look of a benign monk, until you saw the
tempered steel glint in his piercing eyes.

When introductions were completed, I said, "How do you do?" once,
including them all, and went on waiting. Nobody suggested I sit down,
probably because there were only five chairs around the table to begin
with and the room's two couches were too far away to keep me in the
group. The President gave me the same winning smile that had pulled a
couple million extra votes his way in the last election, and said,
"Let me start off, Mr. Quinlan, by telling you that we've got a
problem on our hands--one that may very well involve the peace and
well-being of the entire country. The details are going to strain your
credulity beyond human limits, I'm afraid--just as they have ours. But
there is enough supporting evidence to what we've heard for us to do
something about it. And that's where you come in."

He paused, evidently waiting for a response from me. There was only
one response I could make--even though I hadn't the slightest idea
what he was talking about. "I'm at your service, Mr. President."

His smile was a medal for my chest. "Thank you. At this point I'd
better let Mr. Kramer take over."

Kramer leaned back in his chair, placed the tips of his fingers
together and stared searchingly at me over them. His voice, when he
spoke, was as dry as his skin. "Mr.--ah--Quinlan, I understand you
were born thirty-one years ago on a Potawatomi Indian reservation in
the state of Michigan."

I blinked. "That's right. Not many people know it."

"You are part Indian, I believe?"

"One quarter Potawatomi."

"Also, I'm told that you are something of an authority on the history
of the American Indian."

"I've written books on the subject and expect to write a good many
more."

"You speak the language?"

"What language?"

He floundered a little. "Why--ah--the--ah--Indian language."

* * * * *

"Look, Mr. Kramer," I said, "there are scores of Indian languages.
Nobody in history, red man or white, could ever speak all of them.
Fortunately most Indians belonged to one of several great families,
and the language of each family was close enough for the tribes in
that family to understand each other. I can handle the language of the
Algonquin like a native, being part Potawatomi myself. I can get by in
the tongue of the Iroquois, the Caddoan, the Siouan, and the
Muskhogean. The Dene and Uto-Aztecan would give me