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He'd forced out Ur-Gilash Fair enough Law of the jungle But no one was challenging him

Where was Brutha?

"Brutha! "

Brutha was counting the flashes of light off the desert "It's a good thing I had a mirror, yes?" said the captain hopefully "I expect his lordship won't mind about the mirror because it turned out to be useful?"

"I don't think he thinks like that," said Brutha, still counting

"No I don't think he does either," said the captain gloomily

"Seven, and then four"

"It'll be the Quisition for me," said the captain

Brutha was about to say, "Then rejoice that your soul shall be purified" But he didn't And he didn't knohy he didn't

"I'm sorry about that," he said

A veneer of surprise overlaid the captain's grief

"You people usually say soood for the soul," he said

"I'm sure it is," said Brutha

The captain atching his face intently

"It's flat, you know," he said quietly "I've sailed out into the Rie, and it e I meanwhat's down there They can cut my head off but it will stillfor you," said Brutha "So I should be careful to whom you speak, captain"

The captain leaned closer

"The Turtle Moves!" he hissed, and darted away

"Brutha! "

Guilt jerked Brutha upright like a hooked fish He turned around, and sagged with relief It wasn't Vorbis, it was only God

He padded over to the place in front of the lared up at him

"Yes?" said Brutha

"You never come and see me," said the tortoise "I know you're busy," it added sarcastically, "but a quick prayer would be nice, even"

"I checked you first thing this ry"

"You had a whole ht"

"And who had the melon, eh?"

"No, he didn't," said Brutha "He eats stale bread and water"

"Why doesn't he eat fresh bread?"

"He waits for it to get stale"

"Yes I expect he does," said the tortoise

"Om?"

"What?"

"The captain just said soe"

"Yes? So what?"

"But, I mean, we know the world is a ball, because

The tortoise blinked

"No, it's not," he said "Who said it's a ball?"

"You did," said Brutha Then he added: "According to Book One of the Septateuch, anyway"

I've never thought like this before, he thought I'd never have said "anyway"

"Why'd the captain telllike that?" he said "It's not normal conversation"

"I told you, I never made the world," said Om "Why should I make the world? It was here already And if I did make a world, I wouldn't make it a ball People'd fall off All the sea'd run off the bottom"

"Not if you told it to stay on"

"Hah! Will you hark at the man!"

"Besides, the sphere is a perfect shape," said Brutha "Because in the Book of-

"Nothing a about a sphere," said the tortoise "Come to that, a turtle is a perfect shape"

"A perfect shape for what?"

"Well, the perfect shape for a turtle, to start with," said O to the surface the whole time"

"But it's a heresy to say the world is flat," said Brutha

"Maybe, but it's true"

"And it's really on the back of a giant turtle?"

"That's right"

"In that case," said Brutha triumphantly, "what does the turtle stand on?"