H sY-hYrs, fFndN himself alFv, sImd Ivan mYr astoniSd Hn /tip. hI rOld hiz noti Fz fram sFd t sFd, tEkN a farst wandarN vjM v H warld in wic hI hAd nQ sO impYrtant an egzistans. Hn hI crFd t lUk At himself; bat hI hAd, indId, nO nek t tarn; sO Ht in H endevar t sI hiz bodi hI kept sarklN arQnd n arQnd, wiTQt kAcN Ivan a glimps v i. hiz legz war stif n Ykward, f HEr war nO nI-Jqnts in Hem; sO Ht prezantli hI bampd agenst /JAk /pampkinhed n sent Ht parsoniJ tamblN apon H mos Ht lFnd H rOdsFd.
/tip bikEm alyrmd At Hs Aksidant, Az wel Az At H parsistans v H /sY-/hYrs in prAnsN arQnd in a sarkal; sO hI kYld Qt:
"wO! wO, HEr!"
H sY-hYrs pEd nO atenSn watevar t Hs kmAnd n H nekst instant brYt wan v hiz wUdan legz dQn apon /tip's fUt sO fYrsabli Ht H bq dAnsd awE in pEn t a sEfar distans, fram wEr hI agen jeld:
"wO! wO, F sE!"
/JAk hAd nQ mAniJd t rEz himself t a sitN pasiSn, n hI lUkd At H /sY-/hYrs wiT mac intarist.
"F dOn't bilIv H Animal kn hIr jM," hI rimyrkd.
"F SQt lQd Inaf, dOn't F?" Ansard /tip, ANgrili.
"jes; bat H hYrs hAz nO Irz," sed H smFlN /pampkinhed.
"Sar Inaf!" eksklEmd /tip, mOtN H fAkt f H farst tFm. "hQ, Hn, Am F gOiN t stop him?"
bat At Ht instant H /sY-hYrs stopd himself, hAvN knklMdd i waz imposabl t sI hiz On bodi. hI sY /tip, hQevar, n kEm klOs t H bq t obzarv him mYr fUli.
i waz rIli komikal t sI H krIcar wYk; f i mMvd H legz on its rFt sFd tageHar, n HOz on its left sFd tageHar, Az a pEsN hYrs daz; n Ht mEd its bodi rok sFdwEz, lFk a krEdal.
/tip pAtd i apon H hed, n sed "gUd bq! gUd bq!" in a kOksN tOn; n H sY-hYrs prAnsd awE t egzAmin wiT its balJN Fz H fYrm v /JAk /pampkinhed.
"F mast fFnd a hYltar f him," sed /tip; n hAvN mEd a sarc in hiz pokit hI pradMsd a rOl v scroN kYrd. anwFndN Hs, hI aprOcd H /sY-/hYrs n tFd H kYrd arQnd its nek, Aftarward fAsanN H aHar end t a lyrJ crI. H /sY-/hYrs, not andarstAndN H AkSn, stepd bAkward n snApd H scriN Izili; bat i mEd nO atempt t ran awE.
"hI'z scroNgar Hn F TYt," sed H bq, "n rAHar obstinat, Tm."
"wF dOn’t jM mEk him sam Irz?" Askd /JAk."Hn jM kn tel him wat t d."
"Ht's a splendid Fdia!" sed /tip."hQ did jM hApan t TiNk v I?"
"wF, F didn't TiNk v I" Ansard H /pampkinhed;"F didn't nId t, f it's H simplist n IzIist TiN t d."
sO /tip got Qt hiz nFf n fASand sam Irz Qt v H byrk v a smYl crI.
"F mast not mEk Hem tM big," hI sed, Az hI witald, "Yr Qr hYrs wUd bIkam a doNkI."
"hQ z Ht?" inkwFrd /JAk, fram H rOdsFd.
"wF, a hYrs hAz bigar Irz Hn a mAn; n a doNkI hAz bigar Irz Hn a hYrs," eksplEnd /tip.
