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hopelessly lost.
Of course, he could have continued as he had originally planned, turning west until he struck the coast
again and then following it north. That would have kept him going in the right direction. But he would
have missed Kora Keri and its amenities entirely.
River serpents broke the surface in the deeper channels. They posed no danger to the arboreal troop.
Of more concern were the dragondines that skimmed low over the river. Whenever one of these
swooped too near, the monkeys retreated into the trees where the leathery-winged fliers could not go
and waited there until it had glided past. Yellow eyes glared balefully at the unreachable prey that taunted
from the cover of entwined branches.
Before very many days had passed they reached a place where the river became a broad, slow, single
channel. Descending from the branches, Gomo strode proudly to the grassy riverbank and dipped a
finger in the murky liquid. Straightening, he turned proudly to Ehomba and pointed westward.
 We have reached the confluence of the Aurisbub and the Kohoboth. From here, the water flows west
into the Semordria. Pivoting, he gestured in the opposite direction.  On the far bank a day s journey
from here lies Kora Keri. You will have to find a way to cross the river. This is where we must leave you
now to begin our journey back home. To a home that is safe now, where even children may feel free to
play in the treetops and scamper along the water s edge.
Hands held high over his head, he waddled up to the herdsman and wrapped long arms around the
human s waist. The powerful, slim arms gave a sharp, quick hug.  Good-bye, Etjole Ehomba. I will
always think of you as a hero, because to believe you a fool would cause me too much pain.
Reaching down, Ehomba gave the troop leader s shoulder a friendly squeeze.  Believe me, it does my
digestion no good to think of it either.
Raising his spear over his head with the shaft held parallel to the ground, he made sure his pack and
weapons were secure against his back. Then, to the surprise and delight of the troop, especially the
young ones, he plunged into the Aurisbub, showing Gomo that it was not necessary for him to find a way
across.
Behind him, the female monkeys set up a lilting ululation that followed him as far as the middle of the
river, where the coppery tonal palette of their combined voices became lost amid the swirling babble of
running water. Here where the river was broad, the current was very weak. He was a strong swimmer,
and the far shore was already looming near.
He grew gradually aware that he had company.
The frog was the biggest he had ever seen. Between its extended legs and its body it was at least as long
as his arm. Dark green with black spots, it swam parallel to him on the surface, kicking once for every
three strokes of his while tracking his progress with great bulging eyes. These were covered by some
kind of transparent mask or goggles to which was attached an upward curving tube manufactured from
some exotic, bright blue material. In addition, strange webbed footwear of the same matching blue
substance covered the frog s feet, and it was clad in a false skin of some shiny turquoise-hued fabric.
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 You swim well, the frog commented as it kicked along.
 What are you wearing? Ehomba s arms pulled him through the water even as his legs pushed him
forward.
 Mask, snorkel, fins, wet suit. I m a great believer in redundancy, man. When others of my kind must
turn away and flee, these let me get by in those places where the water turns to liquid methane. Behind
the mask, one bulging eye winked knowingly.  There s good hunting in liquid methane, if you know
where to look and don t let the cold get to you.
Ehomba rolled onto his back and continued kicking.  I ve never heard of such a thing.
 There are many extraordinary places in the world where most folks fear to go, man. But not me. It
grinned at him, but then it was always grinning. Like most frogs, this one couldn t help it.  A friend of
mine is an eagle with no taste for amphibians. You ought to see his jet backpack.
 What manner of magic might that be? Ehomba inquired. But there was no reply, for the outlandishly
equipped batrachian had already arched its limber spine and dived, to be seen no more. The herdsman
did not dwell on the strangeness of what he had seen or what the frog had said. There was indeed much
that was odd in life, and a man who allowed it to trouble his mind would find his time on Earth forever
dominated by nagging second thoughts about the stability of his cosmos.
His right foot struck something hard and unyielding, and for a moment he tensed. But it was only the
bottom of the river, coming up to greet him. Emerging from the shallows, he looked back the way he had
come. Though he could see clearly to the far bank, there was no sign of the troop. Having made their
farewells, they had, as Gomo indicated they would, started on the way back to their southern forest.
Water dripped from him, drying as it fell, while he checked his gear to make sure nothing had been lost
in the crossing. Assured that all was intact, he turned to the east and resumed walking. In the warm,
humid atmosphere that clung to the river, the breeze created by his fast pace swept across his sodden
clothes and helped to cool him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]