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IN ACTION
Mark Tielens Thomas

MANNING
 React in Action

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>
 React in Action
MARK TIELENS THOMAS

MANNING
SHELTER ISLAND

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

For online information and ordering of this and other Manning books, please visit
www.manning.com. The publisher offers discounts on this book when ordered in quantity.
For more information, please contact

Special Sales Department

Manning Publications Co.
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©2018 by Manning Publications Co. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in

any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written
permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
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Publications was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps
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Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, it is Manning’s policy to have
the books we publish printed on acid-free paper, and we exert our best efforts to that end.
Recognizing also our responsibility to conserve the resources of our planet, Manning books
are printed on paper that is at least 15 percent recycled and processed without the use of
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Manning Publications Co. Development editor: Marina Michaels

20 Baldwin Road Technical development editor: Nickie Bruckner
PO Box 761 Project manager: Janet Vail
Shelter Island, NY 11964 Copy editor: Corbin Collins
Technical proofreader: German Frigerio
Proofreader: Melody Dolab
Typesetter: Dennis Dalinnik
Cover designer: Marija Tudor

ISBN: 9781617293856
Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 – EBM – 23 22 21 20 19 18

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

 This book is dedicated to my wife, Haley. Stay forever.

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>
 brief contents
PART 1 MEET REACT .................................................................1
1 ■ Meet React 3
2 ■ <Hello World />: our first component 22

PART 2 COMPONENTS AND DATA IN REACT ..............................57

3 ■ Data and data flow in React 59
4 ■ Rendering and lifecycle methods in React 77
5 ■ Working with forms in React 111
6 ■ Integrating third-party libraries with React 129
7 ■ Routing in React 151
8 ■ More routing and integrating Firebase 170
9 ■ Testing React components 192

PART 3 REACT APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE ..........................219

10 ■ Redux application architecture 221
11 ■ More Redux and integrating Redux with React 251
12 ■ React on the server and integrating React Router 277
13 ■ An introduction to React Native 313

vii

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>
 contents
preface xv
acknowledgments xvii
about this book xix
about the author xxii
about the cover illustration xxiii

PART 1 MEET REACT .......................................................1

1 Meet React 3
1.1 Meet React 4
Who this book is for 6 ■
A note on tooling 7
Who uses React? 7
1.2 What does React not do? 9
Tradeoffs of React 10
1.3 The virtual DOM 12
The DOM 13 The virtual DOM 15 Updates and
■ ■

diffing 16 Virtual DOM: Need for speed? 17

■

1.4 Components: The fundamental unit of React 17

Components in general 17 ■
Components in React: Encapsulated
and reusable 18
1.5 React for teams 19

ix

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

x CONTENTS

2 <Hello World />: our first component 22

2.1 Introducing React components 24
Understanding the application data 26 Multiple components:
■

Composition and parent-child relationships 28 Establishing ■

component relationships 28
2.2 Creating components in React 31
Creating React elements 31 Rendering your first component 34
■

Creating React components 36 Creating React classes 37

■

The render method 37 Property validation via PropTypes 38

■

2.3 The life and times of a component 42

A React state of mind 43 ■ Setting initial state 44
2.4 Meet JSX 52
Creating components using JSX 53 ■ Benefits of JSX and
differences from HTML 55

PART 2 COMPONENTS AND DATA IN REACT ....................57

3 Data and data flow in React 59

3.1 Introducing state 60
What is state? 60 ■
Mutable and immutable state 63
3.2 State in React 65
Mutable state in React: Component state 65 Immutable state in ■

React: Props 69 Working with props: PropTypes and default

■

props 70 Stateless functional components 71

■

3.3 Component communication 73

3.4 One-way data flow 74

4 Rendering and lifecycle methods in React 77

4.1 Getting set up with the Letters Social repo
Getting the source code 80 Which version of node should
■
78

I use? 80 Note on tooling and CSS 81 Deploying 81

■ ■

The API server and database 81 Running the app 82

■

4.2 The render process and lifecycle methods 82

Introducing lifecycle methods 82 Types of lifecycle methods 84
■

Initial and “will” methods 88 Mounting components 89

■

Updating methods 93 Unmounting methods 96

■

Catching errors 98
4.3 Starting to create Letters Social 102

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

 CONTENTS xi

5 Working with forms in React 111

5.1 Creating posts in Letters Social
Data requirements 112 ■
112
Component overview and
hierarchy 113
5.2 Forms in React 115
Getting started with forms 115 Form elements and events 116
■

Updating state in forms 120 Controlled and uncontrolled

■

components 121 Form validation and sanitization 123

■

5.3 Creating new posts 126

6 Integrating third-party libraries with React 129

6.1 Sending posts to the Letters Social API 130
6.2 Enhancing your component with maps 132
Creating the DisplayMap component using refs 133
Creating the LocationTypeAhead component 139
Updating CreatePost and adding maps to posts 145

7 Routing in React 151

7.1 What is routing? 152
Routing in modern front-end web applications 153
7.2 Creating a router 154
Component routing 155 Creating the <Route />
■

component 156 Starting to build the <Router/>

■

component 157 Matching URL paths and parameterized

■

routing 160 Adding routes to the Router component 162

■

8 More routing and integrating Firebase 170

8.1 Using the router 171
Creating a page for a post 177 Creating a <Link/>
■

component 178 Creating a <NotFound/> component 182

■

8.2 Integrating Firebase 183

Ensuring a user is logged in 187

9 Testing React components 192

9.1 Types of testing
Why test? 195
194

9.2 Testing React components with Jest, Enzyme, and React-

test-renderer 197

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

xii CONTENTS

9.3 Writing your first tests 199

Getting started with Jest 199 Testing a stateless functional
■

component 201 Testing the CreatePost component without

■

Enzyme 205 Test coverage 213

■

PART 3 REACT APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE ................219

10 Redux application architecture 221

10.1 The Flux application architecture 223
Meet Redux: A variation on Flux 226 ■
Getting set up for
Redux 227
10.2 Creating actions in Redux 229
Defining action types 230 Creating actions in Redux 232
■

