tuation well in hand. Ch'aka is our big problem, and we
have to find out a lot more things before we can tackle him. He is
boss, fighter, father, provider and destiny for this mob, and he seems
to know his job. So try to be a good slave for a while...."

"Slave! I?" Mikah arched his back and tried to rise. Jason pushed him
back to the ground--harder than was necessary.

"Yes, you--and me, too. That is the only way we are going to survive
in this arrangement. Do what everyone else does, obey orders, and you
stand a good chance of staying alive until we can find a way out of
this tangle."

* * * * *

Mikah's answer was drowned out in a roar from the dunes as Ch'aka
returned. The slaves climbed quickly to their feet, grabbing up their
bundles, and began to form a single widespaced line. Jason helped
Mikah to stand and wrap strips of skin around his feet then supported
most of his weight as they stumbled to a place in the open formation.
Once they were all in position Ch'aka kicked the nearest one and they
began walking slowly forward looking carefully at the ground as they
went. Jason had no idea of the significance of the action, but as long
as he and Mikah weren't bothered it didn't matter: he had enough work
cut out for him just to keep the wounded man on his feet. Somehow
Mikah managed to dredge up enough strength to keep going.

One of the slaves pointed down and shouted and the line stopped. He
was too far away for Jason to make out the cause of the excitement,
but the man bent over and scratched a hole with a short length of
pointed wood. In a few seconds he dug up something round and not quite
the size of his hand. He raised it over his head and brought the thing
to Ch'aka at a shambling run. The slavemaster took it and bit off a
chunk, and when the man who had found it turned away he gave him a
lusty kick. The line moved forward again.

Two more of the mysterious objects were found, both of which Ch'aka
ate as well. Only when his immediate hunger was satisfied did he make
any attempt to be the good provider. When the next one was found he
called over a slave and threw the object into a crudely woven basket
he was carrying on his back. After this the basket-toting slave walked
directly in front of Ch'aka who was carefully watchful that every one
of the things that was dug up went into the basket. Jason wondered
what they were--and they were edible, too, an angry rumbling in his