“Must drums be made of metal?” asked Toric. “These have wooden frames.” He tapped the stretched hide across the larger drum, and it rattled in response.
“The metal message drums are large, to resound” Se-bell began.
“But not necessarily metal; just something big enough, hollow enough over which to stretch your hide, and reso-nate?” asked Toric, ignoring the interruption. “What about a tree trunk … say …” and he began to hold out his
185
arms, widening the circle while Sebell started in disbelief at the area he encompassed. “… about this big? That ought to make a bloody loud drum. Tree I’m thinking of came
down in the last big storm.”
“I know things grow bigger here in the south, Toric,” said Sebell, skeptical in his own’turn, “but a tree trunk as big as you suggest? Well, now, they don’t grow that big.”
Toric threw back his head, laughing at Sebell’s incredulity. He clapped Saneter on the shoulder. “We’ll show this disbelieving northerner, won’t we, Harper?”
Saneter grinned apologetically at his crafters, spreading his hands out to. indicate that Toric was indeed telling the
truth.
“Further, it’s not all that far from the hold. We could make it there and back before dinner,” said Toric, well .pleased with himself, and strode out of the harper’s quarters ahead of the other three to rouse assistants.
While Sebell didn’t doubt that the fallen tree was “not far” from the Southern Hold, it was also not an easy trek through steamy hot forests where the trail had to be hacked out afresh. But, when they finally reached the tree, it was every bit as large in girth as Toric had promised. Sebell felt much like Menolly, awed, as they reached out to caress the smooth wood of the fallen giant. The insects that had burrowed out the monster’s core had also made meals of its bark until only a thin shell remained, the last skin of the once-living tree. Even that shell had begun to rot away in the steam and rain of its environment.
“Will this make you enough drums, harperman?” asked
Toric, delighted to confound them.
“Enough for every holding you’ve got, with more left over,” said Sebell, running his eyes down the fallen trunk. Surely it must be several dragon lengths; queen dragons 1 It must be the biggest, oldest tree ever grown on Pern. How many Threadfalls had it survived?
“Well, how many shall we cut you today?” asked Toric, gesturing for the doubled-handed saw that had been carried by his holders.
“I’ll settle for one just now,” said Sebell, “from here …” and he marked the distance with an arm and his body, pointing to the limit with his right forefinger by his ribs,
186
“… to here. That would make a good, deep, long-carrying sound when the hide is stretched.”
Saneter, who had come with them, stooped to pick up a thick, knobby-ended branch and pounded the tree trunk experimentally. Everyone was surprised at the hollow boom that resulted. The fire lizards, who’d been perched on the surface, lifted with shrieks of protest.
Grinning, Sebell held out his hand to Saneter for the stick. He beat out the phrase “apprentice, report!” He grinned more broadly as the majestic tones echoed through the forest and started a veritable shower of tree-dwelling insects and snakes, shaken from their perches by the unexpected loud reverberations.
“Why move it?” asked Toric. “You could hear this at the back of the mountains.”
“Ah, but site this on that landing over your harbor, and a message would carry to that Island River of yours,” said Sebell.
“Then we’ll cut your drum. Harper,” said Toric, gesturing for another man to take the opposite handle of the big saw. He held the blade for the initial cut. “Then we shall … take the rest … out in sections … as big as we … can carry them,” he said, thrusting mightily at his end of the saw.
With a man of Toric’s brawn and the willing help of the other holders, the first drum section was quickly detached from the trunk. A long pole was cut, vines quickly laced to secure the section to the carrier, and the party was soon making its way back to the Southern Hold.