Oh,” Rod answered. “Look, I’ll set guards. We know what to expect. I’m in ch”
‘Beat it, will you? You kids mustn’t be impatient.”
So Rod went back inside his city, hurt and angry. Several strangers came in, poked around as if they owned the place, spoke to the excited villagers, went out again. One stopped to look at Jimmy’s drum, rapped it and laughed. Rod wanted to strangle him.
“Rod?”
“Uh?” He whirled around. “Yes, Margery?”
“Do I cook lunch, or don’t I? All my girls have left and Mel says its silly because we’ll all be gone by lunch time and I don’t know what to do.”
“Huh? Nobody’s leaving . . . that I know of.”
“Well, maybe not but that’s the talk.”
He was not given time to consider this as one of the ubiquitous strangers came up and said briskly, “Can you tell me where to find a lad named Roderick Welker?”
“Walker,” Rod corrected. “I’m Rod Walker. What do you want?”
“My name is Sansom, Clyde B. Sansom Administrative Officer in the Emigration Control Service. Now, Welker, I understand you are group leader for these students. You can”
“I am Mayor of Cowpertown,” Rod said stonily. “What do you want?”
“Yes, yes, that’s what the youngster called you. ‘Mayor.'” Sansom smiled briefly and went on. “Now, Walker, we want to keep things orderly. I know you are anxious to get out of your predicament as quickly as possible but we must do things systematically. We are going to make it easy just delousing and physical examination, followed by psychological tests and a relocation interview. Then you will all be free to return to your homes after signing a waiverofliability form, but the legal officer will take care of that. If you will have your little band line up alphabetically uh, here in this open space, I think, then I will” He fumbled with his briefcase.
“Who the deuce are you to give orders around here?”
Sansom looked surprised. “Eh? I told you. If you want to be technical, I embody the authority of the Terran Corporation. I put it as a request but under field conditions I can compel cooperation, you know.”
Rod felt himself turn red. “I don’t know anything of the sort! You may be a squad of angels back on Terra but you are in Cowpertown.”
Mr. Sansom looked interested but not impressed. “And what, may I ask, is Cowpertown?”
“Huh? This is Cowpertown, a Sovereign nation, with its own constitution, its own laws and its own territory.” Rod took a breath. “If the Terran Corporation wants anything, they can send somebody and arrange it. But don’t tell us to line up alphabetically!”
“Atta boy, Roddie!”
Rod said, “Stick around, Carol,” then added to Sansom, “Understand me?”
“Do I understand,” Sansom said slowly, “that you are suggesting that the Corporation should appoint an ambassador to your group?”
“Well . . . that’s the general idea.”
“Mmmm . . . an interesting theory, Welker.”
“‘Walker.’ And until you do, you can darn well clear the sightseers out and get out yourself. We aren’t a zoo.”
Sansom looked at Rod’s ribs, glanced at his dirty, calloused feet and smiled. Rod said, “Show him out, Carol. Put him out, if you have to.”
“Yes, sirr’ She advanced on Sansom, grinning.
“Oh, I’m leaving,” Sansom said quickly. “Better a delay than a mistake in protocol. An ingenious theory, young man. Goodby. We shall see each other later. Uh . . . a word of advice? May I?”
Huh? All right.”
“Don’t take yourself too seriously. Ready, young lady?”
Rod stayed in his hut. He wanted badly to see what was going on beyond the wall, but he did not want to run into Sansom. So he sat and gnawed his thumb and thought. Apparently some weak sisters were going back wave a dish of ice cream under their noses and off they would trot, abandoning their land, throwing away all they had built up. Well, he wouldn’t! This was home, his place, he had earned it; he wasn’t going back and maybe wait half a lifetime for a chance to move to some other planet probably not as good.