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Big Stupe
By CHARLES V. DE VET
Illustrated by KOSSIN
[Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science FictionMarch 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that theU.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
[Sidenote: _Smart man, Bruckner--he knew how to handle natives ... butthey knew even better how to deal with smart terrestrials!_]
Bruckner was a man deeply imbued with a sense of his own worth. Now ashe rested his broad beam on the joined arms of Sweets and Majesky, hewinked to include them in a "this is necessary, but you and I see thehumor of the thing" understanding. Like most thoroughly disliked men, heconsidered himself quite popular with "the boys."
The conceited ham's enjoying this, Sweets thought, as he staggered downthe aisle under the big man's weight. At the ship's entrance, he glancedout across the red-sand plain to where the natives waited.
They wore little clothing, Sweets noted, except the chief. He sat on hisdais--carried on the shoulders of eight of his followers--dressed inlong streamers of multi-colored ribbons. Other ribbons, rolled into arope, formed a diadem on his head.
The only man more impressively dressed was Bruckner. He wore all theceremonial trappings of a second century Gallic king, complete withjewel-studded gold crown.
As Sweets and Majesky grunted with their burden across the ten yardsseparating the ship from the thronelike chair that had been brought outearlier, their feet kicked up a cloud of red dust that coated theirclothing and clogged their nostrils.
The dust had originally been red ferric sand. But the action of windsand storms had milled it together, grain against grain, through theages, until it had become a fine red powder that hung in the hot stillair after they had passed.
Most of Waterfield's Planet, they had discovered on their inspectionflight the day before, had been a desert for more centuries than theycould accurately estimate. Its oases, however, were large and plentifuland, as observed from the air, followed a clear-cut, regular pattern.The obvious conclusion was that they were fed by underground rivers.
* * * * *
The crewmen deposited their burden in the chair and stood waiting.
"Nice work, men," Bruckner muttered in an undertone. "Now keep up theact. Bow from the waist and retire discreetly to the background."
Majesky said something under his breath as they complied.
The greeting ceremony got off to a good start after that, Sweets had toadmit. Whatever else might be said of Bruckner, he knew his job as apsychologist.
Bruckner rose to his feet, raised his right hand, palm forward, andintoned gravely, "Earthmen greet you." He spoke in the language of thenatives.
The tribal chieftain raised his hand negligently in reply, but neitherrose nor spoke.
With a great display of magnanimity, Bruckner sent over a bolt of brightred cloth.
The chieftain accepted the gift and sent back a large wooden box carriedby two of his men. They lowered the box at Bruckner's feet and one ofthem opened a door in its side.
The large animal--or bird; the Earthmen couldn't be certain which--thatstepped out stood about seven feet tall, with a body shaped like abowling pin. It walked on webbed feet that angled outward, had shortflippers, set low on a body covered with coarse hair that might havebeen feathers, and was armed with long, vicious claws. There wassomething so ludicrous about its appearance that Sweets had difficultystifling the chuckle that rose in his throat.
The animal, however, took itself very seriously. When it saw itsaudience--the spaceship's crew--watching, it took two spraddling stepsforward, pulled the bulk of its pot-bellied stomach up into its chestand paused dramatically.
It gave three very loud, hoarse burps, somewhere between the squawk of aduck and the braying of an ass. It was a hilariously funny caricature ofa pompous orator.
Someone snickered. Immediately Sweets and the other crew members joinedin the laughter. It was the kind of belly-laughing that could not berestrained.
While he roared, Sweets took time to observe Bruckner. At the firstoutbreak of laughter, the psychologist scowled and glanced nervouslyacross at the natives. But when he saw that they, too, had joined in thelaughter, he allowed himself to smile condescendingly.
The meeting ended with much apparent good will on both sides.
* * * * *
"Well, I guess we knew what we were doing, didn't we?" Bruckner saidafter they were back in the ship.
He made a point of emphasizing the we.
"At the time Waterfield's Planet was first discovered," he explained,"the official report was that the natives were friendly. However, whenthe survey team landed a year later, they ran into trouble. At thebeginning, they were courteous and considerate in their dealings withthe natives, but the tribesmen took that as a sign of weakness and gavethe team very little cooperation. Then they tried being a bit tough andfound themselves with a small war on their hands. They were lucky to getaway with their lives. So you can see why I'm pleased with the waythings went off today."
"If the natives are that touchy, we'll still have to be careful," Sweetssaid. "What are we supposed to be doing here, anyway?"
Bruckner looked carefully around the circle at each of his listeners."There's no reason now why I shouldn't tell you," he said confidingly."The survey team found enough traces of rare elements here to suspectthat there might be large deposits on the planet. That's what we'reafter."
"And you think there might be trouble?" Majesky asked. Bruckner had hisfull attention now, Sweets noted. There was always a kind of leashedvitality about Majesky that made him poor company during a space trip,but he was the type of man you'd want on your side in arough-and-tumble.
"I certainly do not," Bruckner answered, frowning in annoyance. "It's myjob to see that we don't have trouble. I went very carefully over therecords of the two previous landings, even before we began this trip,and I believe I understand the psychological compulsions of thesetribesmen quite well."
"You mean you know what makes 'em tick?" Majesky asked.
"Yes, I think I can safely say I do," Bruckner said modestly. "Theirculture pattern is based on a long history of tribal conflict. And, fora tribe to prosper, they must have a strong as well as resourcefulleader. Thus the splendid dress of their chieftain this morning, incontrast to the drabness of the ordinary tribal dress. He must be, veryapparently, a man above the common tribesmen to hold their respect.
"And that," Bruckner added, "was the reason for our little act thismorning. The best way to impress them with our power is to display themagnificence of our leader. The better we can keep them convinced of mygreatness, the less risk there will be of trouble."
* * * * *
Big Stupe--someone gave their pet the name the first five minutes and itstuck--had the run of the ship. Individually and in groups, the crewtook turns amusing themselves with him. And Big Stupe acceptedeverything they did very seriously and loved the attention. He wasdefinitely a gregarious animal.
And his name fitted perfectly. His gullibility and invariable stupidityseemed to have no limits. He fell for the same practical jokes over andover again. He was clumsy and stumbled over furniture, loose objects andeven his own feet.
He would eat anything. If what he swallowed proved indigestible, hewould stand for a minute with an astounded expression on his hairy faceand then whatever he had eaten would come rolling up. He eagerly gulpeddown the same rubber ball a dozen times in the space of ten minutes.Whenever spoken to, he replied promptly,
in his incredible squawkingbray. A "hello," by one of the crew, with an answering bray from BigStupe, was always good for a laugh.
Big Stupe had a fear of loud noises and pulled a variation of theostrich-head-in-hole routine, at every unexpected loud sound, of turninghis back to whatever had frightened him and peering cautiously backunder a flipper. If a tail feather was pulled, he'd make a determinedand prolonged effort to run straight through the ship's wall, flappingand treadmilling and skidding and pushing his beak against it.
Another of his tricks was the dispensing of pebbles--which he seemed toconsider very valuable gifts--from his marsupial pouch to the crewmembers who took his fancy.
Sweets often wondered how an animal with so little common intelligencehad survived the evolutionary process. He could spot no counterbalancingability or survival characteristic. But somehow the species had