Creating the Redux store and dispatching actions 232

Asynchronous actions and middleware 235 To Redux or ■

not to Redux? 242 Testing actions 245 Creating custom

■ ■

Redux middleware for crash reporting 247

11 More Redux and integrating Redux with React 251

11.1 Reducers determine how state should change 252
State shape and initial state 253 Setting up reducers to respond
■

to incoming action 254 Combining reducers together in our

■

store 261 Testing reducers 262

■

11.2 Bringing React and Redux together 264

Containers vs. presentational components 264 Using ■

<Provider /> to connect components to the Redux store 267

Binding actions to component event handlers 272 Updating ■

your tests 274

12 React on the server and integrating React Router 277

12.1 What is server-side rendering?
Digging into server-side rendering 280
278

12.2 Why render on the server? 282

12.3 You might not need SSR 285
12.4 Rendering components on the server 286
12.5 Switching to React Router 292
Setting up React router 293
12.6 Handling authenticated routes with React router 297
12.7 Server rendering with data-fetching 301

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

 CONTENTS xiii

13 An introduction to React Native 313

13.1 Introducing React Native 314
13.2 React and React Native 317
13.3 When to use React Native 319
13.4 The simplest “Hello World” 321
13.5 Where to go next 324

index 327

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>

Licensed to Samir Mashlum <[email protected]>
Other documents randomly have
different content
But no matter how much they questioned him or how they
threatened, Johnny insisted he did not know where Baba was.
Finally Ed, the blond scar-faced leader, gave up. He turned to the
others. "You guys search the ground," he commanded, "while I call
in to the boss." He turned and dialed the radio telephone on the
instrument board of the 'copter.
"Hello," he said, "I want to speak to the boss." There was a pause.
"Hello," he said again. "We got the kid—found him where Stevenson
thought he saw the fire."
Johnny heard a voice coming back over the instrument. He thought
he recognized it, but he couldn't make out any words.
"No," the pilot spoke into the instrument, "the kid says the bear ran
away, but I think he's lying. We're going to search from the plane.
Can't send anybody down because of the leopards. One had the kid
when we found him." There was another pause. "No, not hurt. When
we're finished I'll drop him at the colony." There was a long pause.
Johnny caught the words, "if I know that bear," and then there was
more he couldn't catch.
"That's a smart idea," the scar-faced man said. "We'll do just what
you said. O.K. Be seeing you!" The pilot turned back to the other
two, who had binoculars trained down into the jungle.
"See anything, Barney?"
"Not a thing, Ed!" the black-eyed man replied.
"You, Shorty?"
The other man shook his head. "Not even a bird."
For over an hour they searched. While they were searching, Ed, the
pilot, put in another call and told someone else what had happened.
He hinted that even if they didn't find the bear, there was still a way
they might get their hands on him.
Johnny sat with his fists clenched. He knew they would shoot if Baba
showed himself.
After an hour went by and the 'copter had gone over every foot of
the surrounding territory, the men had to give up because they were
running low on fuel.
As they went higher up, Johnny peered out. The 'copter veered
Venus east—away from the colony. At that moment Johnny's heart
sank. The hunters weren't taking him home! Baba would have seen
the 'copter come and go. The little bear would think anyone finding
Johnny would take him back to the settlement. Johnny knew just
what the little bear would do. He would go back to the settlement
looking for Johnny!
Johnny had succeeded in keeping those hunters from getting Baba;
now the colonists would get him. Or would they? Suddenly Johnny
knew whose voice that had been on the radio telephone. The voice
was that of the trader, Willard Harkness!
 CHAPTER TWELVE
The Price of a Boy

