"What is it that they do?"

"They keep shops in Albany, and twice a year theygive a fair—spring and fall. They carry all sort of thingswe need—needles, thread, pepper, kettles, pans, seed,guns and ammo, all kind of things—and the fairs arepretty good times, too. Most anybody between here andthere would help you along. Hope you make it. We'llget you off to a good start again."

They reached higher, drier ground.

"You mean it's pretty clear sailing after this?"

"Well, no. But I'll help you on a map and tell youwhat to look out for,"

"I got mine with me," said Tanner, as they topped ahill, and he saw a farm house off in the distance. "Thatyour place?"

"Correct. It ain't much further now. Real easy walkin'—an' you just lean on my shoulder if you get tired."

"I can make it," said Tanner. "It's just that I had somany of those pills to keep me awake that I'm starting tofeel all the sleep I've been missing- I'll be okay."

"You'll get to sleep real soon now. And when you'reawake again, we'll go over that Jnap of yours, and youcan write in all the places I tell you about."

"Good scene," said Tanner, "good scene," and he puthis hand on Sam's shoulder then and staggered along beside him, feeling almost drunk and wishing he were.

After a hazy eternity be saw the house before him,then the door. The door swung open, and he felt himselffalling forward, and that was it.

XII Sleep. Blackness, distant voices, more blackness. Wherever he lay, it was soft, and he turned over onto hisother side and went away again.

When everything finally flowed together into a coherent ball and he opened his eyes, there was lightstreaming in through the window to his right, falling inrectangles upon the patchwork quilt that covered him.He groaned, stretched, rubbed his eyes and scratched hisbeard.

He surveyed the room carefully; polished woodenfloors with handwoven rugs of blue and red and grayscattered about them, a dresser holding a white enamelbasin with a few black spots up near its lip where someof the enamel had chipped away, a mirror on the wallbehind him and above all that, a spindly looking rockernear the window, a print cushion on its seat, a small tableagainst the other wall with a chair pushed in beneath it,books and paper and pen and ink on the table, a handstitched sampler on the wall asking God To Bless, a blueand green print of a waterfall on the other wall.

He sat up, discovered he was naked, looked aroundfor his clothing. It was nowhere in sight As he sat there, deciding whether or not to call out, thedoor opened, and Sam walked in. He carried Tanner'sclothing, clean and neatly folded, over one arm. In hisother hand he carried his boots, and they shone like wetmidnight.

"Heard you stirring around," he said. "How youfeeling now?"

"A lot better, thanks."

"We've got a bath all drawn. Just have to dump in acouple buckets of hot, and it's all yours. I'll have the boyscarry it in in a minute, and some soap and towels."

Tanner bit his lip, but he didn't want to seem inhospitable to his benefactor, so he nodded and forced asmile then.

"That'll be fine."

"... And there's a razor and a scissors on the dresser•—whichever you might want."

He nodded again- Sam set his clothes down on therocker and his boots on the floor beside it, then left theroom.

Soon Roderick and Caliban brought in the tub, spreadsome sacks and set it upon them.

"How you feeling?" one of them asked. (Tanner wasn'tsure which was which. They both seemed graceful asscarecrows, and their mouths were packed full of whiteteeth.)

"Real good," he said.

"Bet you're hungry," said the other. "You slep* allafternoon yesterday and all night and most of this morning."

"You know it," said Tanner. "How's my partner?"

The nearer one shook his head. "Still sleeping andsickly," he said. "The doc should be here soon. Our kidbrother went after him last night."

They turned to leave, and the one who had beenspeaking added, "Soon as you get cleaned up, Ma'U fixyou something to eat. Cal and me are going out now totry and get your rig loose. Dad'U tell you about the roadswhile you eat."

"Thanks."

"Good morning to you."

" 'Morning."

They closed the door behind them as they left.

Tanner got up and moved to the mirror, studied himself. "Well, just this once," he muttered.

Then he washed his face and trimmed his beard andcut his hair.

Then, gritting his teeth, he lowered himself into thetub, soaped up and scrubbed. The water grew gray andscummy beneath the suds. He splashed out and toweledhimself down and dressed.

He was starched and crinkly and smelled faintly ofdisinfectant. He smiled at his dark-eyed reflection and lita cigarette. He combed his hair and studied the stranger."Damn! I'm beautiful!" he chuckled, and then he openedthe door and entered the kitchen.

Sam was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee,and his wife who was short and heavy and wore long grayskirts was facing in the other direction, leaning over thestove. She turned, and he saw that her face was large, withbulging red cheeks that dimpled and a little white scar inthe middle of her forehead. Her hair was brown, shotthrough with gray, and pulled back into a knot. Shebobbed her head and smiled a "Good morning" at him.

" 'Morning," he replied. "I'm afraid I left kind of amess in the other room."

"Don't worry about that," said Sam. "Seat yourself.and we'll have you some breakfast in a minute. Theboys told you about your friend?"

Tanner nodded.

As she placed a cup of coffee in front of Tanner, Samsaid, "Wife's name's Susan."

"How do," she said.

"Hi."

"Now, then, I got your map here. Saw it sticking outof your jacket. That's your gun hanging aside the door,too. Anyhow, I've been figuring and I think the best wayyou could head would be up to Albany and then go alongthe old Route 9, which is in pretty good shape." Hespread the map and pointed as he talked. "Now, it won'tbe all of a picnic," he said, "but it looks like the cleanest and fastest way in—"

"Breakfast," said his wife and pushed the map aside toset a plate full of eggs and bacon and sausages in frontof Tanner and another one, holding four pieces of toast,next to it. There was marmalade, jam, jelly and butteron the table, and Tanner helped himself to it and sippedthe coffee and filled the empty places inside while Samtalked.

He told him about the gangs that ran between Bostonand Albany on bikes, hijacking anything they could, andthat was the reason most cargo went in convoys withshotgun riders aboard. "But you don't have to worry,with that rig of yours, do you?" he asked.

Tanner said, "Hope not," and wolfed down more food.He wondered, though, if they were anything like his oldpack, and he hoped not, again, for both their sakes.

Tanner raised his coffee cup, and he heard a soundoutside.

The door opened, and a boy ran into the kitchen. Tanner figured him as between ten and twelve years of age.An older man followed him, carrying the traditionalblack bag.

"We're here! We're here!" cried the boy, and Samstood and shook hands with the man, so Tanner figuredhe should, too. He wiped his mouth and gripped theman's hand and said, "My partner sort of went out of hishead. He Jumped me, and we had a fight. I shoved him,and he banged his head on the dashboard."

The doctor, a dark-haired man, probably in his lateforties, wore a dark suit. His face was heavily lined, andhis eyes looked tired. He nodded.

Sam said, "I'll take you to him," and he led him outthrough the door at the other end of the kitchen.

Tanner reseated himself and picked up the last piece oftoast. Susan refilled his coffee cup, and he nodded to her.