apt to attack without reason merely because we
look different than they do."
9 North checked his shields and winged skyward. It was a glorious
feeling to fly in such a beautiful world. It wasn't like merely
exercising in the ship's big air tanks. He climbed high and saw a
village of rough huts near the river and descended. He crept up on the
village from a hilltop. It was a very primitive affair....a layer of
stones had been laid to a circle a foot or so high, poles extended up
from there, which were lashed together. Animal skins were tied to these
to make a very crude shelter. North could tell this because one of the
shelters was just now being put together. There were a couple of crude
pens where grazing animals of different types were gathered.
10 Suddenly there was a loud 'WHISH' as North's shields deflected
something. He turned quickly, and found six natives standing but a
short distance behind him. One of them fitted a short spear to a
throwing stick and let fly again. North stepped aside and the weapon
struck the tree behind which he had been concealing himself.
11 North raised his hand in a symbol of peace, but another native again
let fly a weapon. This time North let it simply whizz around his
shields and strike the ground. He picked it up and examined it. The
shaft was hand hewed and the tip made of bone lashed to the shaft by
some kind of animal sinew. North pulled the second spear from the tree
and, advancing toward the attackers, held them out, shaft first.
12 Perhaps, he thought, offering to return their weapons would show
them he meant no harm. Several of the men backed off, but one pulled an
axe tipped with a large piece of bone from his belt and charged North,
screaming.
13 North dropped the spears, caught the axe hand, brought his knee up
between the man's legs, and chopped him hard behind his neck at the
same time, with the edge of his hand.