They were in the air over two hours, traveling at maximum speed,
before they arrived at their destination. This turned out to be a small
cabin, surrounded by the usual high wall, with a space inside the
wall for a helicopter and a tank. It was a hunters' hideout entirely
hidden from view by diamond-wood trees. The pilot had had to work
his way through branches and then fly for a time between the trunks
of the great trees before hovering in for a landing. A man was
standing in the yard waiting for them when they landed.
As soon as Ed shut off the 'copter's motor, the man who was waiting
for them yelled, "No arrow-birds that I can see. Tell the kid to run for
it." The man had been informed about him by the helicopter's radio.
"O.K., kid, scoot!" Ed jabbed Johnny in the ribs.
Johnny scooted. The lodge door slammed behind him and he
opened the inner door. The large central room was surprisingly neat.
The floor was bare but polished. Some hunting trophies were on the
windowless walls.
Chained on a perch in one corner of the room, a miserable little
scarlet ape sat huddled up, with its chin upon its knees. When it saw
Johnny it screamed and chattered. Johnny walked toward it, about
to click a greeting.
"Better watch out!" A red head was thrust from the door of another
room. "Ed's monkey is meaner than he is." It was Rick Saunders.
"Glad to see you safe!" The big redhaired man grinned easily, and
waved.
"Hullo," Johnny said. He didn't smile. If Rick were here, it meant
only one thing. These were the same men who had stolen the
colony's marva claws! He all but glared at Rick Saunders standing in
the inner doorway.
"You don't seem too happy about being rescued," Rick said with a
laugh.
"I wasn't rescued. I...." Johnny stopped. He knew he shouldn't have
said that.
Rick's eyebrows went up. "It seems I heard something about a
leopard."
"Well, I guess I was rescued—sorta," Johnny admitted lamely.
"I guess you were!" Rick paused, looking at Johnny. "You sure don't
sound very friendly."
"I don't like thieves and traitors," Johnny said defiantly.
"Wait a minute!" Rick began.
At that moment the four hunters entered the room, cutting off the
rest of Rick's sentence. The scarred-faced leader spoke to Rick.
"You know you're not allowed in here. Get out!" His voice was low
and threatening. Rick turned to go.
"Hold it," called Barney, the narrow-faced hunter. "Carry this in to
the kitchen." He dropped a haunch of antelope on the floor.
His face set and calm, Rick walked slowly past Johnny and hoisted
the meat to his shoulder.
"Any other orders?" he asked quietly.
"Yep!" Ed said. "Take the kid with you. Rustle him up clothes of
some kind. Then you can put him to work helping you."
"Come on, Johnny." Rick put his hand on Johnny's shoulder and
started for the door. Johnny followed him, shrugging off the friendly
hand.
The kitchen was even neater than the main room. As soon as they
entered the room, Rick tossed the haunch of antelope into the sink.
He turned, faced Johnny, and grasped the boy's shoulders with his
big freckled hands. He seemed angry.
"What's this thieves-and-traitors business mean?" he demanded.
"First you pretended to be on our side," Johnny answered, "and then
you let the rhinosaurs get in so's those hunters could steal our
marva claws."
"So that's what you think," Rick said. He regarded Johnny gravely.
"Does the rest of the colony think that, too?"
Johnny nodded.
"Take a good look at me, Johnny." Rick touched a cloth tied around
his middle like an apron. "I'm cook and housekeeper here, not one
of the gang. I wasn't pretending anything, and I didn't let any
rhinosaurs inside. I came with these outlaws because they had their
tank guns leveled on me."
"But why did they do that?" Johnny demanded.
"Harkness' orders," Rick replied. "Remember his threat?"
"I sure do!" Johnny said. His eyes grew wide. "I was right," he went
on. "I thought Mr. Harkness was the boss those hunters called."
"He sure is the boss," Rick said. "He's given out word he'll pay for
any information about you and Baba. Any information he gets he
passes on to this bunch. The gang has to work for him so he'll
market their stolen claws and arrange their passage to Earth. Why
he's even offering to pay double for Baba just to prevent the colony
from getting him."
"Golly!" Johnny breathed. "He really must be sore at us." Johnny sat
down on a kitchen stool. It was cold against his bare bottom. He
looked up at Rick. "Gosh, I'm sorry, Rick. I mean about thinking you
were—well you know."
"That's all right, Johnny." Rick was smiling now. "I'll admit it did look
bad. Let's forget it and get you into some clothes. We have a meal
to fix."
Johnny jumped up. With a friend beside him things didn't seem quite
as bad. Helped by a pair of scissors, Rick soon had him into a pair of
cut down trousers and a baggy shirt. As soon as the clothes were
on, the two started preparing the meal.
As they worked, Johnny questioned Rick about what had happened
to him. Outside of beating him up once, the hunters hadn't treated
him too badly. He was being saved for Trader Harkness. They made
Rick stay in the kitchen and wouldn't let him into the main room
except to clean it up, and then kept a gun on him. The gang kept
him from escaping by a very simple means—they locked up the
rhinosaur-hide armor in a closet. Ed kept the closet keys, as well as
the keys to the tank and helicopter, fastened to his wrist. Rick had
been watching carefully but had not seen one chance to escape.
As Johnny served the meal to the outlaw hunters, he looked the
room over carefully. When the men weren't looking, he clicked a
greeting to the little scarlet ape. It immediately became quite
excited. A plan for escape began to shape itself in Johnny's mind. He
said nothing to Rick, however.
After the outlaws had eaten, Johnny and Rick had their meal. Rick
thought it strange, but Johnny couldn't bring himself to eat any of
the antelope; he remembered all too well the tiny antelope leader he
had held in his hand. When they were finished and had washed the
dishes, Johnny was all too glad for a blanket thrown on the kitchen
floor—the same kind of bed Rick had.
Johnny tried to push away his fears for Baba, but it was a long time
before he could get to sleep.
It seemed only minutes later when he was rudely awakened by a
rough blow on his shoulder. Actually it was ten hours later, as he
could see by the clock above the stove. Johnny reared up to see Ed
standing over him, a smile on his thin lips, his pale eyes jubilant.
"Get up and get your clothes on," he ordered. "We're going places."
Johnny jumped up and reached for the baggy clothes Rick had made
him.
"Come on in when you're ready and don't waste any time about it,"
Ed directed, and strode back into the other room. Johnny slipped on
the pants and was soon stuffing in the shirt tails of the oversized
shirt. Rick stood by the stove and watched, sympathy in his eyes.
"Baba," he said slowly, "arrived at the colony an hour ago. I was
listening at the door when the call came from Harkness. These guys
are planning—"
"Come on!" Ed stuck his head in through the door and cut Rick off.
Numb with worry, Johnny followed Ed into the main room.
"Better wrap him up in something," the outlaw called Barney said,
his narrow face twisted in a strange grin. "We can't let the arrow-
birds get him now."
Johnny stood while they strapped man-sized armor on him and put a
headglobe on his head. He followed Ed out of the door and into the
helicopter. The outlaw leader seated Johnny beside him, switched on
the motor, and they roared away.
"Where we going?" Johnny asked.
"You'll find out," Ed snapped. "Keep quiet till I tell you to talk!"
They flew on for almost an hour. Then Ed set the helicopter controls
on automatic hover and snapped the radio telephone on. He dialed a
number. Johnny saw that the number was that of Colony
Headquarters.
"Hello." Ed made his voice high and nasal. "I have information
concerning Johnny Watson. Let me speak to his father."
The slick-haired blond man put his hand over the telephone
mouthpiece. He grabbed Johnny by the collar and stared directly into
his eyes.
"Listen," he said, "when your father comes on, I want you to speak
to him. Tell him you were rescued by us and we've treated you O.K.
Understand?"
Johnny nodded, his mouth dry.
"I'll tell him what happened," Johnny said. He didn't understand why
Ed was making such a fuss about it.
"Hello. Hello. This is Frederick Watson." Johnny was thrilled by the
sound of his father's voice over the telephone.
"Hello, Mr. Watson," Ed said in the fake voice. "We've found your boy
and here he is." Ed handed Johnny the telephone, his hand over the
mouthpiece again. "Remember!" he said in a threatening voice.
"Hello, dad!" Johnny said into the telephone. "I'm safe all right."
"Thank God!" his father's voice replied.
"I was rescued by these men and outside of making me wash dishes
and sleep on the floor, they've treated me fine. I'm—"
Ed took the telephone away from him in mid-sentence.
"But where are you, Johnny?" Johnny could still hear his father's
voice.
"Right now," Ed said into the telephone, "Johnny's up in a 'copter.
You needn't try to get a direction finder on us. Rescuing this boy
cost us a lot and we gotta be sure you'll pay us for it."
"I offered a reward." Mr. Watson's voice was anxious.
"It ain't enough," Ed said. "We lost a tank and a 'copter getting him.
He was surrounded by rhinosaurs. We have the boy. You've got a
live marva. I figure it should be a trade. You bring the marva to the
old tank road by the river, and we'll bring the boy. Bring one tank,
driven by one man. That's all. Be there forty-eight hours from now.
Do as I say and the boy will be delivered on schedule."
"Hello, hello." Frederick Watson's voice was frantic. "I don't know if
the colony will—" Ed hung up and snapped off the radio.
"They will," he said.
Johnny's spirits had never been so low. Everything he touched
seemed to turn to disaster. The colony was all but ruined. In trying
to protect Baba he had caused the marshberries to be destroyed and
had given these outlaws a chance to steal the colony's marva claws.
By running away with Baba he hadn't saved the little bear at all. The
outlaws, Trader Harkness' outlaws, were going to get him.
Johnny would not only lose Baba, but the colony, too, would lose its
last chance for survival.
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Outwitting the Outlaws

