his head, he limped back to the house, and returned carrying oneof the weapons from the kitchen--the one with the single trigger and theoctagonal tube. As he entered the stable, he jerked down and up on theloop extension of the trigger-guard, then put the weapon to his shoulderand pointed it at the cow. It made a flash, and roared louder even thana hand-blaster, and the cow jerked convulsively and was dead. The manthen indicated by signs that Hradzka was to drag the dead cow out of thestable, dig a hole, and bury it. This Hradzka did, carefully examiningthe wound in the cow's head--the weapon, he decided, was not anenergy-weapon, but a simple solid-missile projector.
By evening, neither the man nor the woman were able to eat,and both seemed to be suffering intensely. The man used thecommunicating-instrument on the wall, probably calling on his friendsfor help. Hradzka did what he could to make them comfortable, cooked hisown meal, washed the dishes as he had seen the woman doing, and tidiedup the kitchen.
It was not long before people, men and women whom he had seen on theroad or who had stopped at the farmhouse while he had been there, beganarriving, some carrying baskets of food; and shortly after Hradzka hadeaten, a vehicle like the farmer's, but in better condition and ofbetter quality, arrived and a young man got out of it and entered thehouse, carrying a leather bag. He was apparently some sort of ascientist; he examined the man and his wife, asked many questions, andadministered drugs. He also took samples for blood-tests and urinalysis.This, Hradzka considered, was another of the many contradictions he hadencountered among these people--this man behaved like an educatedscientist, and seemingly had nothing in common with the peasantherb-gatherer on the mountainside.
The fact was that Hradzka was worried. The strange death of the animals,the blight which had smitten the trees and vegetables around the farm,and the sickness of the farmer and his woman, all mystified him. He didnot know of any disease which would affect plants and animals andhumans; he wondered if some poisonous gas might not be escaping from theearth near the farmhouse. However, he had not, himself, been affected.He also disliked the way in which the doctor and the neighbors seemed tobe talking about him. While he had come to a considerable revision ofhis original opinion about the culture-level of these people, it was notimpossible that they might suspect him of having caused the whole thingby witchcraft; at any moment, they might fall upon him and put him todeath. In any case, there was no longer any use in his staying here, andit might be wise if he left at once.
Accordingly, he filled his pockets with food from the pantry and slippedout of the farmhouse; before his absence was discovered he was well onhis way down the road.