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. Bipp here." A pause, then, "Highbulp! Wake up!
Highbulp sleepy oaf. Wake up, Highbulp! Bipp here."
"Who?"
"Bipp"
"Shut up over there!" a human voice shouted. "Can't
you little dimwits ever be quiet?"
At the sound, an armed guard at the far comer of the
pen looked around, and Bipp flattened himself in the
shadows. "Shut up in there, or you'll wish you had," the
guard ordered.
Then Gorge was there, peering through the lashed-post
bars. "What Bipp want?"
"Lady Drule send me. She lookin' for you. Why ever'-
body here?"
"Can't get out," the Highbulp said, peevishly. "Talls got
us incarcera ... in custo ... got us locked in for sell."
"Oh." Bipp studied the bars, shrugged, and turned away.
"Okay," he said. "Have nice evenin'. I go tell Lady Drule."
In a moment he was gone, but behind him a babble of
voices echoed, and a guard roared, "You slaves heard what I
said!"
A torch flared. A guard with a patch on one eye drew a
sword and thrust it viciously between the bars. A human
screamed, and the scream became a whimper as the guard
withdrew the sword, bloody.
The man put away his sword, grinned at another guard.
"That ought to quiet them," he said. "Slaves don't need two
ears, anyway."
*****
Atop the ridge, the Lady Drule and the others listened
wide-eyed as Bipp made his report. He told them what he
had seen and what he had heard, and there was no doubt
what it all meant. Most of the males of the Bulp clan were
prisoners of heavily armed Talls, and would be sold into
slavery
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