The little red monkey screamed and chattered its hate as Johnny
and Ed stepped through the doorway of the cabin after their eventful
flight. Johnny had noted that the cabin door was the only exit.
As was usual on Venus, the exit was a double door. When the outer
door was open, the inner one could not be opened. It was just like
the school door. If Johnny could once get through the outer door
and block it open, it would be a while before the men could break
the lock on the inner door and get out. Getting out the first door
would be the problem—but not too big a problem. The outlaws
didn't think that he could go into the jungle without armor, so they
did not watch him or the door too carefully.
As soon as they were inside, Ed took off Johnny's oversized armor
and locked it away. He then winked at the other men and sat Johnny
down in front of him on a high stool.
"You know who I am?" Ed asked him.
"Sure," Johnny said. "You're Ed."
The big man cuffed him so hard he fell from the stool.
"Boy," he said, "you never saw me before." He frowned, making his
scarred face as evil as he could. "When you go back to that colony,
you're going to forget you ever saw us. Do you know why?"
From the floor Johnny shook his head.
"Because if you tell anybody our names or anything about us, you
know what we're going to do?" Ed asked.
Again Johnny shook his head.
"We'll catch you and take you out into the jungle and tie you to a
tree without any armor on, and leave you for the arrow-birds. You
understand?"
Johnny nodded his head. They thought they were scaring him.
They talked a little while longer, describing things they might do to
him if he told their names, and Johnny pretended to be afraid.
"All right," Ed said after the lecture. "Get back to the kitchen."
"Can I play with your monkey?" Johnny asked.
"Play with that monkey!" Ed's pale eyebrows went up. "He'd chew an
ear off you. I've been trying to tame him for a month—and he don't
do anything but bite. You leave him alone."
"He won't bite me," Johnny said. "I don't think he will." The monkey
would be a big help in escaping, if only they'd let Johnny get close to
him. "I'll just go get some sugar cubes from the kitchen."
"Let him, Ed. It'll teach the brat a lesson," the narrow-faced Barney
put in.
"O.K." Ed said. "Get bit, if you want to."
Johnny rushed through the open door into the kitchen. Rick was
sitting at the table with a book beside him.
"You got any candy, Rick?" Johnny asked. "Or maybe some sugar
cubes?"
"You better not fool with that monk, Johnny," Rick said. "He's plenty
mean, like all the Venus creatures."
"He won't hurt me," Johnny said. He saw a box of sugar cubes in the
cupboard and grabbed it. "Monkeys just love sweets."
"No." Rick leaned over and a big freckled hand closed around
Johnny's small brown one. He took the box of sugar away. "I'm
going to tell them you got scared. Only two things will happen if you
try playing with that monk. You'll get bitten, and they'll get a big
laugh."
"Please let me, Rick," Johnny said. He paused a minute and
whispered, "I've got an idea how I can get away."
"What!" Rick exploded. He closed the door and went on in a whisper,
"It's impossible. You haven't any armor. You don't have any weapons
or a tank. Don't be silly." He paused, and looked at Johnny. "Well,
how were you going to do it?"
"Simple," said Johnny. "First I make friends with the monkey. Then
I'll let him go and tell him to run around and jump on Ed and the
rest. While they are chasing him, I'll open the inside door. I'll let him
out first and dive through myself. I'll wedge open the outside door,
and by the time they get their armor on and break the lock on the
inside door, I'll be over the wall and gone." The words tumbled out
of him.
Rick shook his head. "Johnny, that week in the jungle has gone
straight to your head. In the first place, how are you going to make
friends with the monkey? Then how are you going to tell him
anything? And how are you going to get any armor?"
"Rick," Johnny said, "I don't need any armor."
"Oh, Johnny!" Rick exclaimed, exasperated.
"They just won't bother me." Johnny took a deep breath. "I can talk
to them, same as I can talk to the monkey!"
"What!"
"Now, listen, Rick," Johnny whispered earnestly, "I wasn't hurt when
I came here, was I? I'd been in the jungle six Earth days without any
armor."
Rick was looking at him with a strange expression.
"Do you remember," Johnny went on, "how I looked when you
rescued me from the rhinosaur?"
Rick nodded.
"Did I have any armor on then?"
Rick stared at Johnny for a few seconds.
"By golly!" His mouth was slightly open in amazement. "You didn't
have any armor on!"
"I wasn't hurt, was I?"
Rick shook his head slowly.
"No," he said, "but what about that leopard and the rhinosaur?"
"The leopard wasn't hurting me," Johnny said. "She was trying to
get me away before the men got me. She was my friend. As for the
rhinosaur—well, Baba and me hadn't learned for sure about them,
yet."
"But how can you talk to them?" Rick asked in wonder.
Johnny knew he had no choice, he had to trust Rick completely.
"It was Baba," Johnny said. Then, very quickly, he explained about
Baba's clicks, and told Rick about his three secrets.
"Jeb said something about those clicks one time," Rick said
thoughtfully. "I never dreamed it could be true."
"It is true, though," Johnny insisted.
Ed stuck his scarred face through the doorway.
"Well, kid, getting cold feet about the monk?"
"No, sir!" Johnny said. "Rick was just getting me some cube sugar."
"Well, hurry it up." Ed went back out.
"Johnny," Rick said, "you show me with that monk, and by the
moons of Saturn, I'll come with you, armor or no armor!"
Johnny was bewildered. This was something he hadn't counted on.
He wanted to explain that there was a chance even he, alone, could
not succeed without Baba. Just as Johnny started to speak, Ed
appeared in the doorway again.
"Well?" he said in his heavy voice.
Johnny took the sugar cubes from Rick and followed Ed into the
main room. As he always did, the monkey screamed and chattered
at them as they entered. The little animal was chained to its perch.
A spring catch too strong for its tiny fingers fastened the chain to its
collar and kept it from getting away. The outlaws began to gather
around.
"You'll have to stay at the table, way over at the other end of the
room," Johnny said to the men. "He's scared of you." He pointed to
the table, which was as far as possible from the door leading
outside.
"All right, all right." The four men seated themselves where Johnny
pointed, ready to watch the fun.
Johnny walked slowly up to the tiny monkey. As he did so, its little
red face twisted and it showed its razor-sharp fangs. It screamed at
him. Then it leaped out, only to be jerked back cruelly as it came to
the end of its chain. But it ran out as far as it could and clawed at
Johnny, its eyes red.
"Friend-pet, friend-pet," Johnny clicked very low in the back of his
throat. The animal stopped screaming and cocked his head at him. It
looked from one side to the other, as if looking for a marva behind
Johnny. Johnny repeated the phrase again and again, holding the
sugar out where the red monkey could see it and smell it.
Johnny didn't have any idea how much the little animal could
understand, but he went on clicking. "I'm your friend. We are going
to get away from these men." He repeated this many times. Then he
remembered that Rick was going to try, too. "You and I and the big
man in the other room are going to escape."
As Johnny talked, he moved forward. Soon he was well in range of
the little monkey's nails. It jumped forward. Johnny put a sugar cube
in its paws. With a gurgle of pleasure, the monkey swallowed the
