earby, and he puffed up his chest and said 'Well, brother, you see that the earth tried to swallow me up, but I defeated it " But the mouse shook its head and said, You had a djinni to help you If a hawk should snatch me from a scorpion, that does not make the scorpion my slave nor the hawk my ally" And the mouse scurried away "For all that,' thought Usul, "I am still alive, and I still have two portyguls left" He saw that the sun was not far from its zenith, and he knew his present need was for haste, and he set a steady pace for the Castle of Sand As he crossed a low range of dunes, he saw before him a plane of flat sand, and his heart rose, for he saw the sparkle of the grit and knew that this was firm sand, not dust beneath his feet He stepped steadily across the salt basin, heading for a ridge of rock on the far side When he came to the very middle of the place, his footfall went "Boom1" He took another step, and Boom'" "Drum-sand, ' he thought, "this atambal will call a worm'" And behind him, with the thought, he heard a hissing as of wind, but there was no wind The drumsand would give him firm footing, he knew, and he judged the distance to the rocks carefully He said to himself, "Shai-hulud moves through the sand like the ATREIDES PMJL ATREIDES, PAUL falcon through the air He will surely catch me long before I get to safety " And without a second thought, he cried, "Ahmar' Come to me'" and at once the Red Djmni stood before him "Ahmar," Usul said, ' walk off into the desert beating your drum This is the service I require of you'' "But Usul," said the demon, "are you not still under Alhen's spelP" "I am, ' replied Usul "Then you can command nothing of me But 1 will do what you ask m return for a portygul from the garden" "Done," said Usul And Ahmar took his fruit, and with his drum booming like two mountains mating, the demon sped off into the desert, with the worm following him like the wind Usul made his way to the rocks and sat down to catch his breath He saw nearby a mouse nibbling on a blade of scrabgrass, but this time he was not minded to boast "Brother,' he,said to the mouse, "I am still alive And I have one portygul'' The mouse replied, "Make sure when you cross the desert you always have Ahmar's drum at your call and ao worms will bother you " "That I cannot do," said Usul, but he began to think that such a drum were something that more than one Fremen might use to speed his way But he put such thoughts off till a calmer time, for the day was well advanced and he still had far to go As he walked on, Usul thought that while he had not beaten the uncaring earth nor the greedy worm, neither had they beaten him, whatever help he may have had This thought sparked him for many a league, but each passed slower than the last, for Al-Lat had long been in the sk>, and Usul grew thirstier with each step But he took no rest He still had a long way to go, and no desire at all to tend a demon's garden His mouth grew dry, and he thought of the portygul he earned and the smell of its rind His throat grew dry, and he thought of the fruit and the sweetness of its pulp Even hts eyes grew dry and his lids scratched when they blinked, and he thought of the fruit and the wetness of its juice, "But if I eat the portygul," he thought, "then I shall spend a few wretched hours in Alhen's pit before I make an appetizer for his supper " And he found no way of putting an end to his troubles So by and by Usul lay flat on the desert sands, too weak to move But he could still hear, and he heard the voices of two mice 'Is this Usul, ruler of Dune7" one asked 'No " answered the other, "it cannot be For Usul would have remembered his brave words to Alhen about how one is always one'si own master" And hearing this, Usul smiled though his lips were cracked, for he thought, "I am not dead yet," and he called m as ioud a croak as he could muster, "Abiad, come to me1" In a wink the mourn ful White Djinni was at his side "Weep for me, ' Usul said, that your tears may slake my thirst "Usul, ' said the djinni, 'I will not for while Alhen's spell is laid on you, you are not free " "But! am free,' said Usul "I am free m my will to bear or to bow, to endure or lo submit, and the mightiest naib can say no more If I were to die in chains, I will still have a freedom that no one can take from me " "That is as may be,' said Abiad, 'but I judge as the world judges I cannot see this quiet place within you, and to me your outside looks like a slave's But nevertheless, J will do what you ask in return for- ' "Silence' ' commanded Usul, and although his face was blistered, for he had foreseen this answer too, and he knew what was needed I will not give you the portygul, for I mean to eat it myself And once it has refreshed me, I mean to cross those hills and leave all thought of Alhen behind" Usul pushed himself to his feet, and spoke with all the strength he had ' Think you that I crossed these sands, fronted the djmn jumped out ot the bar almeda, gave the slip to Shai Hulud for the sake of Alhen's dessert9 No' This portygul's water will bear me to my own sietch where this very night 1 will sit before my hearth and my tribe will laugh at the fool I made of the Mand Alhen Naib of All the Djmn' No sooner had the words left his mouth than he found himself at the bottom of a great pit, and above him, the arm of Alhen reaching down to haul him up In an instant ATREIDES, PAUL ATREIDES, PAUL he stood before the angry Mand.