"Hn, if mF Irz war loNgar, wUd F b a hYrs?" Askd /JAk.
"mF frend," sed /tip, grEvli, "jM'l nevar b enITiN bat a /pampkinhed, nO mAtar hQ big jYr Irz r."
"O," ritarnd /JAk, nodN; "F TiNk F andarstAnd."
"if jM d, jY'r a wandar," rimyrkd H bq, "bat HEr'z nO hyrm in TiNkN jM andarstAnd. F ges HIz Irz r redI nQ. wil jM hOld H hYrs wFl F stik Hem on?"
"sartanli, if jM'l help mI ap," sed /JAk.
sO /tip rEzd him t hiz fIt, n H /pampkinhed went t H hYrs n held its hed wFl H bq bYrd tM hOlz in i wiT hiz nFf-blEd n insartd H Irz.
"HE mEk him lUk vEri hAnsam," sed /JAk, AdmFrNli.
bat HOz wardz, spOkan klOs t H /sY-/hYrs, n bIiN H farst sQndz hI hAd evar hard, sO styrtald H Animal Ht hI mEd a bQnd fYrward n tambald /tip on wan sFd n /JAk on H aHar. Hn hI kntinjMd t raS fYrward Az if frFtand bF H klAtar v hiz Qn fUt-steps.
"wO!" SQtd /tip, pikN himself ap; "wO! jM idiat wO!" H /sY-/hYrs wUd probabli hAv pEd nO atenSn t Hs, bat Jast Hn i stepd a leg intM a gOfar-hOl n stambald hed-Ovar-hIlz t H grQnd, wEr i lE apon its bAk, frAntikli wEvN its fYr legz in H Er.
/tip rAn ap t i.
"jY'r a nFs sYrt v a hYrs, F mast sE!" hI eksklEmd. "wF didn't jM stop wen F yeld 'wO?'"
"daz 'wO' mIn t stop?" Askd H /sY-/hYrs, in a sarprFzd vqs, Az i rOld its Fz apward t lUk At H bq.
"v kYrs i daz," Ansard /tip.
"n a hOl in H grQnd mInz t stop, YlsO, dazn't i?" kntinjMd H hYrs.
"t b Sar; anles jM step Ovar i," sed /tip.
"wat a scrEnJ plEs Hs z," H krIcar eksklEmd, Az if amEzd. "wat Am F dMiN hIr, enIwE?"
"wF, F'v brYt jM t lFf," Ansard H bq, "bat i wOn't hart jM enI, if jM mFnd mI n d Az F tel jM."
"Hn F wil d Az jM tel mI," riplFd H /sY-/hYrs, hamblI. "bat wat hApand t mI, a mOmant agO? F dOn't sIm t b Jast rFt, samwE."
"jY'r apsFd dQn," eksplEnd /tip. "bat Jast kIp HOz legz stil a minit n F'l set jM rFt sFd ap agen."
"hQ menI sFdz hAv F?" Askd H krIcar, wandariNlI.
"sevaral," sed /tip, brIflI. "bat d kIp HOz legz stil."
H /sY-/hYrs nQ bikEm kwFt, n held its legz riJid; sO Ht /tip, Aftar sevaral efarts, waz Ebal t rOl him Ovar n set him aprFt.
"Y, F sIm Yl rFt nQ," sed H kwIr Animal, wiT a sF.
"wan v jYr Irz z brOkan," /tip anQnsd, Aftar a kErfal egzAminESn. "F'l hAv t mEk a nM wan."
Hn hI led H /sY-/hYrs bAk t wEr /JAk waz vEnlI scraglN t rigEn hiz fIt, n Aftar asistN H /pampkinhed t stAnd aprFt /tip witald Qt a nM Ir n fAsand i t H hYrs'z hed.
"nQ," sed hI, aJresN hiz stId, "pE atenSn t wat F'm gOiN t tel jM. 'wO!' mInz t stop; 'get-ap!' mInz t wYk fYrward; 'crot!' mInz t g Az fAst Az jM kn. andarstAnd?"