sugar and put out its paw for more.
"Jump on my shoulder," Johnny clicked. The little creature regarded
him silently. Then, with a graceful hop, it was on his shoulder.
"I don't believe it," Ed's voice rumbled.
As soon as the hunter outlaw spoke, the little monkey growled and
bared his teeth at him. The man muttered something under his
breath, angry that a small boy had done what he couldn't do. He
started out toward them, and was quickly in range of the creature's
teeth.
"You'd better not," Johnny said. "He'll—"
The monkey dived at Ed, his teeth slicing into the man's shoulder.
The outlaw jumped back, cursing. Blood ran down his shirt.
"I'm sorry, Ed," Johnny said. "Let me work with him just a little
while, and maybe he'll make friends with you, too." In his anger the
man had picked up a heavy stick to hit the monkey. The other men
broke into laughter.
Ed grunted something, and threw his stick at the men who were
laughing. "Come on," he said, "let's play cards." Johnny turned back
to the monkey.
For almost half an hour Johnny talked to the monkey in the marva
clicking language while the outlaws played cards across the room.
He guessed the little animal could understand a little more than the
mother leopard could. That wasn't too much, but it was enough. He
made the creature understand that when he was released, he was to
fly at the men. He wasn't to hurt them, but make them chase him
until Johnny could get the door open. Then the monkey was to leap
for the opening. The hardest job was getting the monkey to
understand that he shouldn't harm Rick if the ex-bodyguard came
with them. Johnny wasn't sure the monkey understood.
With his back turned to the outlaws, Johnny undid the collar about
the monkey's throat. Keeping the little animal out of their sight he
walked toward the exit door. He picked up an old boot to use on the
outer door.
"Hey," Ed suddenly shouted, "where's the monk?"
"After them," Johnny clicked. The monkey leaped at the oncoming
Ed. He clawed his face, then leaped at the other men. He made
great jumps by swinging from light fixtures by his long black tail. Ed
wheeled and charged like a bull after the tiny screaming creature.
"The kid let the crazy thing loose!" he shouted. "Catch it!"
"Shoot him!" yelled Shorty, drawing his ato-tube pistol from its
holster. Ed knocked it from his hand, and it went sliding along the
floor.
"Want to kill us, too, you fool?"
In the excitement Johnny worked the latch on the exit door, and
pressed the button that opened it. He saw Rick half way through the
kitchen door. Rick reached down and grabbed up something from
the floor. The monkey was jumping from head to head among the
yelling outlaws. Not one of them noticed what Johnny was doing.
The door was open. Johnny nodded his head toward Rick, who came
at a dead run. When Rick was almost there, Johnny clicked as loud
as he could, "Come, friend-pet! Come!"
In one leap the little animal sailed across the room and landed on
his shoulder. Johnny and Rick pushed through the door, slammed it
behind them, and opened the outside door.
Johnny paused a second and wedged the boot he had picked up into
the outer door. The outside door could not close and the safety lock
would keep the inner door closed.
"Come on, Johnny," Rick shouted. "This way!" He rushed through
the helicopter landing space toward the tank entrance. Rick pulled
the switch that opened the duro-steel door.
"Dive for the nearest tree trunk," Rick shouted. "They have gun
mounts on the roof."
Johnny ran after Rick, his short legs unable to keep up with the
older man. The little monkey was riding on top of his head, shrieking
and chattering. As soon as they reached the forest the monkey
jumped into a tree.
Johnny stopped dead. He needed that monkey. The little animal
could tell other animals he and Rick were friendly.
"Friend-pet monkey, friend-pet monkey," he clicked, "come with me."
For an instant he was afraid the animal had not heard. Then, with a
shock, he felt it drop down on his head.
"Rick, Rick," he yelled, "stay with me." With relief he heard the big
man coming back. "You gotta stay with me," Johnny panted. "Arrow-
birds." Rick nodded, and ran along beside Johnny.
They ran among the great pillars of the diamond-wood forest until
Johnny thought his breath would come no more. His feet were
heavy against the springing leaves, his legs began to twist with
fatigue. When he was about to fall, Rick whisked him up in his arms.
The little monkey screamed and jumped at Rick's head.
"No, no!" Johnny clicked. The tiny creature jumped back on Johnny's
head, but he had left red claw marks on Rick's face.
Far in the distance they heard the noise of a tank motor starting.
The diamond-wood trees were beginning to thin out. Soon they
would be in the jungle of meat trees which always surrounded a
grove of the giant trees. The sound of a helicopter motor starting up
was added to the sound of the tank. The noise of the tank motor
lessened. The outlaws had headed in the wrong direction. The
helicopter was the great danger now. Hiding under a meat tree, with
its heavy leaves, was their best chance.
"We'd better get under something, Rick," Johnny said. His breath
had returned. "Let me down."
Rick nodded. His breath was coming in great gasps. A heavily leafed
tree surrounded by brush was a few hundred yards ahead of them.
Johnny pointed to it and Rick nodded. Johnny prayed that there
were no arrow-birds feeding there. This close to the hunters' lodge
there shouldn't be many animals—but arrow-birds were always on
the watch.
As they worked through the brush to get under the meat tree
Johnny really missed Baba. The first branches were too high for
either Johnny or Rick to reach. If Baba had been there they could
have easily climbed up into the protection of the tree's leaves and
branches. Luckily the brush was high and thick around it, screening
them from view from the side. The tree itself screened off the sky.
Once they had reached the trunk of the tree, they stood wordlessly
for a while, breathing hard.
"Any idea where we are, Rick?" Johnny asked in a whisper.
Rick's big, bony face broke into a smile. He reached into a pocket.
Out came a small map of the Venus continent.
"Not for sure," he said. "But we can't be far from the lodge." He
pointed to a mark on the map. "Once we see the lay of the land, we
should be able to tell." Suddenly Rick froze stone still. Johnny looked
up.
An arrow-bird had flown into the tree. Since its head was not in
position to strike, it was probably looking for a meat fruit. Just as
Johnny saw it, its head turned toward them.
Johnny clicked out a sharp command for it to leave them alone.
As the little purple eyes sought them out, its head snapped into
striking position. But as Johnny clicked on, it moved its head back to
a friendlier position. Its little purple eyes stared directly at them.
Rick regarded Johnny with wonder.
"I don't know what that little bear taught you, but it sure is a
miracle," he said. He then reached into his shirt. "I'm still glad I got
this. Did you see Ed knock it out of Shorty's hand?" He pulled an
ato-tube pistol out of the shirt.
As soon as the gun came out, the red ape leaped from Johnny's
head, screaming. The arrow-bird snapped its head into position to
strike.
"Drop it, Rick! Drop it!" Johnny yelled.
Amazement swept over Rick's face.
"But why—?"
"Bother us not, friend-pet," Johnny clicked loudly. At the same time
he knocked the ato-tube from Rick's hand.
He was too late.
The arrow-bird shot with a sickening smack into Rick's shoulder.
Almost as quickly it withdrew its blood-stained beak and was
hovering in the air for another strike.
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Captured!

