SEVEN VIEWS OF OLDUVAI GORGE Mike Resnick Vv Here's a bittersweet vision of the Future of Humanity. which also gives us a fascinat- ing look at our origins, our present unsettled condition, and our splendid and terrible destiny... Mike Resnick is one of the bestselling authors in science fiction, and one of the most. prolific. His many novels include The Dark Lady, Stalking the Unicorn, Paradise, Santiago, Ivory, Soothsayer, Oracle, Lucifer Jones, Purgatory, and Inferno. His award-winning short fiction has been gathered in the collection Will she Last Person t0 Leave the Planet Please Shut Off the Sun? Of late, he has become almost as prolific as an anthologist, producing, as editor, Inside the Funhouse: 17 SF stories about SF, Whaidunits, More Whardunits, and Shaggy B.E.M. Stories, a long string of anthologies coedited with Martin H. Greenberg, Alternate Presidents, Alternate Kennedys, Alternate Warriors, Aladdin: Master of the Lamp, and Dinosaur Fantastic, among others, as well as two anthologies coedited with Gardner Dozois, Future Earths: Under African Skies and Future Earths: Under South American Skies. He won the Hugo Award in 1989 for “‘Kirinyaga,"’ one of the most controversial and talked-about stories in recent years. He won another Hugo Award in 1991 for another story in the Kirinyaga series, “The Manamouki.’” His most recent books include the novel A Miracle of Rare Design, and the anthologies Alternate Outlaws and Alternate Worldcons, Deals With the Devil (coedited with Martin H. Greenberg and Loren D. Estleman), and By Any Other Fame and Sherlock Holmes in Orbit (both coedited with Martin H. Greenberg). His stories have appeared in our Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Annual Collections. He lives with his wife Carol in Cincinnati, Ohio. ‘The creatures came again last night. ‘The moon had just slipped behind the clouds when we heard the first rustlings in the grass. Then there was a moment of utter silence, as if they knew we were stening for them, and finally there were the familiar hoots and shrieks as they raced to within fifty meters of us and, still screeching, struck postures of aggression. They fascinate me, for they never show themselves in the daylight, and yet they manifest none of the features of the true noctumal animal. Their eyes are not oversized, their ears cannot move independently, they tread very heavily on their feet. They frighten most of the other members of my party, and while I am curious about them, I have yet to absorb one of them and study it, ras306 Mike Resnick To ei he anh, 1 hak my ws of absorption tees my comparions more than the centres do, though tee is no reason why i akould. Although Lam reinively yung by my race's standards, {am nevertheless many millennia ole than any ter member of my party. You would think, given their backgrounds, tat they would Know that ay tit someone of my age psscies must by tefiton be a sarvval tat Sill, it bes them. Indeed, # mates ther, mish as my memory does Cf course, ters sem very infin to me, Imagine baving to lar everyting ‘one knows in a sngeietime, tobe ttl ignorant athe moment of bit Far bene o split ff from your parent with is knowledge intact in your bin, jist 5 my pre's knowledge came to him, and imately to me But then, that is why we ar here otto compare similarities, butt stay siferencesAnd never was there a race 0 diferent ro al his fellows as Man He was exin: burly seventeen millenia afer be strode boily ot int the talon orn, the planet of bis bith—but doring that rie interval he wrote Fehler in gli History tat wl at forever. He claim the stars for his con colonized a milion worlds, led his empire with anion wil. He gave to duaner during bis primacy, and fe asked for none ding his decline and fal: Even now, some fonyeight centuries afer his extneGon, his accomplish ‘mens ands fires ill exite the imagination ‘Which is why we aceon Earth athe very apt that was sd 0 be Man's ave bintplice. the rocky gorge where be fist crossed over the evolutionary tamer saw de stars with fresh eyes. and vowed that they would someday be tis ‘OurleadersBetidore. an Elder ofthe Kraan ope range-sknned, poten feecd, with wise, patient ways. Belidore is wellvened in the behav of sestient ings, and sets our disputes before we even know that we ae engege iniem ‘Ten thre arth Stardust Twins, gltering silver beings who answer‘o cach cers names and Ssh each others tours. They have worked on seventeen tchuclopcal dis. but cven they were spied when Blidore chose them fer this most pesgivs of all missions. They behave like Ife mates, though they display no setoalcharacteristics—but like all the others, they refse have pial contact wit me, oI cannot assuage my caroniy ‘Aso i ou party i the Mositeu, who eas the dit as iit were a delicacy, speaks to no one. and slecps upside-down while banging from a branch of @ nearby te, For some reason, the creates always fave alone, Perhaps they thnk itis dead, pustly they know iis aleep and that only the rays of he son can awaken t, Whatever the reason, we would be lst without it for ony the delicate ens hat extend from its mouth can excavate the ancient artifacts We Ie discovered with the proper care ‘We have four other species wis: oe is an Historia, one an Exobiologis one an Apps of human artifacts, and one a Myst. (Atleast assume she is Mya, for can fd no pater tober approach, but his may be dic to tny own shensightncs, Afterall, what do seems ike magico my companions fod yet ia gorilyapplied sence.) Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 207 ‘And, finaly, there is me. | have no name, for my people do not use names, but for the convenience of the party I have taken the name of He Who Views for the duration of the expedition. This is a double misnomer: | am not a he, for my race isnot divided by gender, and ! am not 2 viewer, but a Fourth Level Feeler. Still, could inet very carly in the voyage that ‘ee! means something very different to my companions than to myself, and out of respect for their sensitivities, Ichose a less accurate name, Bvery day finds us back at work, examining the various strata. There are ‘many signs thatthe area once teemed with living things, that early on there was 8 veritable explosion of life forms in this place, but very litle remains today, ‘There are a few species of insects and birds, some small rodents, and of course the creatures who vist our camp nightly, ‘Our collection has been growing slowly. Is fascinating to watch my coman- ions perform their tasks, for in many ways they are as much ofa mystery to me ‘as my methods ae to them. For example, our Exobiologist needs only to gle her temacle across an object to tell us whether it was once living matter the Historian, surrounded by its complex equipment, ean date any abject, carbon based or otherwise, to within a decade ofits origin, regardless of its state of Preservation; and even the Moriteu is a thing of beauty and fascination as it _ently separates the artifacts from the strata where they have rested for so long, Tam very glad I was chosen to come on this mission ‘We have been here for two tunar eycies now, and the work goes slowly. The lower strata were thoroughly excavated eons ago (Ihave sucha personal intrest in Tearing about Man that I almost used the word plundered rather than exca- Yaied, so reseatful arn I at not finding more anifects), and for reasons as yet ‘unknown there is almost nothing in the more recect sista, ‘Most of us are pleased with our results, and Belldore is particularly elated. He says that finding five nearly intact antfacts mtkes the expedition an unguaifed All the others have worked tirelessly since our arrival, Now itis almost time for me to perform my special function, and I am very excited. know that my findings will be no more important that the others’, but pethaps, when we pat them all together, we can finally begin to understand what was that made Man what he was. “Ate you... asked the frst Stardust Twin, “ready?” said the second. [answered that I was ready, that indeed 1 had been anxious for this moment “May we..." observe?" they asked. "Hf you do mot fed it distasteful,” | replied "We are 2 sents,” the very Hie that we czanot view said. There is..."308 Hike Resnik objectively.” |Larmbulated tothe table upon which the artifact rested. IL was a stone, or at Feast thats what it appeared tobe to my exterior sensory organs. Iwas triangular, ard the edges showed signs of work. “How old is this? “Thee million five hundred and sixty-one thousand...” “eight hundred and twelve years," answered the Stardust Twins {stared at it for a tong time. preparing myself: Then I slowly, carefully, altered my structure and allowed my body to flow over and around the stone, engulfing it, and assimilating its history. | began to feel a delicious warmth as itbecarne one with me, and while all my exesior senses had shut down, I knew that | was undulating and glowing with the thrill of discovery. I became one With the stone, and in that comer of my mind that is set aside for Feeling, 1 seemed to sense the Earth’s moon looming low and ominous just above the horizon Enkatai awoke with a start just after dawn and looked up atthe moon, which vas still high inthe sky. Afterall these weeks it still seemed far too large to hang suspended in the sky, and must surely crash down onto the planet any ‘moment. The nightmare was sill strong in her mind, and she tried to imagine the comforting sight of five small, untheatening moons leapfrogging across the silver sky of ber own world. She was able to hold the vision in her mind's eye for only a moment, and then it was lost, replaced by the reality of the huge satellite above her. Hor companion approached her “Another dream?” he ase. "Exactly like the last one,"” she said uncomfortably. ‘“The moon is visible jn the daylight, and then we begin walking down the path . He stared at her with sympathy and offered her nourishment. She accepted it _riefuly, and looked off across the veld. “Just two more days,” she sighed, “'and then we can leave this awful place.” "tis not sucha terrible worl," replied Bokat. “thas many good qualities." “We have wasted our time here," she sald. “It is not fit for colonization "No, iti not,” he agreed. ““Our erops cannot thrive in this soil, and we have problems with the water. But we have leamed many things, things that will eventually help us choose the proper word.” “We leamed most of them the fist week we Were here,” said Enkatai. “The rest ofthe time wat watted.”” "The ship had other worlds to explore. They could not know we would be able to eliminate this one in such a short time.” ‘She shivered inthe cool moming si.