagues would be most happy to get the data about it. I'm amazed that we haven't received reports about it via our prisms."
"You get reports about something only when you specifically ask about it," the witch said. She pointed at the pole to indicate that Jowanarr should replace the lens.
"Still ..." Sloosh said.
They took a vote. The Archkerri was the only one who wanted to take the jungle road.
"But Feersh can find out when we're getting near these things by means of a junction light," he said.
"Then we can detour around them. Remember, we'll save much time on this road."
Deyv smiled and said, "You aren't pla
"Yes. How'd you know?"
"We all knew," Hoozisst said. "And so, when the thing chased you, you'd bring it to us! No!"
They proceeded on the road by the beach. Six sleep-times passed, Phemropit making an average of ten miles after breakfast. They had to leave it to hunt until Sloosh and Deyv simultaneously had an idea.
Why not let Phemropit use its cutting ray on the big herbivores? This could be done on the highway, since there were large herds eating the short grass by the road and long-necked or long-proboscised beasts eating fruit or leaves or stripping off bark and branches at the edge of the jungle. One of these would provide enough meat for three sleep-times. After which, it would become too corrupt for the humans, though not for the cat and the dog.