"F bilIv F d," ritarnd H hYrs.
"vEri gUd. wI r Yl gOiN on a JarnI t H /emarald /sitI, t sI /hiz /mAJestI, H /skErkrO; n /JAk /pampkinhed z gOiN t rFd on jYr bAk, sO hI wOn't wEr Qt hiz Jqnts."
"F dOn't mFnd," sed H /sY-/hYrs. "enITiN Ht sMts jM sMts mI."
Hn /tip asistd /JAk t get apon H hYrs.
"hOld on tFt," hI kYSnd, "Yr jM mE fYl of n krAk jYr pampkin hed."
"Ht wUd b hYrabl!" sed /JAk, wiT a Sadar. "wat SAl F hOld on t?"
"wF, hOld on t hiz Irz," riplFd /tip, Aftar a mOmant's hezitESn.
"dOn't d Ht!" remonscrEtd H /sY-/hYrs; "f Hn F kAn't hIr."
Ht sImd rIzanabl, sO /tip crFd t TiNk v samTiN els.
"F'l fiks i!" sed hI, At leNkT. hI went intM H wUd n kat a SYrt leNkT v lim fram a jaN, stQt crI. wan end v Hs hI Syrpand t a pqnt, n Hn hI dag a hOl in H bAk v H /sY-/hYrs, Jast bihFnd its hed. nekst hI brYt a pIs v rok fram H rOd n hAmard H pOst farmli intM H Animal'z bAk.
"stop! stop!" SQtd H hYrs; "jY'r JyrN mI tErablI."
"daz i hart?" Askd H bq.
"not egzAktlI hart," Ansard H Animal; "bat i mEks mI kwFt narvas t b Jyrd."
"wel, it's Yl Ovar nQ," sed /tip, enkaraJNlI. "nQ, /JAk, b Sar t hOld fAst t Hs pOst n Hn jM kAn't fYl of n get smASd."
sO /JAk held on tFt, n /tip sed t H hYrs:
"get ap."
H ObIdiant krIcar At wans wYkd fYrward, rokN fram sFd t sFd Az hI rEzd hiz fIt fram H grQnd.
/tip wYkd bisFd H /sY-/hYrs, kwFt kntent wiT Hs adiSn t HEr pyrtI. prezantlI hI bigAn t wisal.
"wat daz Ht sQnd mIn?" Askd H hYrs.
"dOn't pE enI atenSn t i," sed /tip. "F'm Jast wisalN, n Ht Onli mInz F'm pritI wel sAtisfFd."
"F'd wisal mFself, if F kUd pUS mF lips tageHar," rimyrkd /JAk. "F fIr, dIr foHar, Ht in sam rispekts F Am sAdlI lAkN."
Aftar JarnIiN on f sam distans H nyrO pAT HE war folOiN tarnd intM a brYd rOdwE, pEvd wiT jelO brik. bF H sFd v H rOd /tip nOtisd a sFn-pOst Ht red:
"nFn mFlz t H emarald sitI."
bat i waz nQ grOiN dyrk, sO hI disFdd t kAmp f H nFt bF H rOdsFd n t rezMm H JarnI nekst myrnN bF dEbrEk. hI led H /sY-/hYrs t a grAsI mQnd apon wic grM sevaral bUSI crIz, n kErfalI asistN H /pampkinhed t alFt.
"F TiNk F'l lE jM apon H grQnd, OvarnFt," sed H bq. "jM wil b sEfar Ht wE."
"hQ abQt mI?" Askd H /sY-/hYrs.
"i wOn't hart jM t stAnd," riplFd /tip; "n, Az jM kAn't slIp, jM mE Az wel woc Qt n sI Ht nO wan kamz nIr t distarb as."
Hn H bq screcd himself apon H grAs bisFd H /pampkinhed, n bIiN grEtlI wIrId bF H JarnI waz sMn fAst aslIp.