Carlot said, "Rich means you can have whatever you want."

"Like being Chairman?"

"No-"

Mishael took over. "Look, suppose you want earthlife seeds or pigeons or turkeys. Stet, you go to the Market and you find what you want. Then you've got to buy it. You need something to give the owner. Metal, maybe."

"We don't have much metal," Rather said. "What are the people like? Like you?"

"Sometimes," Carlot said. "What do you mean? Tall? Dark? We get dark and light, short and . . . well, mostly we're about as tall as me, and the men are taller."

"No dwarves?"

"Oh, of course there are dwarves. In the Navy."

"What do you think of dwarves?" He hadn't meant to ask so directly; he hadn't realized how important the question was to him.

Carlot asked, "What do you think of my legs?"

Rather blushed. "They're fine." They were hidden anyway; Carlot was wearing the scarlet tunic and pantaloons of Citizens Tree.

"One's longer than the other. My teacher's got one leg longer than mine and one leg like yours, and it never bothers him. And the Admiral's got an arm like a turkey wishbone. I've seen him. We're all kinds. Rather."

It was Mark's habit to eat near the cauldron, where others might find him. Rarely did he get company. This day he was mildly surprised when Clave and Minya settled themselves across from him. They plucked branchlets and ate. Presently Clave asked, "What do you think of the Serjents?"

"They're doing all right."

"That wasn't what I meant," Clave said, while Minya was saying, "What will they do to Citizens Tree?"

"Oh." Mark thought it over. "Half of you came from the in tuft of a broken tree. You were from the out tuft, Minya. Three from Carther States. Lawri and me from London Tree. London Tree used to raid Carther States for copsiks. Fourteen years we've been living here, and nobody's killed anyone yet. We can live with the Serjents too."

Clave said, "Oh, we can live with them-" while Minya wondered, "What do they think of us?"

Clave snorted. "They think we're a little backward, and they'd like to talk us into going to the Clump."

Where was this leading? Mark asked, "Are you thinking they want the CARM?"

"No, not that. Not impossible either . . . Have you talked to Gavving or Debby lately?"

"They don't like my company. Neither do you, Minya."

Minya ignored that. "They're trying to figure out how to build a steam rocket, starting with just the metal tube they brought back!"

"Uh-." Mark saw the point now. "They can build us a machine that moves trees around. They can tell us why we should all go to the Clump. So you're a little nervous. Chairman? We could lose half the tribe. Lawri keeps saying there aren't enough of us now."

"And what do you want. Mark?"