“ hate this place.” Seven Views of Oktwvai Gorge 309 “1c il someday be a fine world” said Bokat “It awaits only the evolution of the brown monkeys."" Even as he spoke, an enormous baboon, some 350 pounds in weight, heavily muscled, with a shaggy chest and bold, curious eyes, appeared inthe distance Even walking on all fours it was a formidable figure, fully twice as large asthe ‘reat spotted cats. “We cannot use this world.” continued Bokat, “but someday his descendants ‘will spread across it.” “They seem so placid,” commented Enkata “They are placid,” agreed Bokatu, hurling a piece of food at the baboon, ‘which raced forward and picked it up off the ground. It siffed at it, seemed 10 ‘consider whether or not to taste it, and finally, after a moment of indecision, ‘put it in its mouth. “But they will dominate this planet. The huge grass-eates ‘spend 100 much time feeding, and the predators slep all the time. No, my choice is the brown monkey. They are fine, strong, intelligent animals. They have ‘already developed thumbs, they possess astrog sense of community, and even the great cats think twice about attacking them. They are virtually without natural predators.” He nodded his head, agrecing with himself. “Yes, iis they who ‘will dominate this world in the eons to come."” “No predators?” sid Enkatai, "Oh, I suppose one falls prey to the great cals now and then, but even the cats do not attack when they are with their troop.” He looked at the baboon, "That fellow bas the strength to tear all but the biggest eat to pieces.” “Then how do you account for what we found atthe bettom of the gorge?” persisted “Their size has cost them some degree of agility. It is only natural that one ‘occasionally falls down the slopes to its death.” “Occasionally?” she repeated. “I found seven skulls, each shattored as if from blow." “The force of me fall.” said Bokatu witha shrug. “Surely you don't think the grea cas braned them before kiling them” “T wasa’t thinking ofthe cats,” she replied. “What, then?" "The small, tiless monkeys that live in the gorge.” ‘Bookatu allowed himself the laxury of a superior smile. “Have you looked at them?" he said, “They are scarcely a quarer the sizeof the brown monkeys."” “T have looked wt them,"* answered Enkatai. “And they, to0, have thumbs.” “Thumbs alone are not enough," said Bokatu ‘They live in the shadow of the brown monkeys, and they are still here,” she suid. “That is enough.” "The brown monkeys are eaters of fiuts and leaves. Why should they bother the tailless monkeys?" ‘They do more than ot bother them.” said Enkatai. “They avoid them, That hardly seems like a species that will someday spread scross the world.”” Bokatu shook his tead. ‘The tiless monkeys seem tobe at an evolutionary ‘dead end. Too small to hunt game, too large to feed themselves on what they210 Mike Reaniek can find in the gorge, too weak to compete with the brown monkeys for better territory. My guess i that they'te an eatlier. more primitive species, destined for extinction." *Pethaps,” said Enkatai, “You disagree? “There is something about therm What” Enkatai shrugged. “I do not know. They make me uneasy. It is something ‘thet eyes, [think—a hint of malevolence.” “You are imagining tings,” saié Bokatu “Pethaps" replied Enkatai 9 “Thnave reports to write today to you." * said Bokawu, 1 tomorrow T will prove it ‘The next moming Bokatu was up withthe sun. He prepared their first meal of the day while Enkatai completed her prayers, chen performed his own while she "Now." he announced. “we will go dowa into the gorge and capture one of the tilless monkeys.” “Why? "To show you how easy i is 1 may take it back with me as a pet. Or perhaps. ‘we shall sacrifice it in the lab and lear more about its life processes."" “Edo not want a pet. and we are not authorized to kill any animals. “As you wish” said Bokatu, "We will fet it go."" “Then why capture one to begin with?” “To show you that they are not intelligent, for if they are as bright 3s you think, 1 will aot be able to capture one.'* He pulled her to an upright position Let bev” “This is foolish.” she protested. “The ship arives in midafternoon. Why don't we just wait for ie?" “We will be back in time," he replied confidently. “How long can it ake?” ‘She looked at the clear blue sky. as if trying to urge the ship to appear. The ‘moon was hanging. huge and white, jst above the horizon. Finally she turned to him, “Allright, Twill come with you—but only if them, and aot to tr to capture one."” “Then you admit I'm right?” “Saying that you ae right or wrong fas nothing to do with the truth of the Situation. T hope you are right. for the tiless monkeys frighten me. But I do not know you are right, and neither do you.” Bokatu stared at her for & long moment STagree,” he said at last. “You agree that you cant Know?" “"Tagree not to capture one," he said. “Let us proceed.” ‘They walked tothe edge of the gorge and then began climbing down the steep ‘embankments, steadying themselves by wrapping theit limbs around trees and ‘other outgrowths. Suddenly they heard a loud screeching. fou promise merely to observe Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 311 ‘What is that?” asked Bokat, “They have seen us." replied Enka, “What makes you think $02" “I have heard that seream in my dream—and always the moon was just as it appears now." “*Strange,"” mused Bokatu, “I have heard them many times before, bt some: how they seem louder this time.”* “Pethaps more of them are here.” “Or perhaps they arc more frightened” he suid, He glanced above him “Here isthe reason,” he sai, pointing, “We have company.” ‘She looked up and saw a huge baboon, quite the largest she had yet seen, following them at a distance of perhaps fifty feet. When its eves met hers it srowled and looked away, but made no atempt to move any closer or farther away. They kept climbing, and whenever they stopped to rest, there was the baboon, its accustomed fifty feet away from ther, “Does he look afraid to you?” asked Bokato. “If these puny litle creatures ‘ould harm him, would he be following us down into the gorge?” "There is a thin line berween courage and foolishness, end an even thinner line between confidence and over-confdence,"* replied Enkata, “HK he is to die here, it will be lke all the others.” said Bokatu, “He will lose his footing and fall to his death. * “You do not find it unusual that every one of them felon ts head?” she asked mildly. “They broke every bone in their bodies,” he replied, “I don't know why ‘you consider only the beads." “Because you do not get identical head wounds from different incidents." “You have an overactive imagination,” said Bokatv. He pointed to a small hairy figure that was staring up at them, “Does thar look like something that ‘could kll our friend here?"™ ‘The baboon glared down into the gorge and snarled. The tilless monkey looked up with no show of fear or even interest, Finally it shuffled off into the thick bush “You see?” said Bokatu smugly. “One look at the brown monkey and retreats out of sight." "I didn't seem frightened to me,” noted Enkat “All the more reason to doubt it intlligence.”" J another few minutes they reached the spot where the tailless monkey had been. They paused to regain their strength, and then continued to the floor of the gorge. “Nothing,” announced Bokatu, ooking around, “My guess is thatthe one ‘We saw was a sentry, and by now the whole tribe is miles away.” “Observe our companion. "* ‘The baboon had reached the floor of the gorge and was tensely testing the win. He hasn't crossed over the evolutionary bartir yet "Do you expect him to search for predators ssid Bokato, amused. th 2 sensor?”212 Mike Resnick "No," said Enkatai, watching the baboon. “But if there is no danger. expect him to relax, and he hasn't done that ye.” “That's probably how he lived long enough to grow tis large," said Bokatw, dismissing her remarks. He looked sround, ““What could they possibly Bind 10 eat here?" 1 don't know."" “Perhaps we should capture one and disect it, The contents of its stomach night tell us a fot about i” “You promised, “It would be 50 simple, though." he persisted. “All we'd have to do would be bait «trap with fruits or aus ‘Suddenly the baboon snared, and Bokatu and Enkatai tured to locate the source of his anger. There was nothing there, but the baboon became more and more frenzied. Finally it raced back up the gorge. “What was that all about, I wonder?"” mused Bokata “I think we should leave.” “We have half a day before the ship returns ‘Lam uneasy here. 1 walked down a path exactly like this in my dream, “You are not used tothe sunlight,” he said. “We will rest inside a cave. ‘She reluctantly allowed him (o lead her to 8 small cave in the wall of the ‘porge. Suddenly she stopped and would go no further. “What isthe matter?” “This cave was in my dream,” she said. “Do not go into it “You must lear not to let dreams rule your life,” said Bokatu, He sniffed the alr. "Something smells strange.” “Let us go back. We want nothing to do with this place. He stuck his head into the cave, "New world, new odors."* Please, Bokatu!"" “Let me just see what causes that odor." he said, shining his light into the cave. I Mtuminaced a tuge pile of bodies, many of them falfeaten, most in various states of decomposition “What are they?” he asked, stepping close. “Brown monkeys.” she replied without looking, “Bach with its head staved “This was part of your dream, 1007" he asked, suddenly nervous, She nodded her head, “We must leave this place now!” He walked to the mouth ofthe cave ‘It seems safe,” be announced. “Ic is never safe in my dream," she said uneasily. They left the cave and ‘walked about fifty yards when they came to bend in the floor of the gorge. AS they followed it, they found themselves facing a tlless monkey. “One of them seems to have stayed behind,” said Bokatu. “I rightee him away.” He picked up a rock and threw it atthe money, which ducked but held its ground. Enkatai touched him urgently onthe shoulder. ‘°More than one,” she said He looked up. Two more tlless monkeys were ina ee almost dicey overeat. Seven Views of Olduval Gorge 313 [As he stepped aside, he saw four more lumbering toward them out of the tush ‘Another emerged from a cave, and thee more dropped out of nearby tees “What have they got in their hands?” he asked nervously. "You would cal them the femur bones of grass-eaters,” said Enk 4 Sick feeling inher thorax. “They would call thera weapons, ‘The hairless monkeys spread out in a semi-circle, then began approaching them slowly. “But they're so puny!” said Bokatu, backing up until he came to a wall of rock and could go no farther. "You area foo," sid Enkatai, helplessly trapped in the reality of her dream. This isthe race that will dominate this planet. Look into theit eyes!” Bokatu looked, and he saw things. terfying things. that he had ever seen in any being or any animal before. He barely had time to offer a brief prayer for some disaster to befall this race before it could reach the stars, and then & tailless monkey hurled a smooth, polished, triangular stone at his head. It dazed him, and ashe fell to the ground, the clubs began pounding down ehythmically ‘o bim and Enkata ‘At the top of the gorge, the baboon watched the camage until it was over, and then raced off toward the vast savannah, where he would be safe, atleast temporarily, from the talless monkeys. with A weapon,"* I mused. “It was a weapon! 1 was all alone. Sometime during the Feling, the Stardust Twins had decided that T was one of the few things they could not be objective about, and hag retured to their quarers, | waited until the excitement of discovery had diminished enough for me 12 control ray physical structure. Thea once again took the shape that I presented to my companions. and reported my findings to Bellidore, “*So even then they were aggressors, he said. “Well, it not suprising, ‘The will to dominate the stars had to have come from somewhere “is surprising that there is no record of any race having landed here i theie prehistory." sai the Historian, "Ie was a survey team, and Earth was of no use to them," answered. “They oubtless touched down on any numberof planets. If here i a rocard anywhere, is probably nth acives, sing tat Ea showed 0 promis a colony ‘But didn’t they wonder what had happened to shee rear?" asked Belidoe, “There were many large cammivores inthe vicinity," Isai, “They probably assumed the team ha falien prey to them, Especially if they searched the area and found nothing. “Interesting,” said Bellidore. “That tbe weaker ofthe species should have risen to dominance.”” “Lthink it is easily explained,” said te Historian. “As the smaller species, they were neither as fast as theic prey nor as strong as their predators, 50 the creation of weapons was pethaps the only way to avoid extinction .. oat least the best way."314 lee Resnick ‘Cenainly hey displayed the cunning ofthe predator during their millennia abroad in the galaty.” said Bellidore. “One doesnot stop being aggressive simply because one invents 3 weapon, said the Historian. “In fact, it may add to one's aggression." shall have lo consider that,” said Belliore, looking somewhat ancon- vince. “T have perhaps over-simplified my train of thought for the sake of this discussion,” replied the Historian. "Rest assured that | wil build a lengthy and ‘rigorous argument whea I present my Findings to the Academy. "And what of you, He Who Views?” asked Bellidore. “Have you any obser- vations to add to what you have told us?” “I is dificult o tink of a rock as being the precursor of the sonic rifle nd ‘the molecular imploder,” I ssid thoughtfully, “but I believe it tobe the case.”” A most interesting species,” said Bellidore. 