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That's ridiculous, Ben." "Don't you think we can prove sapience?" Gerd van Riebeek demanded. "Who's going to define sapience? And how?" Rainsford asked. "Why, between them, Coombes and O'Brien can even agree to accept the talk-and-build-a-fire rule." "Huh-uh!" Brannhard was positive. "Court ruling on that, about forty years ago, on Vishnu.
He looked down at the floor. "Are these some of the animals?" "These are the Fuzzies." He hoped it sounded like the correction it was intended to be. "Dr. Bennett Rainsford's here with me now, and so are Dr. Jimenez, Dr. van Riebeek and Dr. Ortheris."
"Jack, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. "Sure. Come in." Van Riebeek entered, unbuckling his gun belt. He shifted a chair so that he could see the door from it, and laid the belt on the floor at his feet when he sat down. Then he began to curse Leonard Kellogg in four or five languages. "Well, I agree, in principle; why in particular, though?"
"That's what we have to find out," van Riebeek told him. "That's what I was talking about a moment ago. We don't know any more about how sapience appeared today than we did in the year zero, or in the year 654 Pre-Atomic for that matter." "Wait a minute," Jack interrupted. "Before we go any deeper, let's agree on a definition of sapience." Van Riebeek laughed.
I can substantiate most of what he told me from personal observation." "Yes, and there's more than just verbal statements," Gerd van Riebeek chimed in. "A camera is not a nonqualified observer. We have quite a bit of film of the Fuzzies." "Oh, yes; there was some mention of movies," Mallin said. "You don't have any of them developed yet, do you?" "Quite a lot.
"All right, set and we'll transmit to you. And can you get hold of Gerd van Riebeek? I'd like him to hear it too; it's as much up his alley as anybody's." When Jimenez was ready, Rainsford pressed the play-off button, and for a minute the recorder gave a high, wavering squeak. The Fuzzies all looked startled. Then it ended.
A little later, the second jeep came in, even faster, and landed; Kellogg and van Riebeek hastened into the living hut. There wasn't anything more to see. He carried the dishes into the kitchen and washed them, and the Fuzzies went into the bedroom for their nap. He was sitting at the table in the living room when Gerd van Riebeek knocked on the open door.
The Fuzzies had gotten sleepy, and had been bribed with Extee Three to stay up a little longer. Immediately, they registered interest. This was more fun than the viewscreen. Jimenez introduced his companions as Gerd van Riebeek and Ruth Ortheris. "Ruth is with Dr. Mallin's section; she's been working with the school department and the juvenile court.
Gerd van Riebeek had evidently done a lot of field work: his boots were stout, and he wore old, faded khakis and a serviceable-looking sidearm that showed he knew what to expect up here in the Piedmont. Juan Jimenez was in the same sports casuals in which he had appeared on screen last evening. All of them carried photographic equipment.
We may stay a couple of days, but that won't put you to any trouble; I have a boat that's big enough for the three of us to camp on. Now, how do we get to your place?" Jack told him, and gave map coordinates. Van Riebeek noted them down. "There's one thing, though, I'm going to have to get firm about. I don't want to have to speak about it again.
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