The Sirian Experiments

“Nasar,” she said softly, and the sound of it struck through me and I could feel him shiver.

“Come,” I said softly. He gave a sort of groan and left himself in my hands. Gently directing him, I went with him through the parting in the gaily coloured curtains beyond which we could see the verandah with its exquisite pillars, the glowing braziers.

Just behind us I could sense the three Puttiorans.

We went to the edge of the verandah. On a long low bench one of the revelers lay sprawled, his cheek in his vomit—the sight of it seemed to strengthen Nasar.

“Be careful,” he muttered, and we turned together to face the three evil ones, their hands outstretched for my headband, which was the easiest to take.

“It would kill you,” I said coldly, and with contempt.

And daring to do it, I turned my back on them and at Nasar’s urging ran down the steps into the snow, which was still smothering everything.

I could hear the feet of the Puttiorans scraping and slipping on the steps.

“I do not think you have understood,” said Nasar, into the whiteness. “This lady is from the High Command of Canopus. You know what the agreement is.”

I saw their stone faces looming vaguely in the white—and then vanish.

“Call a chair,” said Nasar to them. I saw the bearers shaking themselves free of the snow as they laboured ru

I remained quiet. I was bracing for what I thought would happen—and it did. When we were deposited at the foot of the great cone that soared above us into the whirling storm, the winds whining around it, there were the three stone men waiting for us.

“Nasar,” I said, “one more effort; they are here.”

Again he seemed to shudder as he took command of himself. We descended from the box, and walked straight up to the three.

“You are fools,” said Nasar, using contempt like a weapon.

“You gave us these,” we heard, and saw the hands stroking the golden earrings on those narrow rims around their ears. “You gave us these…”

“Give them back,” I said. “Canopus commands… But they were ru

I saw Nasar staring after them, with the sombre anger that I was ready to believe was not only the characteristic of his subjection to this place but his characteristic and even, possibly, a Canopean characteristic.

And again, my thought was answered: “Oh no,” he said, “that is not so. Believe me, fair Sirian. You must not think that, for your own sake…” and I saw him gazing at my earrings, my other appurtenances, and in such a way that for a moment I fancied myself back in the hands of the hungry ones in Elylé’s house.

I walked swiftly away from him started up the stairs. So we went up together, I first, he behind, up and around, and around, and around, until we reached the top.

I knew that I had by no means finished the battle: and that more was to come. I was prepared to face him then, as we entered that half-circle of a room, whose windows were showing a grey daylight where snow whirled. But Nasar staggered forward and had fallen across piles of cushions before I was fairly inside. I put some coverings over him and retired next door where I sat quietly in a window opening to watch the day come, a grey-gold light behind the white whirl.

And what I was thinking then was not of what I was going to have to fight out with him but of those privileged citizens of Koshi in their soft-lit and luxurious rooms.

It will not, I am sure, come as a surprise to any of my readers that I was thinking of the problem Sirius has pere

This point of view certainly had the effect of causing a slump in morale, and a general pessimism, and had to be proscribed for a time because of this. Yes, we (that is, the administrative class) were indeed aware of the humour of the situation: that we were imposing the strictest penalties on the proponents of the viewpoint that the rulers (for we are certainly that) must not be attacked and criticised because our continual tendency towards corruption must not only be expected but ca

But as I watched the snow fall there, with these thoughts in my mind, I was again wondering about Canopus: how did that great Empire deal with these problems? If they had them at all?—for we had never heard of them! And if they did not arise with them, why not?

I did not sit alone there for long. I listened for sounds on the other side of the dividing wall, for I had a good idea that Nasar was in too poor an emotional state to rest, let alone sleep. I heard him moving about, clumsily and roughly. There was a silence for a while, but then I heard him enter from the stairs—he had been to the foodshop. He muttered, then he groaned. I believed I heard him weep.