"Stands there gawping, wool on yer nose," said he. "There was one gawped like that, they twisted his arms and legs off, no more gawping from him. When are we leaving, Dummy? How long are you going to keep pulling my leg? My old woman's gone to another house, wool on yer nose, and I've been sleeping at the elder's for three nights, just now I'm thinking I'll go and spend the night with Barnacle's widow. The food's so rotten that even that old stump doesn't want to guzzle it, makes a face, says: everything you've got's rotten, you can't bear to smell it, never mind guzzle, wool on yer nose... Only I'm not going to Devil's Rocks, Dummy. I'll go with you to the City, we'll pick up some babes there. If we meet thieves we'll give them half, we won't be mean, wool on yer nose, and bring the other half back to the village, let them live here, what do they want floating about there, there was one floated, gave her a good 'un up the hooter, no more floating and hates the sight of water, wool on yer nose... Listen, Dummy, maybe you lied about the City and those babes? Or maybe you were seeing things - the robbers took Nava away from you, and you imagined it out of sorrow? Hopalong there doesn't believe it; reckons you were seeing things. What's that City in the lake, wool on yer nose, everybody said on a hill, not in a lake. Who can live in a lake, wool on yer nose? We'll all drown in there, there's water there, wool on yer nose, never mind the babes in there, I'm not going in even for them, I can't swim, and anyway what for? Now I could stand on the bank, while you drag them out... You'll go into the water then, and I'll stay on the bank, and we'll soon manage it that way, you and I..."
"Have you got yourself a stick?" asked Kandid.
"Where can I get you a stick in the forest, wool on yer nose?" objected Buster. "That means a trip to the swamp, for a stick. And I've no time, I'm hiding food so's the old man won't guzzle it, anyway what do I want with a stick, I don't intend to fight anybody... There was one who fought, wool on yer nose..."
"Okay," said Kandid. "I'll get you one myself. We leave day after tomorrow. Don't forget."
He turned and retraced his steps. Still the same old Buster. None of them had changed. No matter how hard he had tried to get it into their heads, they couldn't grasp anything, and seemingly, didn't believe what he said.
Deadlings can't be servants to women, you're putting it on there, Dummy, boy, three of them you couldn't drive away. Women are scared stiff of dead-lings, take a look at mine, then tell us again. As for the village going under, that's the Accession happening, nobody needs you to tell them that, what those women of yours have got to do with it I can't make out... Anyway, Dummy, you weren't in the City, go on now, confess, we won't take offense, you tell a rattling good story. Only you haven't been in any City, we all know that, 'cos if anyone gets to the City, they don't come back... It wasn't any women took away your Nava, just robbers, our local ones. You could never fight off robbers. Dummy. Though a man you are, of course, of the bravest, and the way you tackle deadlings - that's just terrible to watch..."
Any idea of approaching destruction simply couldn't enter their heads. Destruction was approaching too slowly and began its advance too long ago. Probably, the trouble was that destruction was a concept linked with immediacy, right now, with some sort of catastrophe. They were unable and had no desire to generalize, couldn't and wouldn't think of the world outside their village. There was the village and there was the forest. The forest was the more powerful, but then the forest had always been and always would be more powerful. What had destruction to do with it? What destruction do you mean? It's just life. Now, when a tree crushes somebody, that's destruction all right, but you've just got to use your head and figure out what's what... One day they'd realize. When there were no women left; when the swamps had advanced up to the house walls; when subterranean springs were tapped and the lilac mist hung over the rooftops... Or maybe they wouldn't even then - just say: "Can't live here anymore - the Accession." And go off to build a new village...
Hopalong was sitting before his door, pouring ferment on a prop of mushrooms that had come up during the night, and preparing to breakfast.
"Take a seat," said he affably. "Something to eat? Good mushrooms."
"I will," said Kandid and seated himself alongside.
"Eat up, eat up," said Hopalong. "Now you've got no Nava, while you're adjusting yourself without Nava.