Rick stood rigid, his face twisting with pain, a hand clutching his
upper arm. The greenish bird hovered in the air, its wings a blur of
motion.
"We are friends. We are friends. Bother us not, friend-pet!" Johnny
clicked deep in his throat. The bird continued to hover, its little
purple eyes darting back and forth from Johnny to the wounded
Rick. Its bloody head stayed in arrow position, but it drifted farther
away.
Johnny remembered that when he had had an arrow-bird on his
shoulder, the others had left him alone. He dreaded changing his
command, but he did.
"Come to your friend," he clicked firmly. The arrow-bird stared at
him distrustfully, but came closer. The monkey dropped back on
Johnny's head. With a sigh of relief, Johnny saw the arrow-bird's
head snap out of attack position. He put out his hand and the arrow-
bird lit on it.
"Are you hurt bad, Rick?" he asked. The words made the arrow-bird
flutter with alarm, but Johnny soothed it by petting it with his other
hand.
Rick shook his head.
"Not too bad," he said through clenched teeth. "The thing seemed to
dodge when you made that clicking noise."
"I'm sorry, Rick," Johnny said. "You just shouldn't have shown that
gun—you'll have to leave it behind. If they think you'd harm any of
them, they'll kill you, just like that. The monkeys almost got me
'cause of a pocket knife."
"I didn't know," Rick said. He looked at the bird on Johnny's
shoulder. "Seems peaceful enough now."
"You better let him sit on your shoulder, Rick." Johnny looked down
at the arrow-bird and stroked it again. When it was quiet he placed
it on Rick's shoulder. The man was nervous and the bird was
worried, but they both did as they were told.
They waited under the tree while the helicopter went back and forth
above them. Johnny looked at Rick's wound. It didn't look too
serious, but Johnny knew better than to count on that. The slightest
arrow-bird wound could be deadly if not treated. Johnny had seen
hunters brought into the colony sick from an untreated scratch. They
should have brought an emergency kit, but the kits were only carried
in special pockets of the armor.
They let Rick's wound bleed to cleanse it as much as possible. Then
Johnny bound the arm tightly and made a sling for it from a piece of
Rick's shirt. Rick gave Johnny his wrist watch to wear, since his wrist
was hidden by the sling. After that they waited. It seemed the
helicopter would never go away. Once it hovered almost directly
above them, but then went on.
While they waited Johnny looked over the map. The outlaw hideout
was not as far from the colony as he had feared. They had to start
soon and make good time, but they just might be able to make it to
the meeting place the outlaws had set before Johnny's father got
there. There was a fighting chance if Rick didn't get too sick.
Finally they heard the sound of the helicopter landing far in the
distance. Taking direction from the map, they set out on their way.
Rick's wound was less painful now, but Johnny kept his eye on his
redhaired friend. They started out at a fast clip, following an animal
track which led in the direction they wanted to go.
In a few hours of steady marching they were a safe distance from
the outlaw hideout. Johnny's idea was working out. Several flights of
arrow-birds had passed them by with no more than a glance in their
direction. One flight had hovered above them while the arrow-bird
on Rick's shoulder twittered and shrieked to them. Then they had
flown off at top speed. A troop of monkeys had also let them pass
without doing them any harm. Hundreds of the small red apes had
followed along beside them for some time. Johnny's monkey
chattered to them from his perch on the boy's head. Then they, too,
had swung off through the trees at top speed. Rick had been awed,
for he had never seen Venus animals so close except when they
were attacking.
At first Rick's strides had been long and Johnny had had to run every
few steps to keep up. Now Rick's steps were short and slow. He
seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. They had stopped and
cleaned his wound again at a spring and rebound it, but he was not
doing well. The big redhaired man was pale under his freckles; his
lips were set tight.
Johnny kept close beside him as they moved forward. They had
worked out a path to follow that skirted diamond-wood groves and
avoided rivers. It was too easy to become lost in the dense forest,
and Johnny was very unsure of what river snakes would do.
Suddenly Rick stumbled. He stopped and balanced himself by
leaning on Johnny's shoulder. He looked at Johnny with bloodshot
eyes, sighed and crumpled up on the ground. The arrow-bird that
had been sitting on his shoulder hovered in the air above him
making little squeaking noises. He flew toward Johnny and then
down an animal trail that led off toward a diamond-wood grove. As
Johnny leaned over to look at Rick the monkey jumped from
Johnny's head.
Johnny stared down at Rick Saunders' face. His cheeks were flushed
but the rest of his face was grey. The little monkey sniffed the
wounded man and chattered something at Johnny. Then he, too, ran
down the side trail. When Johnny paid no attention, he came up to
Johnny and plucked his sleeve, chattering all the while. Johnny
looked around. He thought the monkey was drawing his attention to
some antelope berries growing down the path. Johnny clicked to the
little red monkey to gather some. When the red monkey returned,
clutching a cluster of the large berries in each tiny paw, Johnny took
them and squeezed the clear red juice into Rick's mouth.
The man coughed and turned his face away. But gradually his eyes
opened. They were dull and feverish. His hand went to his shoulder
and he winced. In the few hours that had passed, his arm and
shoulder had already swollen a great deal. He raised his head.
Johnny helped him to his feet, but when he staggered, Johnny
helped him lie down again on a patch of grass by the antelope berry
bush.
"I can't go any farther, Johnny." Rick's voice was hoarse. "Those
birds must have some kind of poison on their beaks. That wound
feels like it's on fire."
"It's not poison, Rick," Johnny explained. "They eat the meat fruit
and little pieces stick to their beaks. The pieces get rotten and infect
wounds bad." Johnny remembered that Rick was an Earthie and had
been on Venus barely a year.
"There's only one thing to do," Johnny went on. "I'll have to light a
signal fire with lots of smoke. Somebody'll see us then."
Rick shook his head slowly. "No, Johnny, it won't do. If those hunters
