ted nearly out of his battered hide by the unfamiliar
jounce and rock of the steed; but he knew he could stick on it till
night if he had to. The only enemies that fretted him now were the
golden spheres. You could not distance a god simply by mounting a horse.

"Look up," he said, watching the path. "Are there gods?"

"Yes, but high, following us. They mark our way."

"Let them! Jerran, at nightfall we head for the mine. Our mine, and our
cavern."

"You can't go there, you drooling baby, you'd find an army of globes,
priests, gentry, and zanphs. They'll be crawling all over the things in
that cave, especially after you took guns from it! What is it that draws
you there?"

"A metal chest--ouch--I've been thinking of for a long time. Jerran,
what's 'suspended animation'?"

"Why?"

"Nirea kept muttering it to herself in the cave. I think she read it on
the chest."

"Suspended," mused Jerran. "Temporarily halted. Animation, life. Life
held in check? Movement stopped for a time?"

"That's it."

"Love of freedom, lad, what's it?"

* * * * *

Revel, glancing up at the soaring spheres, said half to himself, "Man of
the 21st century. Century's a hundred years. Twenty-first? John R.
Klapham, atomic something ... suspended animation. John sounds like a
name. Rest of it, enigmas, but...."

"Watch out!" yelled Jerran, turning against his back. "A god comes at
us."

"How good are you at throwing knives?"

"As good as the next rebel. Damned good."

"Take one from my belt, and see if you can spit it in the air. If it
touches you, you'll be a frizzled-up cinder in a wink."

He felt the knife leave his holster, there was a pause, then Jerran said
under her breath, "Blast this horse--ugh--got it!"

They were almost at the crest of the hill now. None of the ruck watched
the chase from here, for it was far from Ewyo's house and none had
expected Revel and Company to come so far. There were guards, though:
three squires sitting their quiet horses on the brow of the hills, a
hundred yards apart. They watched the roan with its double burden beat
up toward them, then blinked and peered as they saw that the foremost
rider was naked.

"Va-yoo," said one uncertainly, then, realization hitting him, "va-yoo
hallo! Here he comes!"

He came, and the squires bunched to meet him; he aimed his horse's head
for their center, they split off wildly at the last instant, and he was
through them befor