1 100k almost four hours for my strength to return, for Feeling saps the energy like no other function, drawing equally from the body, the emotions, the mind, and the empathie powers. ‘The Meritev, ts work done for the day. was hanging upside-down from a twee limb, lost in its evening trance, and the Stardust Twins had not made an appearance since I had Felt the stone. “The other party members were busy with their own pursuits, and it seemed ‘an ideal time for me to Peel the next object, which the Historian told me was approximately 23,300 years old 1 was the metal blade of a spear, rusted and pited, and before 1 assimilated it [thought | could see slight discoloration, perhaps caused by blood His name was Mtepwa, and it seemed to him that be had been wearing a metal collar around his neck since the day he had been bom. He knew that couldn't be true, for be had Aeeting memories of playing with his brothers and sisters, and of stalking the kudu and the bongo on the tree-covered mountain where he ew up. ‘But the more he concentrated on those memories, tbe more vague and impre- cise they became, and he knew they must have occured a very long time ago. Sometimes he tried to remember the name of his tribe, but it was lost in the tists of time, as were the names of bis parents and siblings. Tt was at times ike this that Miepwa felt sorry for himself, but chen he would consider his companions" situation, and he felt better, for while they were to be taken in ships and sent to the edge of the worl to spend the remainder of their lives as slaves of the Arabs and the Europeans, he himseif was the favored servant of his master, Sharif Abdullah, and as such his postion was assured ‘This was his eighth caravan—or was it his niath?—from the Interior. They would trade salt and earridges tothe tribal chiefs who would in tum sell them their least productive warriors and women as slaves, and then they would march them out, around the huge lake and across the dry flat savannah. They would circle the mountain that was 50 old tha it had turned white on the rop, just ike Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 315 8 white-aired old man, and finally out tothe coast, where dhows filled the harbor. There they would sell their human booty to the highest bidders, and Sharif Abdullah would purchase another wife and turn half the money over 19 his aged, feeble father. and they would be off to the Interiat again on another ‘quest fr black gold. Abdullah was a good master. He racly drark—and when he did, be always apologized to Allah at the next opportunity —and he didnot beat Miepwa ovedly much, and they always had enough fo eat, even when the cargo went hungry. He even went so far as to teach Miepwa how to read, although the only reading matter be carried with him was the Koran. “Miepwa spent long hours honing his reading skills withthe Keran, and somne- ‘where along the way he made a most interesting discovery: the Koran forbace 1 practioner of the True Faith to keep another member in bondage. Te was at that moment that Mepwa made up his mind to convert (© Islam. He ‘began questioning Sharif Abdullah incessantly on the finer points of his religion, and made sure thatthe old man saw him siting by the fire, hour after hour, reading the Koran. ‘Soenthused was Sharif Absullah at this development that he frequently invited Meepwa into his tent at suppenime, and lectured him on the subtleties of the Koran far into the night. Meepwa was a motivated student, and Sharif Abdullah ‘marveled at his enthusiasm, ‘Night after night, as lions prowled around their camp in the Serengeti, master and pupil studied the Koran together. And finally the day came when Sharif ‘Abdulla could no longer deny that Meepwa was indeed a true believer of Islam Te happened as they camped at the Olduvai Gorge, and that very day Sharif ‘Abdullah hed his smith remove the collar from Miepwa's neck, and Miepwa himself destroyed the chains link by link, hurling them deep into the gorge when he was Rnished. Miepwa was now a fiee man, but kowledgeabe in only wo areas: the Koran, and slaverttading. So it was only natural that when he lovkea oui for sone means to suppor himself, he setled upon following in Shavit Abdullah's foot- sleps. He became a junior partner tothe old man, and after two more tips to the Interior, he decided that he was ready to 20 out on bis own, ‘To do that, he required a trained staff—warriors smiths, cooks, trackers— and the prospect of assembling one from scratch was daunting, so, since his faith was ess strong than his mentr's he simply sneaked into Sharif Abdullah's ‘quarters on the coast one nigh and sit the old man’s throat ‘The nextday. he marched inland atthe head of his own caravan, He had learned much about the busines of slaving. both a8 a practitioner and 1 victim, and he put his knowledge to full use. He knew that heathy slaves, ‘would bring a beter price a market, and so he fed and treated his captives far better than Sharif Abdullah and most other slavers did, On the other hand, he knew which ones were fomencing trouble, and knew i€ was better to kill them fon the spot as an example tothe others, than to let any hopes of insurrection spread among the captives. ‘Because he was thorough, he was equally sucessful and soon expanded into316 Mike Resnick lwory wading as well, Within six years he had the biggest slaving and poaching. ‘operation in East Aftca From time to time he ran across European explorers. It W3s aid that he even spent a week with Dr. David Livingstone and left without the missionary ever ‘knowing that he had been playing hott the slaver he most wanted to put out of basins, After America’s War Between the States killed his primary market, he took «year off from his operation to goto Asia and the Arabian Peninsula and open "up new ones. Upon returning he found that Abdulish's son, Sharif Ibn Jad Mati had appropriated all his men and headed inland, intent on carrying on his father's business. Miepwa, who had become quite weakhy, hired some 500 astari, placed them under the command of the notorious ivory poacber Alfred Henry Pym, and sat back (o await the results ‘Three months later Pym marched some 438 men back tothe Tanganyika coast, ‘Two hundred and seventy-six were staves that Sharif Ton Jad Mahi had eepored; the remainder were tbe remnants of Mtepwa’s organization, who had gore (© ‘work for Sharif Iba Jad Mahir. Mtepwa sold all 438 of them into bondage and built a new organization, composed of the wariors who had fought for him ‘under Pym’s leadership. Most ofthe colonial powers were inclined to tum a blind eye to his practices, but the British, who were determined to put an end to slavery, issued a warrant for Mtepwa’s ares. Eventually he tired of continually looking over his shoulder, ‘and moved his headquaners to Mozambique, where the Portugucse were happy to let him set up shop as long as he remembered that colonial palms needed constant greasing. He was never happy there—te didn’t speak Portuguese or any of the local languages—and after nine years be returned o Tanganyika, now the wealthiest black man on the continent. ‘One day be found among his latest batch of captives a young Acholi boy samed Harn, no more than tn years ol, and decided wo Keep him a5 a person servant rather than ship him across the ocean. “Miepwa had never marred. Most of his associates assumed that he had simply never had the time, but as the elmost-nightly demands for Haad to visit him inhis tent became common knowledge, they soon revised ther opinions. Mtepwa seemed besotted with his servant boy, though—doubiless remembering his own experience —he never taught Haradi to read, and promised a slow and painful death to aryone who spoke of Islam to the boy. ‘Then one night, efter some thee years had pasted, Miepwa sent for Haradi ‘The boy was nowhere tobe found, Mtepwa awoke all his warriors and demanded that they search fr bm, fora leopard had been sen inthe vicinity ofthe eamp, and the slaver feared the worst. ‘They found Haradi an hour later, notin the jaws ofa leopard, but inthe arms of a young female slve they had taken from the Zancke tribe, Mtepwa wes beside bimself with rage, and had the poor girl's arms and legs tom from her body. Hirai never offered a word of protest, and never tied to defend the girt— ot tha it would have done any good—but the next morning he was gone, and Seven Views of Olduval Gorge 317 though Mtepwa and his warriors spent almost s month searching for him, they found no trace of him. By the end ofthe month Mtepwa was quite insane with rage and grief. Deciding ‘hat life was no longer wort living, he walked up to a pride of lions that were -gorging themselves on a topi careass and, striding into their midst, began cursing them and hitting them with his bare hands. Almost unbelievably, the lions backed away from him, snarling and growling, and disappeared into the thick bush ‘The next day he picked up a large stick and began beating a baby clephant with it That should have precipitated e brutal atack by its mother—but the ‘mother, standing only a few feet away, trumpeted in terror and raced off, the baby following her as best it could. Twas then that Mtepwa decided that he could not die, that somehow the act of dismembering the poor Zaneke girl had made him immortal. Since both incidents had occurred within sight of his superstitious followers, they fervently believed him. Now that he was immortal, he decided that it was time to stop trying to ‘accommodate the Europeans who had invaded his land and kep issuing warrants for his arest. He sent a runner to the Kenys border and invited the British to ‘meet him in batle. When the appoinied day came, and the British did not show Lup to fight him, he confidently tot his warriors that word of his iramorality had reached the Europeans and that from that day forth ao white men would ever be willing to oppose hiro, The fact that be was sil in German territory, ‘and the British had no tegal right o go there, somehow managed to elude him. He began marching his wartiors inland, openty in search of slaves, and he {ound his share of them in the Congo. He looted villages oftheir men, their ‘women, and their ivory, and finaly, with almost 600 captives and half that many tusks, he turned east and began the months-iong tek to the coast. ‘This time the British were waiting for him at the Uganda border, and they hhad so many armed men there that Mtepwa tured south, not for fear for his ‘own life, but bezause he could not afford to lose his slaves and bis ivory, and the knew that his warriors lacked his invulnerability He marched his army down to Lake Tanganyika, then headed east, It took him two weeks to reach the westem corridor ofthe Serengeti, and another ten days to cross it. (One night he made camp atthe lip ofthe Olduvai Gorge, the very place where he had gained his freedom. The fires were tit, a wildebeest was slaughtered and cooked, and as he relaxed after the meal he became aware ofa buzzing among his men. Thea. from out of the shadows, stepped a strangely familiar figure. It ‘was Haradi, now fifteen years old, and as tall as Miepora himself, ‘Mtcpwa stared at him fora long moment, and suddenly all the anger seemed to drain from his fee. “1 am very glad to see you again, Haradi he sud “Lave heard thar you cannot be killed,” answered the boy, brandishing a Spear. “I have come to see if that is te, "We have no need to fight, you and," said Mrepwa, “Join me in my tent, and all will be as it was,"” “Once I tear your limbs from your body. shen we will have ao reason 0318 Mike Reanick cert err ess ee agree pl needle ee Beer rere peal pon glint eee pale ape te rtp foal ce rr = ‘The British were waiting for them when they reached Zanzibar. The slaves were feed, the ivory confiscated, the warriors arested and forced to serve as laborers ‘onthe Mombase/Uganda Railway. Two of them were later killed and eaten by lions in the Tsavo District. By the ime Lievienant-Colonel JH. Paterson shot the notorious Man-Ealers cof Tsavo, the railway had almost reached the shanty town of Nairobi, and Mrepwa's name was $0 thoroughly forgoten that it was misspelled in the only history book in which it appeared “Amazing! sai the Appice.