Then, for no reason Lanny could fathom, Tak Laleen fainted.
Sheltered by the mist and the darkness, the stolen barge moved rapidly north along the coast. Tak Laleen lay unconscious in the bottom of the boat, wrapped in her white uniform; Pendillo sat shivering beside her. Lanny and Gill stood in the stern. Although the motor was controlled by an automatic navigator, Gill tore out the flimsy destination tape and guided the wheel manually.
"Even this the Almost-men can't do for themselves," he remarked to his brother.
"Do you suppose they really can't read direction from the sun or the stars?"
"All their brains are in their machines."
"And machines are nothing."
"Juan has always said that," Gill said slowly. "It sounds logical and reasonable. But I don't know what it means, Lanny!"
For a long time they stood watching the heaving shadow of the sea, each of them trying in his own way to make sense of the riddle. Suddenly the motor sputtered. Gill tinkered with the machine until it was purring smoothly again.
"The power cells are nearly empty," he said. "We'll have to run the barge aground sometime tomorrow and start walking again."