Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 119: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Rests for the houses were set down quite haphazard wherever open space afforded. In some places they were more crowded er than others, although seldom closer than twenty or thirty feet. Around the larger ones there was a little more open water, as though the owners controlled it and forbade building there. Some of the smaller houses were connected by little wooden bridges. Anina said this - was where two or more families of rela- tives had located together. There were a few boats moving about— little punts hollowed out of logs and pro- pelled by long poles—and Mercer saw many others, some of them larger like the one he and Anina were in, tied up by the houses. It was now the time of the eve- ning meal. The workers had returned from the terraces; there were few moving about the city. Occasionally a girl would dart up from one of the houses and wing her way to another, but beyond that there were no signs of activity. Anina took command of the boat now, slowing it down and heading for the nearest of the houses, which were hardly more than quarter of a mile away. Mercer stretched himself out in the bottom of the boat, cov- ering himself with a large piece of fabric that lay there. He felt that he would be unnoticed, even should a girl chance to pass directly overhead. But he could see noth- ing of the city from where he was, and soon grew restless and anxious to do some- thing else. “Pm coming up, Anina,” he said once. “Shucks! Nobody can do anything to us. Haven’t I got this light-ray?” But Anina was obdurate, and made him Stay where he was. They went slowly forward and were soon among the houses. On the front platform of one a man sat fishing. A little naked boy slid down into the water from another, swimming as though born to the water. Both stared at Anina curiously as she passed slowly by, but they said nothing. A girl looked out of the window of another house and waved her hand in friendly Steeting, which Anina answered. ercer, lying with all but his face cov- % ered by the cloth, could see only the sides THE FIRE PEOPLE. e a? of the boat, the bistbbada over his head, and Anina 2 him in the stern. a ie “Where do you suppose the ” T hang out around here?” he s “Tf we could— @ The girl silenced him with a He lowered his voice. “ Try and fi where they are, Anina,” he wh ispered, i Anina steered the boat directly unc several of the houses, which must have t quite a usual proceeding, for it attract no attention. A girl flew close to t once, and Anina called to her. The alighted on the stern of the boat for a n ment; Mercer slid the cloth over his f and held himself motionless. Then h et nes Anina’s voice calling to him softly. E Le the cloth hack; the girl had gone. “ She says Tao’s men live ther -] house, of wood,” said Anina, pointi one side. Mercer nearly rapped his headli the seat above him in his excitement. a 2 “You know which house? Let’s ¢ Maybe we can hear what they're Can we get under it?” She nodded. “Let’s try, Anina,” he said “You steer us slow right under it if you were going past. If ob in sight you can stop underneath Ci you? Maybe we can hear what they saying.”’ : ne “TI try,” the girl said simply. | “Tl lay — still,” encouraged ** Nobody will bother about ae in and see what happens. If < you, keep going.” He was all excitement, andi ‘Sp Anina’s protests wriggled abouiea contin ly, trying to see where they were. i . The house that the girl had pointed lay only a few hundred sae iT was one of the largest of the v ings—sixty or seventy feet long at single story, with a high slop’ ing th It was raised on a tational sc above the water, ee Lak little flight of wooden s to the surface. There y of open water on ; Sleinicbooks, com - = Z AC Jer iV ¢ ++ Bn naa ox \ ae nere’s" ae j *4 a Cy