“ knew hey enslaved many races throughout the galaxy—~bat wo enslave themselves ti almost beyond belt Thad ested from my efor, and ten related the str of Miepwa “Aallideas must begin somewiere, ssid Bello plaily. “Ths on obvi ously began on Eat, “tis btbarc!™ muteed the Appraise. Beliore tamed to me. ""Man never sete to suijugate your ace, He Who Views, Why was tha?” “"We had nothing tht he wanted. “Can you remember the galany when Man dominated i : “Lean remember the galaxy when Man's progenitors killed Bokatu and Enka- Treled trail id you ever have any dealings with Man? “None. Man had no use fr us neta Su id he not destroy profit things for which he had mo se?” “No. Laid. "He tok what he waned, and be destoyed that which treat ened him, The rete ignored” “Such arogance!” “Such practicality. sid Belidor. “You call genocide on plat ses pracicol™ demanded the Appr. “From Man's point of view, was,” answered Bellidore “i gou him what be wanted with 2 minimum of rik and eff. Consider that one single race, ssked the Ap- ai, ‘Seven Views of Olduval Gorge 319, ‘born net five hundred yards from us, at onetime ruled an empite of mare than 4 million worlds. Almost every civilized race in the gelany spoke Terran.” “Upon pain of death,"* “That is true," agreed Belldore, “I did not say Man vas an angel. Only that if he was indeed a devil he was an efficient one.’ {¢was time for me to assimilate the third artifact, which the Historian and the Appraiser seemed to think was the handle of knife, but even as! moved off to perform my function, I could not help but listen tothe speculation that was taking place. bloodlust and his efficiency,” said the Appraiser. “I'm surprised ‘that he lived long enough to reach the stars." is surprising in a way."" agreed Bellidore. “The Historian tells me that Man was not always homogeneous, tha early in his history there were several variations of the species. He was divided by color, by belief, by tetory."* He sighed, “Si he must have eared to lve in peace with his fellow man, That ‘much, at leas, accrues to his credit "reached the artifact with Bellidore's words sill in my ears. and began wo ‘engulf it ‘Mary Leakey pressed against the hom of the Landrover, inside the museum, her husband tured to the young uniformed officer. ““Lcan’t thnk of any instructions to give you," he said. “The meseum’s not ‘pen fo the public yet, and we're a good 200 kilometers from Kikayutand “Pm just following my orders, Dr. Leakey.” replied the officer “Well, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to be safe," acknowledged Leakey. “There ‘are alot of Kikuyo who want me dead even though | spoke up for Kenyatta st his trial" He walked to the door, “Ifthe discoveries at Lake Turkana prove interesting, we could be gone as long us a month, Otherwise, we shovid be back within ten to twelve days.” No problev, si ll be here when you get back, never doubied it, said Leakey, walking out and joining his wife in the Lieutenant lan Chetmswood stood in the doorway and watched the Leakeys, accompanied by two military vehicles, stan down the red dirt road. Within Seconds the car was obscured by dust, and he stepped back into the building and closed the door to avoid being covered by it. The heat was oppressive, and he removed his jacket and holster and laid them neatly across enc ofthe nal) display cases. It was strange. All the images he had seen of African wildlife, from she German Schillings” old still photographs to the American Jobnson's. mation pictures, had Jed him to believe that East Afica was a wonderland of green, ‘ass and clear water. No one bad ever mentioned the dust, but thet was the one ‘memory of it that he would take home with biz, Well, not quite the only one. He would never forget the morning the alarm had sounded back when he was stationed in Nanyuki, He arived et the setders” farm and found the entre family cut to ribbons and all ther cattle mutilated320 Mike Resnice ‘most with their genitals cutoff, many missing ears and eyes. But as horrible as ‘hat was, the picture he would cary to his grave was the kitten impaled on a dagger and pinned to the mailbox. It was the Mau Mau's signature, justin ease ‘anyone thought some madman had run berserk among the cate andthe humans ‘Chelmswood didn’t understand the polities of it. He didn't know who had started it, who had precipitated the war. It mede no difference to him. He was just a soldier, following orders, and if those orders would take him back 10 Nanyoki so that he could kill the men who had cornmited those atrocities, 50 ‘auch the better. But inthe meantime, he had palled what he considered Idiot Duty. There had been 4 very mild outburst of violence in Anusha, not really Mau Mau but rather {show of support for Kenya's Kikuyu, and his unit had been transferred there. ‘Then the government found out that Professor Leakey, whose scientific finds hhad made Olduvai Gorge almost a household word among East Africans, had been getting death threats. Over his objections, they had insisted on providing him with bodyguards. Most ofthe men from Chelmswood's unit would accom ‘pany Leakey on his tip to Lake Turkana, but someone had to stay behind <0 _Evard the museum, and it was jst his bad luck that is name had been atop the duty roster. I wasn't even 3 museum, really, not the kind of museum bis parents had taken him to see in London. Those were museums: this was just a two-room rmud-walled structure with perhaps a hundred of Leakey's finds, Ancient arrow- heads, some oddly-shaped stones that had functioned as prehistoric tools, couple of bones that obviously weren't from monkeys but that Chelmswood was certain were not from any creature he was related to. Leakey had hung some crudely drawn charts on the wall, chan that showed what he believed 10 be the evolution of some small, grotesque, apelike beasts into Homo sopiens, Thete were photographs, 10, showing some of the finds that had been sent on to Nairobi It seemed that even if this gorge was the foinbplace of the race, nobody really wasted tw visit it. All the bes shipped back to Nairobi and then to the British Museurn. Infact, this wasn’t 2 ‘museum at all, decided Chelmswond, but rather a holding ares for the beter specimens until they covid be sent elsewhere, Ic was strange to think of life starting here in this gorge. If there was an uglise spot in Africa, he had yet 10 come across it. And while he dida’t accept Genesis (oF any of that religious nonsense, it bothered him to think thatthe first human beings to walk the Earth might have been black. He'd hardly had any exposure to blacks when he was growing up in the Cotswolds, but he'd seen enough of what they could do since coming to British East, and he was appalled by their savagery and barbarism. ‘And what about those crazy Americans, wringing their hands and saying that ‘colonialism had to end? If hey had seen what he'd seen on that faem in Nanyuki they'd know thatthe only thing that was Keeping all of East Africa from exploding ‘nto an unholy conflagration of blood and butchery was the British presence. CCeneinly, there were parallls between the Mau Mau and America: both had been colonized by the Brish and both wanted their independence . . . but Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 321 there all similarity ended. The Americans wrote a Declaration outing their ‘ievances, and then they felded an army and fought the Beis solders. What, 4 chopping op innocent children and pining cats to mailboxes have in common with that? If bead his way, he'd march in half a million British oops, wipe ‘ut every last Kikuys—except forthe god ones, the loyal ones and sole the problem once and for al He wandered over tothe cabinet where Leakey kept his beet and pulled out a warm bote, Safa brand. He opeoed it and wok along swallow, then mai a face. If that's what people drank on safari, he'd have to remember never to 39.0n one ‘And yet he new thar someday he would go on safari hopefully before be was mustered ou and sent home Parts of the country were so damned Beautifl {ue of no dt, and fe liked the thought af siting beneath a shade tee, cold erin in hand, while bis body servant cooted im with fan made of ostrich feathers and be and bis white hunter discssed the day's kills and what they ‘would go ou afer tomorrow. I wasn't the shooting that was important, they'd both reassure themselves, but rather the thrill of the hunt. Then he'd have a couple of his blak boys draw his bath, and he'd athe and prepa fr diner Finny how be had fallen ito the habit of calling them boys; mos of them were far older than be ‘But while they weren't boys, they were children in ned of guidence und civilling. Take those Maasai, for example; proud, arogant bastards. They Tacked peat on posta, bt try dealing with them. They acted a if they had 2 diet Tine o God, that He ad told them they were His chosen people. The more Chelmswood thought about it, the more suprised he was that it was the ayy that had begun Mau Ma rae than the Maasai, And come tink of ted noticed four or five Mass elnorani hanging arcund the museum. He'd have to keep an eye on them “Excuse, please?” said a high-pitched voice, and Chelmswood tuned to see shiny Black boy, no more han n year ld, standing inthe door. “What do you want?” he asked ““Doctor Mister Leakey, he promise me candy." said the boy. stepping inside the building “Go away," sid Chelmswood iiubly. "We dont have any candy hee.” “Yes yes," sad the boy, stepping forward. “Everyday. “He gives you candy every day?” ‘The boy nodded his head and smiled. “Where does be keep it?" ‘The boy shrugged "Maybe in there?” be si. pointing to a cabinet. Chlmswood walked tothe cabinet and opened i. There was nothing in itbut four jars containing primitive tet. "Vdon't see any." he said. “You'll have to wait uni Dr, Leakey comes back." “Two tcars tickled down the boy's cheek. “But Doctor Mister Leakey. he promise ‘Cheimswood looked around, “don't know where iis.322 Mike Resnio ‘The boy began erying in eamest. “Be quiet!" snapped Chelmswood. “1M look for it." “Maybe next room,” suggested the boy. ng Sate