come they'll get you again and they're likely to finish me off. You
take the map and go on...." Rick's voice trailed away. He struggled to
sit up.
Johnny stepped forward, wondering what was wrong. The monkey
leaped off his head and bounded into a tree. Slowly Rick raised his
good arm and pointed directly behind Johnny.
Johnny turned. Staring at him through a bush was a coal black
sabre-toothed leopard, crouched to spring.
"Friend-pet, go away!" Johnny clicked in the marva tongue. Oh, if
Baba were only here! The monkey chattered from a tree.
"Go away! Go away!" Johnny repeated. Then he saw a second
leopard. A third. None of them was his friend, the mother leopard.
These leopards stood almost a foot higher and were solid black.
Their sabre fangs were a full foot long. These were deadly males,
hunting in a pack.
The one behind the bush gave a coughing growl. All three slinked
slowly toward Johnny and Rick on silent feet, their mouths half
open, their white teeth shining.
"Go away, bother us not! Friend-pets, bother us not!" Johnny
repeated. The leopards moved smoothly forward, their steel-like
muscles rippling under the shining black fur.
Frantically, Johnny turned to Rick, who was struggling to his feet.
"They won't obey, Rick!"
"Run, Johnny," Rick said. "Run for a tree!" Rick thrust the boy behind
him, but Johnny would not leave his friend. Rick turned, pulling
Johnny, and started to run.
At the same moment a leopard sprang through the air, high over
their heads. A split second later he was in front of them, barring
their way, his gold eyes glistening, his fanged mouth giving forth a
low growl. The growl meant, "Come."
Johnny looked about. Not four steps away was another of the lion-
sized cats. They were ringed around by the creatures. Johnny tried
clicking again, but they paid no attention.
"My arm, Johnny!" Rick groaned. He ran his hand over a forehead
which was dripping sweat. Slowly his legs gave way and he fell in a
heap beside Johnny. The leopards moved closer, their mouths wide.
The one in front was getting so close that Johnny could feel its
breath blowing against his bare arm.
Then it moved too fast for Johnny to follow. Johnny felt the great
jaws close around his middle, and he was hurled off his feet.
Frantically he beat at the big head. The jaws tightened, gripping him
painfully. As Johnny cried out in pain he saw the other two leopards
leap upon Rick.
A few seconds later Johnny was being carried down the path in the
jaws of the monster cat. The jaws had tightened no more than was
necessary to hold him firmly as the animal trotted along. From this
strange position Johnny witnessed an even stranger sight. Behind
the leopard carrying Johnny strode the two others. Side by side they
walked, dividing Rick Saunders' weight between them. One had its
jaws about Rick's arms and shoulders; the other held his hips and
legs. They moved along easily, their heads held high so that his feet
would not drag on the ground.
Then Johnny saw that his arrow-bird friend was riding on the
shoulder of one of the leopards that was carrying Rick. He heard a
chattering noise, and knew that the little red monkey was close by.
The leopards were taking them some place, but who could know
where? In his odd position Johnny could not tell even the direction
they were going. But soon they were in the patchwork shadow of a
meat tree forest. Here the leopards had their lairs. But they did not
stop. They went on and on. Johnny kept trying to watch the
leopards which carried Rick. Once in a while he could catch a
glimpse of them, Rick's head bobbing as they moved. He was still
unconscious.
Then Johnny heard a shout and a scuffling noise. The leopard
carrying him turned around. Rick was conscious. His head was
turning about wildly and he was yelling. His eyes lit on Johnny.
"What's happening?" he all but screamed.
"They're taking us somewhere," Johnny answered. "They haven't
hurt me yet."
Rick was kicking his feet and struggling, making it hard for the
leopards to walk. Johnny could see their jaws tightening as Rick
struggled.
"You better not fight, Rick," Johnny said. "You can't get away and
they'll just hurt you more. I'll tell them you won't fight if they'll hold
you easier." He clicked the message to the big cats. His own leopard
turned back up the trail, and he couldn't see what the other leopards
did. A few seconds later he heard Rick's voice.
"You were right, Johnny. When I eased up they eased up, too." Then
he laughed in a strained way. "I wish they'd eat us right now and get
it over with."
"Maybe they won't."
They said no more. They were coming to the edge of the meat tree
grove. As was often the case, the last group of meat trees was
beside a river. Beyond was a diamond-wood grove. The three
animals plunged into the cool water, and soon were swimming, with
Johnny's and Rick's heads held well above the water. On the
opposite bank they dived into the shadow of the diamond-wood
grove.
As soon as they entered the grove Johnny was startled to see that
there were several antelope walking beside them. Then, suddenly,
the little red monkey he had rescued from Ed was squatting on the
leopard's back. Johnny heard a swishing sound almost under his
head. By twisting hard he could see the ground. There was a river
snake crawling beside them. Its ugly horned head was right beneath
him. It was the first time he had ever seen one.
Then his heart leaped.
He heard the clicking of the marva language. Johnny twisted his
body against the leopard's teeth, trying to see where the clicking
was coming from. The leopard growled, and Johnny lay still again.
"Take the big killer to the healer," the voice clicked. "The little killer
take to the council." The clicks were somehow different from Baba's,
firmer and louder; but Johnny could understand them perfectly.
Johnny caught sight of the two leopards carrying Rick. They were
turning down another path. The river snake and the antelope took
the same path. But Johnny's leopard went on forward. After a short
time the leopard stopped and very carefully opened its jaws and
eased Johnny to the ground. It turned and walked a few steps away.
There it crouched.
Johnny got slowly to his feet. The little red monkey jumped on his
head. The arrow-bird perched on his shoulder. In a clearing among
the diamond-wood trees Johnny stood in the center of a circle of
jewel bears, their blue nails glowing in the half light. All but one or
two were dark about the muzzle. They sat on their haunches, staring
straight at Johnny.
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A City in the Trees

