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sapience question, I would suggest that the first item on our order of
business be the presentation of some acceptable definition of sapience. I
should, for my part, very much like to know what it is that the Kellogg
prosecution and the Holloway defense mean when they use that term.
That s it. They want us to define it. Gerd van Riebeek was looking chagrined;
Ernst Mallin was smirking. Gus Brannhard, however, was pleased.
 Jack, they haven t any more damn definition than we do, he whispered.
Captain Greibenfeld, who had seated himself after rising at the request of
the court, was on his feet again.
 YourHonors, during the past month we at Xerxes Naval Base have been working
on exactly that problem. We have a very considerable interest in having the
classification of this planet established, and we also feel that this may not
be the last time a question of disputable sapience may arise. I believe,your
Honors, that we have approached such a definition. However, before we begin
discussing it, I would like the court s permission to present a demonstration
which may be of help in understanding the problems involved.
 Captain Greibenfeld has already discussed this demonstration with me, and it
has my approval. Will you pleaseproceed , Captain, the Chief Justice said.
Greibenfeld nodded, and a deputy marshal opened the door on the right of the
bench. Two spacemen came in, carrying cartons. One went up to the bench; the
other started around in front of the tables, distributing small
battery-powered hearing aids.
 Please put them in your ears and turn them on, he said.  Thank you.
Baby Fuzzy tried to get Jack s. He put the plug in his ear and switched on
the power. Instantly he began hearing a number of small sounds he had never
heard before, and Baby was saying to him:  He-intasa- wa aka; igga sa geeda?
 Muhgawd, Gus, he s talking!
 Yes, I hear him; what do you suppose ?
 Ultrasonic; God, why didn t we think of that long ago?
He snapped off the hearing aid. Baby Fuzzy was saying,  Yeeek. When he
turned it on again, Baby was saying,  Kukk-ina za zeeva.
 No, Baby, Pappy Jack doesn t understand. We ll have to be awfully patient,
and learn each other s language.
 Pa-pee Jaaak! Baby cried. Ba-bee za-hinga; Pa-pee Jaak za zag ga he-izza!
 That yeeking is just the audible edge of their speech; bet we have a lot of
transsonic tones in our voices, too.
 Well, he can hear what we say; he s picked up his name and yours.
 Mr. Brannhard, Mr. Holloway, Judge Pendarvis was saying,  maywe please have
your attention? Now, have you all your earplugs in and turned on? Very well;
carry on, Captain.
This time, an ensign went out and came back with a crowd of enlisted men, who
had six Fuzzies with them. They set them down in the open space between the
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bench and the arc of tables and backed away. The Fuzzies drew together into a
clump and stared around them, and he stared, unbelievingly, at them. They
couldn t be; they didn t exist any more. But they were Little Fuzzy and Mamma
Fuzzy and Mike and Mitzi and Ko-Ko and Cinderella. Baby whooped something and
leaped from the table, and Mamma came stumbling to meet him, clasping him in
her arms. Then they all saw him and began clamoring:  Pa-pee Jaaak!Pa-pee
Jaaak!
He wasn t aware of rising and leaving the table; the next thing he realized,
he was sitting on the floor, his family mobbing him and hugging him, gabbling
with joy. Dimly he heard the gavel hammering, and the voice of Chief Justice
Pendarvis:  Court is recessed for ten minutes! By that time, Gus was with
him; gathering the family up, they carried them over to their table.
They stumbled and staggered when they moved, and that frightened him for a
moment. Then he realized that they weren t sick or drugged. They d just been
in low-G for a while and hadn t become reaccustomed to normal weight. Now he
knew why he hadn t been able to find any trace of them. He noticed that each
of them was wearing a little shoulder bag a Marine Corps first-aid pouch slung
from a webbing strap. Why the devil hadn t he thought of making them something
like that? He touched one and commented, trying to pitch his voice as nearly
like theirs as he could. They all babbled in reply and began opening the
little bags and showing him what they had in them little knives and miniature
tools and bits of bright or colored junk they had picked up. Little Fuzzy
produced a tiny pipe with a hardwood bowl, and a little pouch of tobacco from
which he filled it. Finally, he got out a small lighter.
 YourHonors! Gus shouted,  I know court is recessed, but please observe what
Little Fuzzy is doing.
While they watched, Little Fuzzy snapped the lighter and held theflame to the
pipe bowl , puffing. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]