To Outwit A Telepath

When the Scothani kidnap Dominic Flandry in "Tiger By The Tail," Chunderban Desai and Aycharaych have already met on Aeneas even though Flandry has not yet met either of these characters and also even though neither of them had yet been created when "Tiger By The Tail" was published. Aycharaych was perhaps approaching his creation since "Honorable Enemies," which introduces him, was published only four months after "Tiger By The Tail." Nevertheless, my impression from the whole of Poul Anderson's career and particularly from this early pulp period is that very little time elapsed between the conception and the completion of a work, whether short story or novel.

The theme of "Honorable Enemies" is how to lie to a telepath. Erannath had had to outwit the telepath, Aycharaych, in The Day of Their Return. He, Erannath, lying on a mattress, is constrained by a manacle around his left wrist. Aycharaych enters and holds a blaster on Ivar Frederiksen who has just discovered Erannath. Realizing that Aycharaych can read his mind, Ivar drops his knife. But Aycharaych cannot concentrate on reading both minds simultaneously and knows that Erannath is manacled. Erannath grabs Ivar's knife with his right hand, balances on one wing while protecting Ivar with the other and severs his left hand. Shot twice and mortally wounded by the blaster, Erannath nevertheless stuns Aycharaych who drops his gun which is grabbed by Ivar. Excellent teamwork although fatal for Erannath.