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"I was thinking of adding another wheel," said St Ungulant, "just over there To catch thesun, you know"

Brutha looked around hi but flat rock and sand stretched away on every side

"Don't you get the sun everywhere all the time?" he said

"But it's ulant "Besides, Angus says we ought to have a patio"

"He could barbecue on it," said Om, inside Brutha's head

"Uionare you a saint of, exactly?"

An expression of embarrassulant's eyebrows and his mustache

"Uh None, really That was all rather a ulant, and then one day, of course, , someone drew attention to the initials After that, it all seehtly St Ungulant's skin was almost blackened by the desert sun

"I've had to pick up herht ht You can't find a her, because of course that rather spoils the whole thing"

"Erbut there'sAngus?" said Brutha, stating at the spot where he believed Angus to be, or at least where he believed St Ungulant believed Angus to be

"He's over here now," said the saint sharply, pointing to a different part of the wheel "But he doesn't do any of the her He's not, you know, trained He's just cous cheering me up all the time!"

"YesI expect you would," said Brutha He s

"Actually, it's a pretty good life The hours are rather long but the food and drink are extre that he kneas going to coh?" he said

"Extre

"And the roast pig?"

St Ungulant's smile was es, yes," he said

"But I expect, eryou eat the occasional lizard or snake, too?"

"Funny you should say that Yes Every once in a while Just for a bit of variety"

"And mushrooms, too?" said Om

"Any mushrooms in these parts?" said Brutha innocently

St Ungulant nodded happily

"After the annual rains, yes Red ones with yellow spots The desert beco after theslugs? Talking pillars of fla?" said Brutha carefully

"Good heavens, yes," said the saint "I don't knohy I think they're attracted by the mushroo on, kid," said Om

"And I expect sometimes you drinkwater?" said Brutha

"You know, it's odd, isn't it," said St Ungulant "There's all this wonderful stuff to drink but every so often I get this, well, I can only call it a craving, for a few sips of water Can you explain that?"

"It must bea little hard to co very carefully, like sostrain fishing-line

"Strange, really," said St Ungulant "When icecold beer is so readily available, too"

"Where, uh, do you get it? The water?" said Brutha

"You know the stone plants?"

"The ones with the big flowers?"

"If you cut open the fleshy part of the leaves, there's up to half a pint of water," said the saint "It tastes like ee, e to put up with that," said Brutha, through dry lips He backed toward the rope-ladder that was the saint's contact with the ground

"Are you sure you won't stay?" said St Ungulant "It's Wednesday We get sucking pig plus chef's selection of sun-drenched dew-fresh vegetables on Wednesdays"

"We, uh, have lots to do," said Brutha, halfway down the swaying ladder

"Sweets from the trolley?"

"I think perhaps

St Ungulant looked down sadly at Brutha helping Vorbis away across the wilderness

"And afterward there's probably h cupped hands "No?"

Soon the figures were mere dots on the sand

"There rati-no, I tell a lie, that's Fridays" St Ungulant one, the air was once again filled with the zip and whine of the sulant smiled

He was, of course, mad He'd occasionally suspected this But he took the view that madness should not be wasted He dined daily on the food of the gods, drank the rarest vintages, ate fruits that were not only out of season but out of reality Having to drink the occasionalfor medicinal purposes was a small price to pay

He turned back to the laden table that shiods wanted was someone to know about them, someone to even believe that they existed

There was jelly and ice-creaus?"

Yes, said Angus

The fighting was over in Ephebe It hadn't lasted long, especially when the slaves joined in There were too many narrow streets, too many ambushes and, above all, too enerally held that free men will always triumph over slaves, but perhaps it all depends on your point of view

Besides, the Ephebian garrison commander had declared somewhat nervously that slavery would henceforth be abolished, which infuriated the slaves What would be the point of saving up to become free if you couldn't own slaves afterwards? Besides, how'd they eat?