“Is something the matter?” Danchekker asked, puzzled. There was no response. “It’s quite harmless, I assure you,” he went on, making his voice reassuring. “And very, very dead. . . one of the samples preserved in the large canisters that were found in the ship. It’s been very dead for at least twenty-five million years.”
The Ganymeans slowly returned to life. Still silent and somehow subdued, they began moving cautiously toward the spot where the Earthmen were standing in a loose semicircle. For a long time they gazed at the immense creature, absorbing every detail in awed fascination.
“ZORAC,” Hunt muttered quietly into his throat mike. The rest of the Earthmen were watching the Ganymeans silently, waiting for some signal to resume their dialogue and not sure yet what exactly it was that was affecting their guests so strongly.
“Yes, Vie?” the machine answered in his ear.
“What’s the problem?”
“The Ganymeans have not seen an animal comparable to Baluchitherium before. It is a new and unexpected experience.”
“Does it come as a surprise to you too?” Hunt asked.
“No. I recognize it as being very similar to other early terres
trial species recorded in my archives. The information came from Ganymean expeditions to Earth that took place before the time of the Shapieron’s departure from Minerva. None of the Ganymeans with you at Pithead has ever been to Earth, however.”
“But surely they must know something about what those expeditions found,” Hunt insisted. “The reports must have been published.”
“True,” ZORAC agreed. “But it’s one thing to read a report about animals like that, and another to come face to face with one suddenly, especially when you’re not expecting it. I suppose that if I were an organic intelligence that had evolved from a survival-dominated organic evolutionary system, and possessed all the conditioned emotional responses that implies, I’d be a bit shocked too.”
Before Hunt could reply, one of the Ganymeans-Shilohin- finally spoke up.
“So . . . that is an example of an animal of Earth,” she said. Her voice was low and hesitant, as if she were having difficulty articulating the words.
“It’s incredible!” Jassilane breathed, still keeping his eyes fixed on the huge beast. “Was that thing really alive once. . .
“What’s that?” Another Ganymean was pointing beyond Baluchitherium to a smaller but more ferocious-looking animal posed with one paw raised and lips curled back to reveal a set of fearsome, pointed teeth. The other Ganymeans followed his finger and gasped.
“Cynodictis,” Danchekker answered with a shrug. “A curious mixture of feline and canine characteristics from which both our modem cat and dog families eventually emerged. The one next to it is Mesohippus, ancestor of all modem horses. If you look carefully you can see. . .” He stopped in midsentence and seemed to switch his line of thought abruptly. “But why do these things seem so strange to you? Surely you have seen animals before .
There were animals on Minerva, weren’t there?”
Hunt observed intently. The reactions that he had witnessed seemed odd from a race so advanced and which, until then, had seemed so rational in everything they said and did.
Shilohin took it upon herself to answer. “Yes . . . there were animals. . .” She began looking from side to side at her companions as if seeking support in a difficult situation. “But they were
different. . .” she ended, vaguely. Danchekker seemed intrigued.
“Different,” he repeated. “How interesting. In what way do you mean? Weren’t there any as big as this for instance?”
Shilohin’s anxiety seemed to increase. She was showing the same inexplicable reluctance to discuss Oligocene Earth as on earlier occasions. Hunt sensed a crisis approaching and saw that Danchekker, in his enthusiasm, was not getting the message. He turned away from the rest of the party. “ZORAC, give me a private channel to Chris Danchekker,” he said in a lowered voice.
“You’ve got it,” ZORAC responded a second later, sounding almost relieved.
“Chris,” Hunt whispered. “This is Vic.” He observed a sudden change in Danchekker’s expression and went on. “They don’t want to talk about it. Maybe they’re still nervous about our links with the Lunarians or something-I don’t know but something’s bugging them. Wrap up and let’s get out of here.”