The natives bring a meat animal as a gift but the stranded spacemen do not know whether it will poison them so what should they do? When Valland burns it, the natives understand that this is how strangers from the galaxy accept an offering. To communicate with the Azkashi, Valland supplements his own voice with his omnisonor to reproduce any humanly unpronounceable Azkashi phonemes. He is enough of a poet to generate "...meaningful phrases." (VII, p. 51)
But mutual understanding is not always straightforward. The following chapter, narrated from the point of view of Ya-Kela, the One of the Pack, reveals that, by claiming to have come from the galaxy, ya-Valland has implied that he is "...the emissary of God." (VIII, p. 52) Yet his many physical weaknesses contradict such a claim. Is Valland putting himself at risk by accompanying the natives back to their home? Read on.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, Valland was taking a chance, and one that might have been fatally dangerous. But these stranded humans had no other choice but to take some risks.
Ad astra! Sean
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