Retief-Ambassador to Space Read Free Page B

Are you unaware
that-that-that—"
    "I know: he looks pretty big at a
hundred yards, doesn't he, Mr. Magnan? But he moves slowly. We have plenty of
time—"
    "We? Why include us in
this mad venture?" the portly envoy demanded.
    "You heard what Haccop said, sir.
You gentlemen have to personally kill the creature. I think I have it arranged
so that—"
    "Oh-oh, Master!" Haccop
pointed. "Look like distraction! Couple drunks going fishing!"
    Retief followed the Rockamorran's
gaze, saw a dugout pushing off with two staggering locals singing gaily as they
took up paddles, steered for deep water on a course that would take them within
fifty feet of the dinosaur.
    "Try to stop them, Haccop! If he
changes course now, we're out of luck!"
    Haccop splashed out a few yards into
the mud, floundering, cupped his hands and bellowed. The fishermen saw him,
waved cheerfully, kept going.
    "No use, boss." Haccop waded
back to shore. "Look, better you and me make tracks, hit town
farther up archipelago; swell floating crap game going—"
    "Mr. Ambassador, stand by!"
Retief snapped. "I'll have to bait him in. When I give the word, hit that
trigger, and not a second before!" He sprinted to the small wharf nearby,
jumped into a tethered boat, slipped the painter, plied quickly out toward
Crunder-thush. The monster was poised now, mouth open, gazing toward the
fishermen. He emitted a rumbling growl, turned ponderously, took a step to
intercept them. Retief, cutting in front of the dinosaur, waved his paddle and
shouted. The giant reptile hesitated, turned to stare at Retief, rumbled again.
Then, at a burst of song from the happy anglers, swung back their way. Retief
stopped, plucked a rusty fishing weight from the bottom of his skiff, hurled it
at Crunderthush. It struck the immense leathery chest with a resounding whop! at which the monster paused in mid-swing, brought its left eye to bear on
Retief. It stared, cocked its head to bring the right eye into play, then, its
tiny mind made up, raised a huge foot from the mud with a sucking sound,
started for Retief. He eased the boat back with quick strokes of the paddle;
the dinosaur, tantalized by the receding prey, lunged, gained thirty feet,
sending up a swell which rocked the tiny craft violently. Retief grabbed for
balance, dropped the paddle.
    "Retief-boss!" Haccop
boomed. "This no time to goof!"
    "Somebody do something!"
Magnan's voice wailed.
    "He'll be devoured!" Whaffle
yelped.
    The dinosaur lunged again; his
power-shovel jaws gaped, snapped to with a clash of razor-edged crockery a yard
short of the boat. Retief, standing in the stern, gauged the range, then turned
and raised an arm, brought it down in a chopping motion.
    "Let her go, Mr.
Ambassador!" he called, and dived over the side. Ambassador Pinchbottle,
standing transfixed beside the trigger apparatus of the oversized arbalest,
gaped as Crunderthush raised his long neck twenty feet above the water,
streaming mud, emitted an ear-splitting screech, and struck at Retief, swimming
hard for shore. At the last instant, Retief twisted, kicked off to the left.
The monster, confused, raised his head for another look; his eye fell on the
diplomats on shore, now only fifty feet distant. At his glance, Pinchbottle
dropped the heavy mallet, turned and sprinted for the heli. Three other Terrans
gave sharp cries and wheeled to follow. As the stout mission chief bounded past
Secretary Magnan he tripped, dived face-down in the soft dirt. The mallet
skidded aside; Magnan sprang for it, caught it on the second bounce, leaped to
the trigger, and brought the hammer over and down in an overarm swing—
    There was a deep, musical boing! The sharpened twelve-foot hardwood pole leaped forward as the taut nylon sprang
outward. Crunderthush, just gathering himself for the final satisfying snap at
the morsel in the water before him, rocked back as the lance buried half its
length full in his chest. Retief surfaced in time to see the dinosaur totter,
fall sideways