Mong” 4 Chelnevood walking though he doorway tthe aon ing mH loka around hands on is. ing 0 maine where Leiey {Rs ae maybe.” sid he boy oiing to lst Imswood opened the closet. It contained two spades, tee picks, and an assent of sal rts al of shih he assumed were wed by he Leakeys "Nothing here," he sad, closing the door. ‘He tamed to face the boy, but found the room empty ile bugger was lying all along.” he muttered. “Probably ran away to the main oom-—snd found hms facing wel bi black man holng macht ie pages hi ight hand “Whats ging on ee? snapped Chea “Reson is going othe Listen" ad he lack ma near ect sh Ima set © il De. Lec, tut youl vet “Why ae you ling sone” deed cmon. har i we ever Joo the Mana? “wil tthe Mass nse tht Any oe ofthe ol eon nk at te andl you at am Kikuy—at we a al esa wo you ich et Cmswood reacted ot is ant sudely raed be ha ef on dipay cae "You al ok tke cowardly savages tee! ‘Why? Becase we donot meet you ntl?” Te Mack man’s face led with fry. You ak ot and. 90 fob usw oom wep, yours Ite eine for so cry spas ad ten you cl sees etn den" march infomation aust yor gun He spl comesay oe "We fh you he oly way th ef fo ta big enum, bg eng or bh acs” ad Chino If we came England ook avay your test farfand td forced you to work fr us, would yo hk Eglnd was big enough for Des “im not poi.” sud Chelmewood, edging anertep let to his wean," just dig my “And your bis See wo ded whites on land tat oes el milion Kuyt lack ma, fae rec is ted “Thee be ot ss tan milion when we tong i yo” is Cheimswood, diving for his gun, fe . a Quick as be was Backman ma fst and wh single supe of hs ange be als severe he Enlai hand fom is est heing ‘wood tllowed In pi, a spun rand, senting hs uk the Keyes te aches forte st nin heer ha ‘The pong cae dawn agin. pact siting hi Open but te fl he Seven Views of Olduval Gorge 323 managed to et his fingers around the handle of his pistol and pull the tigger. ‘The bullet struck the black man in the ches, and he, 100, collapsed 0 the flor. “You've killed me!” moaned Chelmswood, “Why would anyone want (0 ill me?” “You have so much and we have so litle," whispeced the black man. “Why must you have what is ours, 100?” “What did I ever do to you?" asked Chelmswood. “You came here, That was enough,” ssid the black man, “Filthy English” He closed his eyes and lay stil “Bloody nigger!” slurred Chelmswood, and died, Ovtside, the four Maasai paid no atention to the tumult within. They Te: the small Kikaya boy leave without giving him so much as a glance. The business of inferioe races was none of their concer, “These ations of sup among meter te ae ace ste ey cl te comprd, sa Beli, "Are you sre you ead Ie aac POE Hein Vw? “go nt ead rit” “Laine te. come on with them, Bring they hve exer, expenence 1 pase "Thee can vem masks eit dist to fathom, epesly a species at wold on dey coro mos of the any. Di ty ink een re thy twa eo ear they crany bene a ey," adhe Hira, They seed to espe on tose ae ht sd upto them—and eer en hey a liar tenting hom mes prot of ups © "Ad yet ne nw fom ant ors hat pine mn Wesige nr seen nial" pt inte Exod tye must ot ave survived for ay ea eng fine.” gpd te tian. it an wet ie so pg wir cep How me Worse ve etd he por Sere ih whom he shred is home von" “Peas be viewed them much the sane wb viewed my own,” effete had ong he wanted i hey reseed neat" "They would hve tad soning he wend” she Eso. as «ptr, Tey wel ave hd meat” Anan” aed the Historian, even the gly woo noah 0 auench Man's hit or ferry. hk Row unig be woud Mave en 0 ae is ove wort" ese qui ses wil never eave, "sd Beli ‘Uns anwe! enone he emaming lcs” agree ohio "a seh reas was ot meant oye, cece toe hat had bern a ay see {ad sinned Kian, a Thad egunet eneug oy sting fo exsraie ene act iene amet sys324 Hike Reanek February 15, 2103: Well, we finaly got here! The Supermole got us through the tunnel from New York o London in just over four hours. Even £0 we were twenty minutes late, ‘missed our connection, and had to wait another five hours forthe nex flight 10 Khartoum. From here our means of transport got increasingly more primitive-— 41 planes 10 Nairobi and Arutha—and then a quick shutle to our campsite, but we've finaly put civilization behind us. I've never seen open spaces lke this ‘before: you're barely aware of the skyscrapers of Nyerere. the clases town, ‘After an orientation speech telling us what so expect and how 1o behave on safari, we got the afternoon off 1o meet our traveling companions. I'm the youngest member of the group: a trip like this just costs toe much for most people my age 10 afford. Of course, most people my age don't have an Uncle Reuben who dies and leaves them a ton of money. (Wel, i's probably about ight ounces of money, now thatthe safari is paid for. Ha ha.) The lodge is quite rustic, They have quaint microwaves for warming ovr food, although most of us wil be eating atthe restaurants. 1 understand the Japanese ‘and Brazilian ones are the most popular, the former forthe food-—real fish and the latter forthe entertainment. My roommate iz Mr. Shiboni, an elderly Japanese genileman who tells me he has been saving his money for fften years fo come on this safari. He seems pleasant and good-natured, | hope ke can survive the rigors of the trp. 1 had really wanted @ shower, just to ge nthe spirit of things, but water is scarce here, and it looks lite Ill have to setle for the same old chemical dryshower. 1 know, 1 know, it dsinfects as well a cleanses, but 1 wanted all ‘he comforts of home, I'd have stayed home and saved $150,000, February 16; We met our guide today. I don't know why, but he doesn't quite ft my reconcentian of an Africen safari guide. | wes expecting some gricled Old veteran who had a weath of stores 10 tell, who had maybe even seen a civet at or a duiker before they became extinct. What we got was Kevin Ole Tambate, 2 young Maasai who can't be twenty-five years old and dresses in a suit while ‘we all wear our Khakis. Sil he's fved here all hs life. so suppose he knows his way around. ‘And I'll give him this: he's a wonderful storyteller. He spent half an hour telling us myths about how his people used ro live in huts called manyattas, and ‘how their rite of passage to manhood was to kil @lion with a spear. As i the {government would let anyone kill an animal! We spent the morning driving down into the Ngorongoro Crater. I's a cok {lapsed caldera, oF voleano, that was once taller than Kilimanjaro lself. Kevin sys it used to teem with game, though I can't see how, since any geme stonding ‘atop it when it collapsed would have been instantly Killed. [think the real reason we went there was ust to get the kinks ou! of our safari vehicle and learn the proper protocol. Probably just as well. The air-conditioning wasn't working right Ino ofthe compartments, the service mechanism couldn't Bet the temperature right on the iced drinks, and once. when we thought we Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 325 sew ard ire ofus zed Kevin thes tine ad ame is communi "ae eernoon we went ou to Serene Kein sy ued extend al she way tthe Kenya order, bl row ura 20 square ie pak edjacen ie Cre Aba int naw ood bt appeared oa hole befor 1 cid edna my hoo cers Sil, he wos ‘ssrmpeaive. Varying sabes of trom, doesent i Ro “sinoted hat h wet amet thee pounds and sys he ha see Oe tht Bie ince he wa oo. Sat before we rerned 0 carp. Kein got word onthe rao from another vier ht they had sponed mo sarings nesng tree abot eight les tor ad eas of es. The veil’ compute ds we woul’ Be abe 10 reach t before darks Kein had le he soins emery and promised US that wed go ther ft thing in he mori opted forthe Basan retntant nd se fw pleton hours Hering tothe ve band. Avery nce endothe et ly of tar February 17: We tar dawn in search ofthe starlings and hough we ound the tee where they had been spoted we never did see them. One of he pasrarger?— think {tas he lean rom Burma, though mnt surest have conpline. decause Kevin son canounced fhe entire port that this wos @ safer, tat there es no puranieeofsecing any parcalr dor anil, and ex whe he woul do his best for us. one could never be ceisin wher the game might be And theta he sting. «banded monoueaos afoo lns appeared ou of nowhere, It seemed to pay no attention 10 uf, and Kerth ae nounced that we were lling the moor end going nt hover mde xo the rise it scare owey. wir omit or oo eerjon on the right se ofthe veel hd gation ther holographe, ond we stowiy span on Our xi 0th the left side cad see Him ba the movement must have scared him off becouse hough he maneter {ook Let than thirty seconds, he was nwhee tobe seen when we come 1 3 axain Kevin anounced tha th vehicle had copmred the mongoose ons automated soles cd copies wold be made availble fo gone who had mse ht elo enpor. We were feling great—the right side ofthe vehicle, onpwey—when we stepped for linch, and during cur eferoon gre ran we saw thee elo reaver bids bung tsp eis ae. Ren et. arg {snot tocpproach closer than rt yards, and we spentalmstan hou watching and holographing ther Allin la vr) satisfing doy. February 18: Today we lft camp about am hour efter sunrise. and went 10 a new location Olduvai Gorge.326 Mike Resnick Kevin announced that we would spend our last mo days here, that with the encroachment of the cites and farms on all the at land, the remaining big ‘game was prety much confined to the gullies and slopes ofthe gorge. No weil nt een or sei eped one wat capable of nvigting ‘ts way though the gorge, 0 we al! got out and began insi its way rough the sree, $0t out and began walking in single fle ‘Mos of us found it very dificult 1 keep up with Kevin. He clambered up and down the rocks a8 i he'd been doing it all his life, whereas can't remember the last time 1 sow @ stair that didn't move when | stood on it. We had weed Jor perkeps half an hour when I heard one ofthe men at the Back of our sung. ‘ut party give a ery and point toa spot a the bouom ofthe gorge, and we all looked and saw something racing away ot phenomenal speed. “Ancther squirrel?” I asked. Kevin just smiled. The man behind me said he thought tt was @ mongoose. "What you saw,” said Kevin, “was a dit-dit, the last surviving African antelope.” "How big was i?" asked a woman. “About average size,” said Kevin, ‘Perhaps ten inches at the shoulder Imagine anything ten inches high being called average! Kevin explained that dik dits were very territorial, and that this one wouldn't sry fr from his home area. Which meant that J we were patient and quiet «and lacky—we'd be able to spot him again. 