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period of a day or more."
"Your prudence is commendable," declared the Chief Chade. "The folk of today
tend to commit themselves rashly to courses they later regret. It was not so in my
youth, when sobriety and discretion prevailed. I will arrange for your admission
into the compound, where you may verify each of my assertions. You will find
Pharesm stern but just, and only the man who hacks the rock willy-nilly has cause
to complain. But observe! here is Pharesm the Sorcerer on his daily inspection!"
Up the trail came a man of imposing stature wearing a voluminous white robe.
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His countenance was benign; his hair was like yellow down; his eyes were turned
upward as if rapt in the contemplation of an ineffable sublimity. His arms were
sedately folded, and he moved without motion of his legs. The workers, doffing
their caps and bowing in unison, chanted a respectful salute, to which Pharesm
returned an inclination of the head. Spying Cugel, he paused, made a swift survey
of the work so far accomplished, then glided without haste to the lectern. "All
appears reasonably exact," he told the Chief Chade. "I believe the polish on the
underside of Epi-projectioo 56-16 is uneven and I detect a minute chip on the
secondary cinctor of the nineteenth spire. Neither circumstance seems of major
import and I recommend no disciplinary action."
97
The Eyes of the Overworld
"The deficiencies shall be repaired and the careless artisans reprimanded: this at
the very least!" exclaimed the Chief Chade hi an angry passion. "Now I wish to
introduce a possible recruit to our work-force. He claims no experience at the
trade, and will deliberate before deciding to join our group. If he so elects, I
envision the usual period as rubble-gatherer, before he is entrusted with tool-
sharpening and preliminary excavation." "Yes; this would accord with our usual
practice. However . . ." Pharesm glided effortlessly forward, took Cu-gel's left
hand and performed a swift divination upon the fingernails. His bland
countenance became sober. "I see contradictions of four varieties. Still it is clear
that your optimum bent lies elsewhere than in the hewing and shaping of rock. I
advise that you seek another and more compatible employment."
"Well spoken!" cried the Chief Chade. "Pharesm the Sorcerer demonstrates his
infallible altruism! In order that I do not fall short of the mark I hereby withdraw
my proffer of employment! Since no purpose can now be served by reclining upon
a couch or testing the perquisites, you need waste no more irreplaceable tune."
Cugel made a sour face. "So casual a divination might
well be inaccurate."
The Chief Chade extended his forefinger thirty feet vertically in outraged
remonstrance, but Pharesm gave a placid nod. "This is quite correct, and I will
gladly perform a more comprehensive divination, though the process requires six
to eight hours."
"So long?" asked Cugel in astonishment,
"This is the barest minimum. First you are swathed head to foot in the intestines
of fresh-killed owls, then immersed in a warm bath containing a number of secret
organic substances. I must, of course, char the small toe of your left foot, and
dilate your nose sufficiently to admit an explorer beetle, that he may study the
conduits leading to and from your sensorium. But let us return to my diviuatory,
that we may commence the process in good
time."
Cugel pulled at his chin, torn this way and that. Finally he said, "I am a cautious
man, and must ponder even the advisability of undertaking such a divination;
hence, I will require several days of calm and meditative som-
98
The Eyes of the Overworld
nolence. Your compound and the adjacent nympharium appear to afford the
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conditions requisite to such a state; hence "
Pharesm indulgently shook his head. "Caution, like any other virtue, can be
carried to an extreme. The divination must proceed at once."
Cugel attempted to argue further but Pharesm was adamant, and presently glided
off down the trail.
Cugel, disconsolately went to the side, considering first this stratagem, then that.
The sun neared the zenith, and the workmen began to speculate as to the nature
of the viands to be served for then- mid-day meal. At last the Chief Chade
signaled; all put down their tools and gathered about the cart which contained
the repast,
Cugel jocularly called out that he might be persuaded to share the meal, but the
Chief Chade would not hear of it. "As in all of Pharesm's activities, an exactitude
of consequence must prevail. It is an unthinkable discrepancy that fifty-four men
should consume the food intended for fifty-three."
Cugel could contrive no apposite reply, and sat in silence while the rock-hewers
munched at meat pies, cheeses and salt fish. Ah" ignored him save for one, a
^quarter-ell man whose generosity far exceeded his stature, and who undertook
to reserve for Cugel a certain portion of his food. Cugel replied that he was not at
all hungry, and rising to his feet wandered off through the project, hoping to
discover some forgotten cache of food.
He prowled here and there, but the rubble-gatherers  had removed every trace
of substance extraneous to the pattern. With appetite unassuaged Cugel arrived
at the center of the work where, sprawled on a carved disk, he spied a most
peculiar creature: essentially a gelatinous globe swimming with luminous
particles from which a number of transparent tubes or tentacles dwindled away
to nothing. Cugel bent to examine the creature, which pulsed with a slow internal
rhythm. He prodded it with his finger, and bright little flickers rippled away from
the point of contact. Interesting: a creature of unique capabilities!
Removing a pin from his garments, he prodded a tentacle, which emitted a
peevish pulse of light, while the golden^flecks hi its substance surged back and
forth.
99
The Eyes of the Overworld
More intrigued than ever, Cugel hitched himself close, and gave himself to
experimentation, probing here and . there, watching the angry flickers and
sparkles with great amusement.
A new thought occurred to Cugel. The creature displayed qualities reminiscent of
both coelenterate and echi-noderm. A terrene nudibranch? A mollusc deprived of
its shell? More importantly, was the creature edible?
Cugel brought forth bis amulet and applied it to the central globe and to each of
the tentacles. He heard neither chime nor buzz: the creature was non-poisonous.
He unsheathed his knife and sought to excise one of the tentacles, but found the
substance too resilient and tough to be cut. There was a brazier nearby, kept
aglow for forging and sharpening the workers' tools. He lifted the creature by two
of its tentacles, carried it to the brazier and arranged it over the fire. He toasted it
carefully and, when he deemed it sufficiently cooked, sought to eat it Finally, after
various undignified efforts, he crammed the entire creature down his throat,
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finding it without taste or sensible nutritive volume.
The stone-carvers were returning to their work. With a significant glance for the
foreman Cugel set off down the trail.
Not far distant was the dwelling of Pharesm the Sorcerer: a long low building of
melted rock surmounted'by eight oddly shaped domes of copper, mica and bright
blue glass. Pharesm himself sat at leisure before the dwelling, surveying the valley
with a serene and all-inclusive magnanimity. He held up a hand in calm salute. "I
wish you pleasant travels and success in all future endeavors."
"The sentiment is naturally valued," said Cugel with some bitterness. "You might
however have rendered a more meaningful service by extending a share of your
noon meal."
Pharesm's placid benevolence was as before. "This would have been an act of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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