Except for faint animal sounds in the distance, there was silence in
the diamond-wood grove. More marva than any other person had
ever seen surrounded Johnny. Most of them were dark muzzled and
very old. From old Jeb's hunting tales Johnny knew that as a marva
grows older the fur about its muzzle darkens. A jewel bear with a
black muzzle was a rare thing. This was no ordinary group of marva,
but a gathering of elders. They seemed neither friendly nor
unfriendly. They seemed to be waiting patiently for Johnny to do
something.
"Hello," Johnny broke the silence, greeting them in their own clicking
language. "I am very glad to see you." Once started, Johnny had so
much to say the words fairly rushed from him. "Your leopards sure
scared us. Maybe you can tell me how to get to some people quick.
Before it knew we wouldn't hurt it, this arrow-bird wounded my
friend and he's very sick. And Baba's got caught again, and some
bad men are trying to get him. If you could help us get back to the
colony, oh, I'd thank you! Baba's a marva, you know, just like you
and he's my best friend. We tried to find you, but the outlaws
captured me and Baba went home because I'm his friend-pet-
brother and he thought I'd be there. Rick will die if you—"
The torrent of words was cut short by a marva with a coal black
muzzle. He stood up and raised both furry blue paws for silence.
"It was well reported that the little killer can speak our language," he
clicked, with a sound very like a human chuckle. "You speak well,"
he clicked to Johnny, "but you speak too much at once." A ripple of
amusement passed over the faces of the jewel bears. Then they
became stern once more.
"You must try to tell a little at a time," the old marva continued. "But
first, let me answer one of your questions, for I think you are full of
questions. The red-furred killer has been sent to the healers. He will
soon be treated. We heard of you and of the wound from our friend-
pets. You need not worry, little killer. Our healers have had many
wounds to deal with since your kind has been in the green lands."
"You mean you will fix up my friend?" Johnny asked. "You have
doctors?"
"Yes, little killer," the black muzzled one answered.
"But he won't understand," Johnny said. "He wouldn't let any of you
touch him—not unless I talk to him."
"Follow the leopard, then. He will take you to the healers. Then
return here." The black muzzled marva waved his paw and the
leopard rose and trotted off. Johnny ran beside him.
In another clearing Johnny paused in amazement. It was filled with
many animals. He saw several rhinosaurs with great gaping ato-tube
wounds. A leopard with a cut on its shoulder lay whimpering before
a marva, who was squeezing the juice of some berries upon the cut.
Fascinated, Johnny watched as the marva sewed up the cut—a fine
piece of marva claw for his needle. The berry's juice must have killed
the pain for the leopard stopped whimpering and lay very still.
Then Johnny saw Rick. He was lying on his back, but his eyes were
open. The two leopards were right beside him, their heavy paws
holding him down.
"Rick!" Johnny called, running up to him.
"Get away from here," Rick yelled. "There's a horned snake right
beside me. He'll kill us!"
"No," Johnny answered. "If he'd wanted to, he could have done it
long ago. Rick, we're safe! The leopards brought you here to get
your wound fixed up." Then he clicked to the leopards, "Let him go.
He won't run away." He turned back to Rick. "I just told the leopards
you won't run away," he explained. "Just watch the marva over
there."
Unsteadily, Rick got to his feet. He quickly sat down again, overcome
by weakness and amazement. He had caught sight of the marva
healers at work. One was sewing up a rhinosaur. Another was
splinting up the leg of an antelope. Rick shook his head.
"I'm dreaming," he said. "I must be!"
"Isn't it wonderful!" Johnny said. "They're going to fix your wound,
too."
The leopard beside him growled, in the way Johnny knew meant
"come."
"I gotta go now," Johnny said. "Goodbye, and don't worry. Let them
do what they want to."
Johnny and the leopard made their way among the sick animals.
Johnny let out a cry of pleasure. There was his friend the
leopardess. The ato-tube burn was not a bad one, and it had already
been treated. She rose when she saw him. Though the big male
leopard growled his disapproval, Johnny ran over and patted her and
her cubs before he went on.
"Is she a friend of yours?" Johnny was startled by the sudden
appearance of the black muzzled marva who had spoken to him
earlier.
"Yes, old one," Johnny answered respectfully.
"Come!" the marva addressed the leopardess.
The two leopards, the cubs, Johnny and the marva walked off
together. Soon Johnny was in the circle of marva again. This time he
was over his surprise and he tried to tell his story as clearly as he
could. He was beginning to get worried about the time that was
passing, and he looked at Rick's watch again and again. There was
always the chance that the outlaws would try to get Baba, even
though they no longer had Johnny to give in return. But he told his
story as best he could.
In spite of his worry, he had to explain all about men on Venus. He
even had to tell where men came from, since the jewel bears had
never seen stars or planets in their sky. He told about overcrowded
Earth and his father's desire to make a colony. He told about the
hunters and Trader Harkness. He told about his trip into the jungle
and how the outlaws had captured him, and, finally, of his escape
with Rick into the jungle.
The group of marva listened carefully. Sometimes they nodded their
heads in approval of what he had done, and sometimes they seemed
puzzled. But they seemed more friendly when he had finished.
When at last he came to a halt, the old marva who was acting as
spokesman for the group arose.
"You say this young marva friend of yours is named Baba?" The old
one used the word in the clicking language for Baba's name.
"Yes."
"We have heard of him," the black muzzled marva clicked, "though
he was not of our grove. His mother and brother were killed. We
have wondered why he was not killed too, since your people feel we
are your enemies. Our observer on Council Rock has watched your
people often, but has seen little we can understand. Tell us why
Baba was not killed at first."
"I already explained," Johnny said. "His teeth and claws were black.
Now they are blue and, of course, he's worth a lot of money."
"What is this money?" the black muzzled one asked.
Johnny was surprised. The word Baba used for money must not be a
real marva word. If only Baba was here to explain! Johnny tried the
best he could to explain how money works. The marva shook its
head in wonder at the strange ways of men.
"But why do you want our claws and teeth?" the marva asked.