1 asked Kevin how many dik-diks lived in the gorge, and he scratched his head and considered it for a moment and then guessed that there might be at ‘many a8 ten. (And Yellowstone hes only mieteen rabbis left 1s it amy wonder ‘hat all the serious animal bus come to Africa”) We kept walking for another hour, and then broke for lunch, while Kevin ave us the history of the place, telling us all about Dr. Leokey's finds. There ‘were probably stil more skeletons 1 be dur up. he guested. ht the government ‘didn't want tofighten any animals away from what had become their last refge, 40 the bones would have 10 wat for some future generation to unearth im. Roughly translated, that meant that Tanzania wasn't going to give up the reve. ‘ues from 300 tourists «week and turnover the crown jewel in thelr park system tea bch of omtiroolgss. cart ay hat blame them her panies had begun pouring ino the gorge, and I think the entire safari pop mas hve led cn eet by he inc uch var oer {guides each seemed to have “their areas marked out, and | noticed that rarely did we get within a quarter mile of any other parties. Kevin asked us if we wanted to sit in the shade until the heat of the day had assed, but since this was onrnex-0-last day on safari we voted overwhelmingly 'o proceed as soon as we were through eating ‘Ie couldn't have been ten minutes later that the disaster occurred. We were clambering down a steep slope in single file. Kevin inthe lead as usual, and ime right behind him, when I heard a grunt and then a surprised yell, ond 1 looked back to see Mr. Shiboni rumbling down the path. Evidently he'd lost his Sootng, and we could hear the bones in hs leg snap as he haried toward us. Seven Views of Olduval Gorge 227 Kevin positioned himsei to stop him. and elmost got knocked down the gorge himself before he finally stopped poor Mr. Shibont. Then he knelt down next 10 the old gentleman 10 tend 10 his broten leg—but as he did so his heen eyes spotted something we all hed missed. and suddenly he was bounding up the slopes lite @ monkey. He stopped where Mr, Shiboni had initially swonbled. squatted down, and examined something. Then, looking like Death ise, he cked up the object and brought it back down the path {twas a dead lizard, fully grown, almost eight inches long. and smasved fat by Mr. Shiboni, 11 wat impossible to say whether his fall was caused by sep ping on it, or whether it simply couldn't get out of the way once he began tumbling . . . but i made no diference: he was responsible for tne death of an ‘animal in a National Park. iried to remember the release we had signed, giving the Park System permis: sion to instantly withdraw money from our accounts should we destroy an animal for any reaton, even self protection. | knew that the absolute minimum penalty was $50,000, but think that was for no of the more common birds, and that ‘ugaama and gecko lizards were tn the $70,000 range. ‘Kevin held the lizard up for all of us 10 see, and told us shat shoul! legal ‘action entue, we were all witnesses f0 what had happened. Mr. Shiboni groaned in pain, and Kevin said that there was no sense wasting the lizard, 20 he gave it to me Yo hold while he spliried Mr. Shiboni's tes and summoned the paramedics on the rao. began examining the lil lizard. ls fet were fnelyshaped. is cal long and elegant, bt it was the colors that made the mozt lasting impression on me 4 reddish head, a blue body, and gray legs, the color growing lighter as it reached the claws. A beautfel, Beautiful hing, even in death ‘Afer the paramedics had saken Mr. Shiboni back 10 the ladge, Kevin spent the next hour showing us how the ugaamea lizard functioned: how is ees could see i ‘wo directions at once, how ite claws allowed It 10 harg upside down from ens eneven surface, and how effet in jt cold crak the congpaces af ih inept it caught. Finally, In view ofthe ragedy, ad also because he wanted 1 check on ‘Mr. Shibon's contton, Kevin suggesed tht we cat i day; [None of us objected—we knew Kevin would have hours of exia work, writing ‘up the incident and convincing the Park Depariment that his safari company was nor responsible for it—but still we felt cheated, since there was only one day left. | think Kevin knew it, Because just before we reached the lodge he promised us a special treat tomorrow: ve been awake half the night wondering what it could be? Can he possibly know where the other dik-diks are? Or could the legends of a last flamingo possibly be urue? February 19: We were al excited when we climbed aboard the vehicle this morning. Every ‘one kept asking Kevin what Ms “special reat” was, but he merely smiled and ‘kept changing the subject. Finally we reached Oldwvai Gorge and began walking, ‘only this time we seemed 10 be going 10 a specif lacaion, and Kevin hardly stopped 10 try 10 spor the dik218 Mike Resnick te i evn ae in ere mt ag are ra Pl oem ag bene trae rho rrind ah ceca ed a anh wtp Shy et oe foe ce is di ee ora shh irl cen eso ete tid ht 0 ef ae antenna get eg ncn ce ce ae te a a deni wie Ante ea te tare ges cece hme oe Then, when lunch was over, Kevin walked about fifty yards away, disappeared seed rete eine ty, Seppe ste cr Dares yaa et 1 felt somehow disappointed that this was to be the special treat. 7 “vam rt me i na has em the small brown bird, lh axa ean 1 eet he avn pny sem me eta mad Be a hc cs cae st Tag ee ee Tn” apg tad i ee sil fr momen fered ag lok off he dren "He i making sire theres Roney there explained Kevin, pining ‘bird as it vircted the hive. a atten etn eg hh Be Rong now?” I asked, atthe bird suddenly flew down te river “refit sper: "Reser" |e, coxa Wal a ea eng down wh bck propped large rock. ferret i el flowed it ond athe shade ow binaural ceneres tind on he ne Afr ane an fe nig ha hapa nt ee ‘See eting reese Ren ened an pote iva bl “There” he hie I oben deco hen pes ere Joon te ir hich was Bri at ae of toa ee eran xmas Backanthie rma te Cope oe “ihr Tiered “Aone badger" nave Kevin fly They were hgh be einer wn rar ge tad par ck samary Oar Bi ‘generation to be born here."* feu Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 329 “us he going 10 eat the bird?" asked one ofthe party. "No." whispered Kevin. “The bird will lead him tothe honey, and after he hhas pulled down the nest and eaten his il. he will leave some forthe bird "And it was just as Kevin said. The honey badger climbed the bole of the tree ‘and knocked off the beehive with a forepaw, then climbed back down and broke it apart, oblivious 10 the stings ofthe bees, We caught the whole fanatic scene ‘on our holos, and when he was done he did indeed leave some honey for the Inoney guide. ‘Later, while Kevin was recapturing the bird and puating it back in its cage, the rest of us discussed what we had seen. I thought the honey badger must have weighed forty five pounds, thouph less excitable members ofthe party put its weight ct closer to thirty-six or thirty-seven. Whichever it was, the creature was enormous, The discussion then sified 10 how big a tip 10 leave for Kevin Jor he had certainly earned one. ‘As F write this final entry in my safari diary, I am sill trembling with the ‘excitement that can only come from encountering big game in the wild. Prior to this afternoon, I had some doubts about the safari—l felt it was overpriced. ‘or that perhaps my expectations had been too high—bat now I know that it was north every penny, and I have a feeling that I am leaving some part of me behind here, and that 1 ill never be truly content unit I rewurn to this (ast Dastion ofthe wilderness. “The camp was abuzz with excitement, Just when we were sute that there were ‘no more treasures to unearth, the Stardust Twins had found three smal pieces ff bone, attached together with a wite—obviously a human artifact, “But the dates are wrong,” said the Historian, after examining the bones thoroughly wi its equipment, “This is a primitive piece of jewelry-—for the adomment of savages, one might say—and yet the bones and wire both date from centuries after Man discovered space travel.” Deyn deny that we found it in the . gorge?” demanded the Twins. "you," said the Historian. “I simply state that it seems to be an is our find, and..." it will bear our name. “No one is denying your right of discovery." suid Bellidre, ~ that you have presented us with a mystery.” Give itt..." He Who Views, and he will solve the mystery.” “1 will do my best," F said. “But it has not been Jong enough since 1 assimilated the stylus. I must rest and regain my strength." “That is. ". accepeable." 1s simply200 ke Resnick sets Merit i ating cating ait, ne SCREEN rie teh ur eau Pa en, Af nt Gre" she anounced.“ he St Ti retin: eps tees tng we evel acca Man omens uc She pad ed holed te tof Wook Uva nearing te end ofthe dy Of the day, and no on Bsobiologt med an began wating ove sept of towel Cone Fes dat whe aly ft son my erence abot the Bones and he € volunteered, and finally the ‘the path that led down into the 8 Rough assimilate jv, Lgread ‘wee and soon bear one wil hen His name was Joseph Meromo, and he 7 ould live with the money but not the had begun with the communication from Brussels, from the head of the multinational conglomerate ease headquartered there, They had Meromo had told them he wout mnt ald be of we, Just ry, came the reply, Th fact, more than the repl ly came. The huge wad of lage-denomiaation bills, his effons on their behalf look into it, but he doubted that his govern- Of couse, here was co home, es wate Deve: Diss, nd ate sie ir made th Tae inal ala cen, tt he ey an ars is because they were the exceptions, not the ule. There re ay of dumping sites around the world, and ‘ninety-nine them ous ad ee at all qeceaee eam fad opts ct ot sc gm adi cmp cuts hloapie map Taman ore ds bet ded opoatphical fears, then bgen sey st Sit 6 hp ane es, wes on ‘that he was stl! uncommitted —where ‘would be | ae aces wie the et place to pe Off the coast? No, the fishermen wou! to the pres, and raise enough hello get Set of be pvenmen ‘scandals this year. maine Kt pull it up two I minutes later, take it im fired, and possibly even ceuse the Party really couldn't handle any mote Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 331 “The Selous Province? Maybe five cenuries ago, when it was the last wilderness fon the continent, but not now, aot with a thriving, semi-autonomous city-state of fifty-two million people where once there had beer nothing but elephants and almost-impenetrable thorn bush Lake Victoria? No. Same problem withthe fishermen. Dar es Salaam? It was 1 possibilty, Close enough to the coast to meke transport easy, practically deseried since Dodoma had become the new capital of the country. ‘But Dar es Salaam had been hit by an earthquake twenty years ago, when “Meromo was still a boy, and he couldnt take the chance of another one exposing or breaking open whatever it was that be planned to hide. He continued going over the map: Gombe, Ruaha, fringa, Mbeya, Movars, Turengire, Oldovai He stopped and stared at Olduvai, then called up all available data ‘Almost a mile deep. That ws in its favor. No animals lft. Better still. No settlements on its steep slopes. Only a handful of Maasai stl living inthe area, ‘no more thaa twa dozen families, and they were too arrogant to pay any atention to what the government svas doing. Of that Meromo was sure: he himself was 8 Maasti ‘So he strung it out for as Jong ashe could, collected cash gifts for almost wo ‘years, and finally gave them a delivery date. ‘Meromo stared out the window of his thirty-fourth lor office, past the bustling city of Dodoma, off tothe eas, to where he imagined Olduvai Gorge was Ithad seemed so simple. Yes, he was paid alot of money, a disproportionate amount—but these multinationals had money to burn. It was just supposed 10 be 8 few dozen plutonium rods, oF soe od thought. How was he to know that they were speaking of forty-two font of muciear waste? "There was no retuming the money. Even if he wanted to, he could hardly expect them to come back and pull all that deadly material back out of the ‘ground. Probably it was safe, probably no one would ever know ‘Burt it haunted his days, and even worse, it began haunting his nights as well, ‘appearing in various guises in his dreams. Sometimes it was as carefully sealed ‘containers, sometimes it was a ticking bombs, sometimes a disaster had already ‘occurred and all he could see were the charred bodies of Maasai children spread across the lip of the gorge. For almost eight months he fought his devils alone, but eventually be realizes ‘that he must have help. The dreams not only haunted him at night, but invaded the day as well. He would be siting ate staff meeting, and suddenly he would imagine be was sitting among the emaciated, sore-covered bodies of the Olduvai Maasai, He would be reading a book, and the words seemed to change and he "would be reading that Joseph Meromo had been sentenced to death for his greed. He would watch a holo of the Titanic disaster, and suddenly he was viewing ‘some variation of the Olduvai Disaster. Finally he went to a psychiatrist, and because he was a Maasai he chose 3 “Maasai psychiatrist. Fearing the doctor's contempt, Meromo would not sate cexplicidy what was causing the nightmares and intrusions, and after almost half 4 year's worth of futile tempts to cure him, the psychiatrist announced that he ‘ond do no more.22 Mike Resnick. ‘Then am 110 be cursed with these dreams forever?” asked Meromo, “Perhaps ot" sad te psychiatist, “Y cannot help you, but just possibly there is one man who can,”" He rummaged through his desk and came up with a small white card, On it was written a single word: MULEWO. “This is his business card." said the psychiatist. “Take it.” “There is no address on it, no means of communicating with him, ‘Meromo. “How will I contact him?" “He will contact you.’ “You will give him my name?” The psychiatrist shook his head, “I will not have to. Just keep the card on Your person. He will know you requice his services," “Meromo felt like he was being made the but of some joke he didn't understand, but he dutifully pur the card in his pocket and soon forgot about it Two weeks later, as he was diaking ata bar. puting off going home o sleep 45 long as be could, a small woman approgched hien “Are you Joseph Meromo?” she asked. ye ‘Pease follow me. “Why? he asked suspiciously. “You have business with Mulewo, do you not?" she ssid, from any belit that this mysterious man with no fist name could help him, ‘They went oUt to the street, tumed lef, walked in silence for three blocks, ane tumed right, coming 1 a hal atthe ftont door toa stee-and-slass skyscraper "The sixty-third flor," she ssid, “He is expecting you, “You're not coming with me?" asked Meromo, She shook het head. My job is done.” She turned and walked off into the ight ‘Meromo looked up at the top of the building. It seemed residential. He consid- ‘ered his options, finally shrugged, and walk into the lobby. "*You're here for Mulewo," said the doorman. It was not a question, “Go {othe elevator om the feft." ‘Meromo did as he was told. The elevator was paneled with an oiled wood, and smelled fresh and sweet. It operated on voice command and quickly took ‘him tothe sixtythird floor. When he emerged he found himself in an elegantly decorated corridor, with ebony wainscotting and discreetly placed minors He walked past three unmarked doors, wondering. how he was supposed to kaow which apartment belonged to Mulewo, and finally came to one tat was patally open. ‘Come in, Joseph Meromo," said & hoarse voice from within, ‘Meromo opened the door the rest ofthe way, stepped into the apartment, and linked. Siting on a torm rug was an oid man, wearing nothing but a red cloth gathered at the shoulder. The walls were covered by reed mating, anda noxious-smeling ‘aléron bubbled in the fireplace. A toch provided the only illumination, Seven Views of Okduvai Gorge 322 a ee sel eS ee a 7 = “Who told you?” ease cna ered in our deans, an sid ough fem ol sett momen cen ais ne emcee a lglg ee en ngwaran ractitioner. ee ey so yemove case—and your nigh, rd even your day "i Pewee ks al about it.” faa -_. peer ee ee Penta eae salle ee “Logs a Se i hth hn "eon wi see oe 1 ut nn Thre wat an neay sence. "td do now? aed Merome Teena “ine me tretinoin Scan wie you heck gH Rr, oF hve NON account yo ey “That mre money nn ee 1 mast ve 8 aot eae “Brg it bask tomorow sigh" si Mulevo ren Meso tre ae lon 0 ong ite, hen gop and vontar ver34 Mike Resnick Me cat in sick te next Date Xt roming, hen wes fo wo of ademas beter aati shops. Fnly he fund wba he War line To ae Penonal acount, and took ithome with him. He was afraid nap before dimmer ‘so he simply read a book all afternoon, then ate a hasty meal on Mulewo's apartment. fcc: “What ve Jou Bout me" ase Mun, tne te cae dwn i fn of he ld man. “A ene made skin of a lion,” he answered, "*T} me it wa cs ir the greatest of all laibons, "etd was worn by ead I as naa Male, ite wot urwrgyng he package “Buti sufficient tribute nonetheless." He reached. i he ‘ct ronal He mcd oe hs nd mee “ht ti ee ve em, i ts vs te Ste at ge ep ened oleae all your icons ute, Then tome ee Ce a He took the necklace in his hand an a hand and hurled it far out over the lip of the His nightmares vanished that night, (oe handed hy ar ea tr, nigh Kiana shera derma voleao wii cane bry ies” “ler ae og died mile sy gen shed on tad tae of ledined comin fe sper Tf Of Cores, Joep Merona was og deat by at inetd, nil, here we to lado remain to aid those people who were mow conch yee Thad mccain! te in my ove ure, sane ee , coveted tte ee Samp sn toi “What has happened?” | asked Belldore foe “he Exobooit as not etme fo th gg,” he sai gor Jans Nas She been gone?” i ef ane gh 9 REA et Ii ow mona sh has edo We ter ‘Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 335, “that she might “1 ave allen and 1 become immobile. Or perhaps even +. unconscious sid the Stardust Twins “have sent the Historian andthe Appraiser to lok for her,” si Bellidoe “Fcan help, t00," | offered “No, you have the last artfct to examine, evakeng, L wil send it as wel” “What about the Mystic?” I asked. Bellidore looked athe Mystic and sighed. “She hus not said a word since Tending on this world in uth, 1 do not understand her faction. At any rate, 1 do not know how to communicate with her.” “The Stardust Twins Kicked atthe earth togeter, sending up apr of reddish dust clouds. “Ik seems idicslos sid one. “+. that we ean find the tiniest artifact 1 but we cannot find “=. am entire exobiologist." “Why do yon not help search fori?” T asked “They get vertigo,” explained Belidre “We searched.” “the entire camp.” they added defensively. an put off assimilating the let piece uni tomomow, and help with the search," I volunteered. “No, replied Bellidore, “I have sent forthe ship. We wi eave tomorow, and 1 want all of our major finds examined by the. Is my job to find the Exobiclogst its yours to ead the history ofthe last aif. (that is your dese,” Cai. “Where i it ele ee va table where the Historian and the Appraise hod been examin ing ht ven J kaw what hiss, uid Belin. “An onspent cari" He paused. "Along with the fact that we have found no human arifects on any Figher src, 1 would say this in self i Unique: a bullet hat a man chose nor to fie.” “When you sate edged ‘Are you ing to examine it tow?” asked the Stardust Twins apechensvely. “Yes, Fam," Tsai. “Wat!” they shouted in unison I paused above the cartidge while they began backing 2vay “We mean." remo deepest 1 bat watehing you examine arifats 01 ie too unemting. he said. “When the Moritew "said the other, those terms, it does arouse the curiosity.” | acknow!26 ree Resnick tn in ere i aoe cag ea area tm fam cn I would like (0 stay and observe."* Teena "Rei i ak wn se at sultan rt ee ‘and precise as if it had all occurred yesterday ite looked across the table at his wife ‘Was there ever any doubs that they would?" “This was foolish, Thomas!” she snapped. "They will force us to leave, and because we made no ions, we will have t sic bem Preparations, we will have to leave all our possessions “Nobody i Ieving.” sid Naika He stood up and walked othe cae. You sty bere, long cou and it ma wl tte ns Tht i both de nd creo ake them send oat na bo ‘ake them sand Ow thee when hy have “They were ot nied,” sid Naot He ached "td Naiovai He reached cee into the closet and tried the rife that ened papi the ck wal hee cle a walked through the airlock and emerged on the front porch, i ight men all wearing protective clothing and masks to ltr the “itis time, Thomas," said the tallest of them, hag fF You, perhaps” sid Naikosiai holding the rife casually across his “Time forall of us," answered the tall man, ‘Tam not going anywhere This is my home. will no leave 1 “Its a pustule of decay and contamination, as is this wt , the answer. ‘We are all leaving.” ' eee he said, donning his anit atk bis head. My father was bor on this land, and his father, mh father. You may run from danger. if you wish; {will say aed “ic cnyamtcrantgesanaee nana ar ‘You put a bullet through it? He you o ee Os Sant Set na ene eaee ‘tion that he would never leave his be, i ce ee ce ti a expr ss ne eg ite IES ar air that is no tonger safe 10 Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge 337 ‘An oldee man stepped forward. "She is my daughter, Thomas,” he said severely. “I will not allow you to condemn her to the life you have chosen for ‘yourself. Nor will I let my grandchildren remain here."” ‘The old man took another step toward the porch, and suddenly the rifle was pointing t him. “Thats far enough.” said Naikosi They are Masti," said the old man stubbornly. “They must come with the ‘other Maasai to our new world.” “You are not Maasai," said Naikosiai contemptuous. “Mansa di aot leave ther ancestral lands when the rinderpest destroyed their herds, or when the white ‘man came, or when the governments sod ff their lands. Maasai never surrender. 1am the last Maasai." ‘Be reasonable, Thomas. How can you not surrender to a world that is 00 longer sae for people to live on? Come with us to New Kilimanjaro.” “The Maasai do not run from danger," said Natkosis tell you, Thomas Naikosiai," said the old man, “that I cannot allow you ‘to.condern my daughter and my grandchildren to live inthis hellhole, The lst ship leaves tomorrow moming. They will be on it.” “They will stay with me, to build a new Maasai nation.” The six men whispered among themselves, and then ther leader looked up at Naikosiai “You are making a terible mistake, Thomas," he said ‘mind, there is room for you on the ship.” ‘They all turned to go, but the old man stopped and tured to Naikosial 1 will be back for my daughter,” he said Naikosiai gestured with his rifle. ‘will be waiting for you.” ‘The old man turned and walked of withthe others, snd Naikosiai went back into his house through the airlock. The tile floor smelled of disinfectant, snd the ‘Sight of the television set offended his eyes, as always. His wife was waiting {for him in the kitchen, amid the dozens of gadgets she had purchased over the PNW can you speak wit such disepect othe Eke” she demanded “You have disgraced us."" ‘No! he snapped. ‘“They have disgraced us, by leaving* “Thomas, you cannot grow anyching in the fields. The animals have all died, ‘You cannot even breathe the air without aftering mask. Why do you insist on saying?” “This is our ancestral land. We will not leave it.”” “But all the others—" "They ean do as they please."" he interupted. “1 He judges us all. 1 arn not afraid to meet my crestor. “But why must you meet him so soon?" she persisted. "You have seen the tapes and disks of New Kilimanjaro. I isa beautiful world, green and gold and filled with rivers and takes."” “Once Earth was green and gold and filed with rivers and lakes,” said [Naikosia. “They ruined this world. They will rin the next one.” “Even if they do, we will be Jong dead,” she said. “want 10 go."" I you change your ai wil jodge them, as3B Mike Resnick “We've been through allthis before. “And it always ends with an onder rather then an agreement," she said. Her ‘expression softened. “Thomas, just once before I die, want to see water that YOU can drink without adding chemicals tit. {want to see antelope grazing on long aren grasses, I want to walk ouside without having to protect myself from the very air I breathe,”* “Hs sited, ‘She shook ter head. ‘I love you, Thomas, but 1 cannot stay here, and 1 ‘anaot let our children stay here.” “No one is