Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

122 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION down the equipment chests. The slaves straightened, and stood, arms folded, waiting. Dontor inspected the area, then moved his head imperiously. “Very good,” he said. ““Take your posts.” As the slaves left, the three priests opened their instrument chests, remoy- ing navigational tools. Alnar went to the folding table, spread the chart over it, then took his watch out of the chest and stood back, holding it. “Just about time, sir.” ! “Very well.” Dontor glanced at the juniors, saw that Kuero had his sextant ready, and raised his own. “Now,” he instructed, when the readings were complete, “you will each calculate our position independently. I'll check your work when you have finished.” He replaced his sextant in its case, then headed the small procession back to the cabins. The ship’s routine continued its uneventful course. The junior priests reported to Dontor with their calculations. Their work was examined, criticized, and finally approved. They were given further instructions. All was well aboard the Bordeklu. The chief priest examined the charts and decided on the course for the next watch. The ship, he thought, would have to put in for water. And some of the island fruits would go weli on the. table. He set a course accordingly, and went topside to give instructions to the pilot. ‘Are you going to help them on their way?” “It’s not necessary, unless they start to by-pass the island. They'll have plenty to worry about when they try to anchor.” Ahead of the ship, the sea was calm. No cloud marred the bright blue overhead. Slowly, a vague shape formed on the horizon, then it grew, to become a small, wooded island. The ship continued on its course, approaching the bit of land, and neared the breaker line. Orders sounded sharply, and the sails collapsed, spilling their wind. A crew forward cut the snubbing line, and the bow anchor splashed into the water. The ship continued, and the anchor cable became taut. In defiance of the helmsman’s efforts, the ship continued on a straight course. The bow line stretched, then loosened a little, as the anchor dragged. Still, the ship refused to swing. Hurriedly, the crew aft dropped the stern anchor. But the ship persisted on its course. All hands forward took shelter as the bow cable snapped and whipped viciously across the deck. The ship maintained its slow progress. | Frantically, the crew backed the sails, hoisting them to take all the wind possible. The helmsman spun the wheel in a final effort to turn the ship back to sea, then cast a glance astern at the taut cable, and ducked for shelter. Sea anchors were hastily thrown overside, but still the ship approached the beach. The keel grated on sand, and the ship continued to move forward, as though, tired of the sea, it had decided to return to the forest. At last, wedged among the trees, the vessel stopped, far above the sands of the beach. THE PLAYERS 3 , 123 It was obviously there to stay. Dontor. stood, looking seaward. He shook his head, looked forward, then down at the ground beneath the ship. This was outside his experience. It was also outside the teaching so carefully instilled in his mind in the classrooms back at Tanagor, and later during those long days and nights when he was a junior priest. He had been taught to speak of sea demons, and to explain their actions, but he had not been told to believe in them. He wondered if the great Kondaro really existed, and if he did, just what he might think of Dontor and of the ship he had so recently controlled. The thought crossed his mind that a real god might be somewhat critical of the priesthood of the sea. ‘Something,’ he mused aloud, “will have to be done to prevent loss of faith.” “Well,” remarked Lanko as he snapped the tractor off. “That's the firs handful of sand for the cook pot.” 3 Sira Nal drummed impatiently on the table before him. _ ‘J thought you could handle routine operations,” he said bitingly. “Now, you tell me you’ve been missing ship after ship. What happened to them?” The high priest shook his head. “‘We haven’t been able to find out, sir.” ‘Do you mean to tell me you haven’t anything to report on them?” “We have sent out investigating ships, sir.” “And?” ! ‘They haven’t reported back, sir” Sira Nal’s cheeks paled slightly eon % 900! <S7 COM