Winter in Eden

the basic needs of life must be your basic tenets. We will begin with one of them. Food. Do you follow this line of reasoning so far?"
    Enge signed respect and comprehension. "I admire as well the clarity of your thought processes and exposition."
    "As well you might—since the burden of all responsibility here seems to fall upon my strong shoulders.
    Repetition of argument. Food. Once you get them to admit that they need food to live, ask them if they wish to obtain it collectively or individually."
    "Wonderful!" Enge radiated agreement and enthusiasm. "Permit me to continue your thought. As we did in the sea, collectively catching schools of fish, so shall we do in the efenburu of sisterhood. We will all catch fish…"
    "No! You are missing the point. You are no longer yilieb young in the ocean, but Yilanè with the need to work together for your mutual good. Some of you must be selected to fish for all the others, and one of the group of fishers must order the others in the manner of fishing."
    "I understand and appreciate your point. But this decision will be difficult, difficult."
    Ambalasi was in complete agreement. "That is the story of survival: nothing is easy. We have had our cities so long we forget that once we competed on equal terms with all of the other life forms. Now we bend them to our will. And now we had better find a way to bend your Sisters before they become prematurely extinct."
    It took most of the entire day of discussion before the Daughters reached an agreement. Ambalasi busied herself with her seedlings and growing animals, registering extremes-of-disgust only when her glance Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    passed over the talking multitude. When Enge approached her in the late afternoon she looked up with an expression of expectancy and impatience.
    "Can it be that we will have fish after all?"
    "A decision has been reached that conforms to all of Ugunenapsa's teachings. Equality in all things, equality of effort. Ten of us will fish at a time, for ten is a complete number that represents the total of the fingers of two hands that will be doing the work. The first of the ten will lead the ten and issue the orders for the first day. On the second day the second of the ten will be in command, and so on, until the tenth of the ten commands and on the following day the next ten will take their place and so on until all have served—then the tens of tens of tens will begin over again. Is that not a circular, complete and satisfying solution?"
    Ambalasi signed disgust and horror. "Absolute rubbish! The most confusing bit of nonsense I have ever heard. What was wrong with appointing a fisher-in-charge who will choose all the others—all right. I see your frenzied motions—it would not be Ugunenapsa's way. So do it as you have decided. When does the fishing begin?"
    "Now. And I am first of the ten. We go with pleasure to supply the food for all."
    Ambalasi watched Enge's receding back, erect and proud. It was unbelievable. But understandable. And analyzable. Once you trapped yourself in a belief you had to follow through to the very end of all its permutations—or abandon the belief. She was beginning to regret her journey into the realms of darkest philosophy. Delicately, she cleaned the dirt from the roots of the seedling she was transplanting. How true, clear and satisfying biology was by comparison! But she dare not shy away. Their repellent philosophy produced biological results. She was determined to probe and discover the reasons for this. It was hard to be the first in science, the first in intelligence, the first in reason. Ambalasi sighed happily: it was a burden she would just have to bear.
    CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
    "Attention and urgency, attention and urgency!"
    The Yilanè was repeating herself incoherently like a fargi. Ambalasi looked up from her work prepared to indulge her biting temper. But she saw that the mud-covered creature was shaking with worry and fear so she signed for explanation-amplification instead.
    "One is injured while fishing. A bite, much blood."
    "Wait—then take me to her."
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    Ambalasi kept a bundle of medical needs ready for just such emergencies. She found it and handed it over. "Carry this—and proceed."
    They pushed through the circle of excited Daughters to find Enge kneeling in the mud, supporting the head of a blood-drenched Yilanè.
    "Quickly," she implored. "It is Efen, she who is closest to me. I have covered the