taking my children from me!" he yelled, “Tus because you care nothing for your future, I cannot permit you to deny cur sons she future." “Their fotue is hese, where the Mansai have always lived.”" “Please come with us, Papa,” said a small voice behind him, and Naikosiat {ured to see his two sons, eight and five, standing in the doorway to theit bedroom, staring at him. {"hat have you been saying to them?" demanded Naikosiai suspiciously, ‘The trath," said bis wife. He tumed to the two boys. “Come here.” be said, and they trudged across the room to him, “What are you?” he arked, “Boys,” said the younger child What else?" Maasai." said the older "That i right,” said Naikosiai. “You come from a race of giants, There was a time when, if you elimbed to the very top of Kilimanjaro, all the land you ‘ould see in every direction belonged to us." ‘Buc that was long ago," sai the older boy. "Someday it willbe our again,” suid Naikosiai. “You must remember who You are, my son. You are the descendant of Leeyo, whe hilled une howtos lions with just his spear of Nelion, who waged war against the whites and drove {em from the Rift of Sendayo, the greatest of al the laibons. Once the Kikuy and the Wakamba and the Lambwa trembled in fear at the very mention of tee ‘ord Maasai. Ths is your heritage; do not tum your back on ft." “But the Kikuyu and the other tribes have all left" “What difference does that make to the Maasai? We did not make a stand ‘only against the Kikuyu and the Wakamba, but against all men who would have 1s change out ways. Even afer the Europeans conquered Kenya and Tanganyika, ‘they never conquered the Maasai, When Independence came, and all the other tribes moved to cities and wore suits and aped the Europeans, we remained as wwe had always been. We wore what we chose and we ved where we chose, for we were proud to be Mansa Does that not mean something to you?” ‘Nil we not sill be Maas if we g0 tothe nw wold?” asked the older boy 'No.™ said Naikosiat frmly. “There is a bond between the Maasai and the land. We define it, and it defines us Iris what we have always fought for and always defended." Seven Views of Olduval Gorge 339 “bat itis died no," she oy “AFT wer sk wold you ene ne ated Nato “No, Papa” f And js you wold ot ae me in myn 0 we wil nt eae Be tadin les, When you ve omathing. Wen ta pa ha ou a You oot ave t simply because bers st. YOu 3), 0 00 FM Men harder oc han you foe fn 8" loan d “rome” sid Naot, “Hive trite you ee “Tam net miseating you now, We are Eiki chon people, We ive on the pound Heh given, Dont you se tht we oat ean hr, thet We not Yup ot coveant wih kal?” "Dut wl ovr see my Hen “ou wl ke ne en “hae ed the boy. "veyone Gn! i op te cce™ sud Nadi bly.“ d ty The boy conned voting, and Nai Take op wth le, "Te gow dings” tet "You have sped in i Shenae weg in hs yn" Peye bys ae lowe 10. “Nox Monel ope be answer — “het hn ge Man, od 04 an ve 0 iecon i nt ogo to sl he hye, af ely t,o, fed some ears down bf. ‘Thomas Neosat |Jooked at his wife and his children—really /ooked at them— anes te wot no sath Tn ete et, te inthe dion his pop tthe iad arid nn yeas 90. These tot sobbing tye werent te recur of Lj ad elon He wane te aor an oes ; "Gow be scw world ihe eof te Dick Europea,” he growled “Wil you come wih wo? ake hls son Nats tamed to hs wife "dre yo, ed oly, "A a wat beim 0 oe” Te walled crore histo sos, 1 own yo, 1 no longer our abe, ue aoa my sos Now go!” - is wife pu coats and masa on both of the boys, then donned her own. il sed ome tea for y tings befor mings 8 any man comes ot my propery wll him,” sa Nao She sel a tm Tok of tft. Then he ok he chide by he und and eth tf the etd down he on odo wh hp trail en, nd Nats pcd te owe fr ew inde, le with eos ve met toc lout his tt nd mas, pl ot ie, a aed ugh he ac then fuse. Vy war por eva and he wel ot tern! ace if eyo wa coming, in!" wailed his younger son20 Mlke Resnik There was uo sign of any movement. He was almost disappointed, He planned {show them how @ Maasai protected what was his. ‘And suddenly he realized that this was not how a Maasai protected his ‘own. He walked to the edge of the gorge, opened the bol. and threw his cartridges into the void one by one. Then be held the rifle over his head and hurled it after them. The coat came next, then the mask, and fnally his clothes and shoes. He went back into the house and pulled out that special trunk that held the memorabilia of lifetime. Init he found what he was looking for: @ simple ieee of red cloth. He attched it at his shoulder. ‘Then he went into the bathroom, looking among his wife's cosmetics. It took almast half an hour © bit upon the right combinations, but when he emerged his hair was red, as if smeared with clay He stopped by the replace and pulled down the spear that hung there. Family tradition had it tat the spear had once been used by Nelion himself, he wasn't ‘ure he believed it, but it was definitely a Maasai spear, blooded many times in batle and hunts during centuries pest Naikosisi walked out tbe door and positioned himsef in front of his house— bis manyawta. He planted his bare feet on the diseased ground, placed the butt (of his spear next to his right foot, and stood at attention. Whatever came down the road next-—a band of black Europeans hoping to rob him of his possessions, 8 Hion out of history, a band of Nandi or Lumbwa come fo slay the enemy of their blood, they would find him ready. ‘They retumed just after sunrise the next morning, hoping to convince him to {migrate to New Kilimanjaro, What they found was the lst Maasa his hings ‘bust from the pollution, his dead eyes staring proudly out across the vanished savannah at some enemy only he could see. { raleaced the eartidge, my suength neatly gone, my emotions drained, ‘So that was how it had ended for Man on earth, probably les than a mile from where it had begun. So bold and 50 foolish, so moral and so savage. I had hoped the last artifact would prove to be the fnal piece of the pussie, but instead it merely added to the mystery of this most contentious and fascinating cace. ‘ust with dee lusts and ther hatred and their fers, but with their technology and their medicine, their heroes as well as theit villains. Most of the races ef the galany had been painted by the Creator in pastels; Men were primaries, {had rouch to think about as I went off to my quarters to renew my strength {132 0 know how long | lay, soranolet and unmoving, recovering my enetgy bat it must have been a long time, for night had come and gone before f felt Prepared to rejoin the pany ‘AST emerged from my quarters and walked tothe center of camp, I heard 2 ‘Seven Views of Oluvai Gorge 41 anna mito ces oe eet ree a Saeara ect a ithdrawing items: ee ree Pifhe inst the Bone was Paced onthe ble, the Mystic bopansceaing aero re nouns eo a oe ie ae ee ees Pea een et te i : or don't suppose there can be much doubt about what happened,” said Belli. co mee ata oe oo Pe acai ality UvUP oe to ita cereeme nas) rzarh bo prenih opponuay xy fl agen te Exiga and con ser ted an dees ear areata leer ep ee apg "The Mystic regained consciousness and began screaming again, and the Star- een ont nies rete er reer eeort oo epee eer eee ees ee acaba Reraaae back and 1 allowed my to slowly cell lal alt a mec toes ie lave you the342 Mike Resnick “What are the funeral customs of her race?"” asked Bellidore. “Cremation,"” said the Appraiser. “Then we shall build a fire and incinerate what remains of our friend, and we will each offer. a prayer to send her soul along the Eternal Path."” ‘And that is what we did The ship came tater that day, and took us off the planet, and it is only now, safely removed from its influence, that I can reconstruct what I leaned on that last moming. I lied to Bellidore—to the entire party—for once I made my discovery I knew that my primary duty was to get them away from Earth as quickly as possible Had [ told them the truth, one or more of them would have wanted to remain behind, for they are scientists with curious, probing minds, and I would never be able to convince them that a curious, probing mind is no match for what I found in my seventh and final view of Olduvai Gorge. The bone was nor a part of the Exobiologist. The Historian, or even the Moriteu, would have known that had they not been too horrified to examine it It was the tibia of a Man, Man has been extinct for five thousand years, at least as we citizens of the galaxy have come to understand him. But those lumbering, ungainly creatures of the night, who scemed so attracted to our campfires, are what Man has become. Even the pollution and radiation he spread across his own planet could not kill him off. It merely changed him to the extent that we were no longer able to recognize him. Tcould have told them the simple facts, I suppose: that a tribe of these pseudo Men stalked the Exobiologist down the gorge, then attacked and killed and, yes, ate her. Predators are not unknown throughout the worlds of the galaxy. But as I became one with the tibia, as I felt it crashing down again and again ‘upon our companion’s head and shoulders, | felt a sense of power, of exultation Thad never experienced before. I suddenly seemed to see the world through the eyes of the bone's possessor. | saw how he had killed his own companion to ‘create the weapon, I saw how he planned to plunder the bodies of the old and the infirm for more weapons, I saw visions of conquest against other tribes living near the gorge. And finally, at the moment of triumph, he and I looked up at the sky, and we knew that someday all that we could see would be ours. ‘And this is the knowledge that I have lived with for two days, I do not know who to share it with, for it is patently immoral to exterminate a race simply because of the vastness of its dreams or the ruthlessness of its ambition. But this is a race that refuses to die, and somehow I must wam the rest of us, who have lived in harmony for almost five millennia, I's not over.ALSO BY GARDNER DOZOIS: Anthologies A Day in the Life ‘Another World Best Science Fiction Stories ofthe Year #610 The Best of Isaac Asimov's Science Fition Magazine Time-Travellers from Isaac Arimov's Science Fiction Magezine Transcendental Tales from Isaac Asimov's Sclence Fiction Magatine Isaae Asimov's Aliens Tsaae Asimov's Mars Isaac Asimov's SF Lite Isaac Asimov's War 4soac Asimoy's Planet Earth (with Shela Williams) Isaac Asimov's Robots (with Shela Williams) sage Asimov's Cyberdreams (with Sheila Wiliams) ‘Isaac Asimov's Skin Deep (with Sheila Williams) The Year's Best Science Fiction, #1-11 ‘Future Earths: Under African Shes (with Mike Resnick) Funure Earths: Under South American Skies (with Mike Resnick) Future Power (with Jack Dann) Aliens! (with Jack Dann) Unicorns! (with Jack Dann) Magicats! (with Jack Dann) ‘Mogicars 2 (with Jack Dann) estary? (with Jack Dann) ‘Mermaids! (with Jack Dano) Sorcerers! (with Jack Dans) Demons! (with Jack Dann) _Dogtales! (with Jack Dann) Ripper! (with Susan Casper) Seeserpents! (with Jack Dann} Dinosaurs! (with Jack Dans} Lite People! (with Jack Dana) ‘Dragons! (with Jack Dana) Horses! (with Jack Dann} Unicorns 2 (with Jack Dann) Invaders! (with Jack Dana) ‘Angels! (with Jack Dann) ‘Modern Classics of Science Fiction Modern Classic Short Novels of Science Fiction Fiction Strangers The Visible Man (collection) Nighare Blue (with George Alec Ettinger) ‘Slow Dancing Through Time (with Jack Dann, Michael Swanwick, Susan Casper, and Jack C. Haldeman It) The Peacemaker Geodesic Dreams (coteetion) Nonfiction The Fiction of James Tipiree, Jr. THE YEAR'S Be) ocle CE FICTION TWELFTH ANNUAL COLLECTION Gardner Dozois, Editor ST. MARTIN'S PRESS % NEW YORK