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'What did you do that for?' said Ptraci, spitting out sand

'Someone fired at us!'

'I shouldn't think so I mean, they didn't knoere here, did they? You needn't have pulled me off like that'

Teppic conceded this, rather reluctantly, and eased hi surface of the dune The voices were arguing again

'Give in?'

'We siht'

'I knoe haven't got all right'

'What is that, pray?'

'We haven't got any ot'

Teppic carefully poked his head over the top of the dune He saw a large cleared area, surrounded by cos There were one or two buildings in it, es, and several other intricate constructions he could not recognise In the middle of it all were two men - one small, fat and florid, the other tall and y and with an indefinable air of authority They earing sheets Clustered around theroup of slaves One of the tortoises on sticks They looked a bit pathetic, like tortoise lollies

'Anyway, it's cruel,' said the tall s They look so sad with their little legs waggling'

'It's logically impossible for the arrow to hit them!' The fat iving ly

'We ough to try again with faster tortoises'

'Or slower arrows?'

'Possibly, possibly'

Teppic are of a faint scuffling by his chin There was a s past him It had several ricochet marks on its shell

'We'll have one last try,' said the fat o and find that tortoise'

The little reptile gave Teppic a look ofand hope He stared at it, and then lifted it up carefully and tucked it behind a rock

He slid back down the dune to Ptraci

'There's so on over there,' he said 'They're shooting tortoises'

'Why?'

'Search ht to be able to run away

'What, from an arrow?'

'Like I said Really weird You stay here I'll whistle if it's safe to follow me'

'What will you do if it isn't safe?'

'Screa as , stood up and waved his cap at the little crowd An arrow took it out of his hands

'Oops!' said the fat man 'Sorry!'

He scurried across the tra at his stinging fingers

'Just had it in ies, didn't realise it was loaded Whatever will you think of me?'

Teppic took a deep breath

'Xeno's the naasped the fat man, before he could speak 'Are you hurt? We did put up warning signs, I'm sure Did you come in over the desert? You must be thirsty Would you like a drink? Who are you? You haven't seen a tortoise up there, have you? Dareased thunderbolts, there's no stopping the little buggers'

Teppic deflated again

'Tortoises?' he said 'Are we talking about those, you know, stones on legs?'

'That's right, that's right,' said Xeno 'Take your eyes off them for a second, and vazoom!'

'Vazoom?' said Teppic He knew about tortoises There were tortoises in the Old Kingdoetarians, patient, thoughtful, even extreent and persistent sex-maniacs - but never, up until now, fast Fast was a word particularly associated with tortoises because they were not it

'Are you sure?' he said

'Fastest animal on the face of the Disc, your corace to look shifty

'Logically, that is,' he added[25]

The tall ave Teppic a nod

'Take no notice of hi himself because of the accident last week'

'The tortoise did beat the hare,' said Xeno sulkily

'The hare was dead, Xeno,' said the tall man patiently