No Altaian can read the Terran principle language, Anglic. Even the Kha Khan reads only Altaian and Alfzarian. He trades with Betelgeuse but his people have been isolated from Terra for centuries. When the fugitive Flandry, under cover of night and storm, paints an Anglic word on the side of the Prophet's Tower, no Altaian can read it and its meaning is irrelevant because its mere location is interpreted as a wilful provocation and insult.
A Betelgeusean trader can read the word and has no way of knowing that he might harm Flandry, whom he believes to be dead, by explaining the Anglic to the Khan Khan. However, although Zalat can read "Mayday" and can infer that this means the first day of the Terrestrial month of May, he cannot know that the Anglic is derived from the English "Mayday" which is based on the French "M'aidez," pronounced "M'aid-ay," meaning "Aid me."
Betelgeuseans will take this story home, where it will be heard by staff of the Terran Embassy. Some weeks later, a Terran ship arrives at Altai...
Thus, Flandry transmits a message that is regarded as an insult, is illegible to all Altaians and incomprehensible to Zalat but easily remembered and repeated by the Betelgeuseans and understood by Flandry's fellow Terrans. And that is far from elementary, Watson!
For how rats have evolved on Altai, see here.
1 comment:
Hi, Paul!
Yes, "A Message in Secret" was indeed a very ingenious story. And the means Flandry found of getting a message to the Terrans was very clever. But, don't forget how Flandry persuaded his Altaian friends of the Tebtengri Shamanate to maneuver their forces in such a way that the Terran ship which came to investigate the "Mayday" message were informed of Merseia's involvement from observing them as they left.
Sean
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