"Barbarians?"

"They're extinct."

"How many races were there?"

"I'll get to that if you'll stop interrupting," Kung rejoined testily.
"Joe says there are only two kinds of people, his own dark,
straight-haired kind and the barbarians. They have curly hair, white
skin and round eyes. You'd pass for a barbarian, according to Joe, only
you don't have a faceful of hair. He wants to know how things are going
on the other planets."

"I suppose that's my cue to break into a cold sweat and feel a
premonition of disaster." Griffin tried to smile and almost made it.

"Not necessarily, but it seems our iron-age man is fairly well informed
in extraplanetary affairs."

"I guess I'd better start learning the language."

* * * * *

Thanks to the spade work Kung Su had done in preparing hypno-recordings,
Griffin had a working knowledge of the Rational People's language
eleven days later when he sat down to drink herb infused hot water with
Joe and other Old Ones in the low-roofed wooden building around which
clustered a village of two hundred humanoids. He fidgeted through
interminable ritualistic cups of hot water. Eventually Joe hid his
hands in the sleeves of his robe and turned with an air of polite
inquiry. _Now we get down to business_, Griffin thought.

"Joe, you know by now why we're digging up your bottom land. We'll
recompense you in one way or another. Meanwhile, could you give me a
little local history?"

Joe smiled like a well nourished bodhisattva. "Approximately how far
back would you like me to begin?"

"At the beginning."

"How long is a year on your planet?" Joe inquired.

"Your year is eight and a half days longer. Our day is three hundred
heartbeats longer than yours."

Joe nodded his thanks. "More water?"

Griffin declined, suppressing a shudder.

"Five million years ago we were limited to one planet," Joe began. "The
court astronomer had a vision of our planet in flames. I imagine you'd
say our sun was about to nova. The empress was disturbed and ordered a
convocation of seers. One fasted overlong and saw an answer. As the
dying seer predicted the Son of Heaven came with fire-breathing
dragons. The fairest of maidens and the strongest of our young men were
taken to serve his warriors. We served them honestly and faithfully. A
thousand years later their empire collapsed leaving us scattered across
the universe. Three thousand years later a new race