The aliens had clustered together and were sending their brain waves
out across the land, signalling other disks in remote spots to find and
pursue the escaping McEldownie. Alan said, "I almost hope he makes it!"
Then straight across the sky from horizon to horizon a great silver
ship flashed, bright in the rays of the vanished sun against a
darkening lapis lazuli vault, on its way out to sea in the direction of
Africa. The abandoned outlanders were piling into their second disk to
give chase.
Brave put his arm over Alan's shoulders. "Chief, I hope he makes it
too. Maybe he was Lucifer, fallen and using us as dogs of war to regain
his lost kingdom; or maybe he was really Prometheus, fighting the
stodgy gods to bring fire--the fire of real freedom--to his friends.
By his lights, he was justified in using us to do it. He caused us an
awful throng of troubles in the past two hundred years, but what he
gave us may be worth it in the final estimate. And when he had his goal
in sight he threw it away because he couldn't bring himself to kill us."
"Prometheus is the word, son. I'd hate to see old Zeus there bring him
back in chains, to be bound to the rock for the vultures."
Brave looked into the sky where Jim McEldownie had disappeared. He
chuckled deep in his chest.
"He claimed to be the best hotshot disk pilot in the universe. If he
is, I have a notion he'll get away." He rubbed a hand across his chin
reflectively. "By the Great Spirit!" he shouted, laughing. "I believe
he will!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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