Gerry stared at her in startled surprise. The girl had unquestionably spoken in Martian. It was a very old and antique form of the language that she used, a dialect that had not been heard on Mars itself for countless generations, but it was possible for Gerry to understand it. The last thing he had expected to find on this planet of Venus was anyone who spoke one of the tongues common on the Outer Planets!
"I'm Gerry Norton," he said.
"Geree!" the girl repeated. "You talk funny."
"Same to you, sister," Gerry grinned. "And just who are you, anyway?"
"I am Closana, of course, the daughter of Rupin-Sang!" the girl said haughtily. "Don't you see the Golden Arrow?"
She touched a small golden arrow that hung from a light chain about her neck. It seemed to be some kind of an insignia of rank. Her deep blue eyes were looking at him thoughtfully.
"You wear queer clothes, Geree," she said at last. "Where do you come from?"
"From Earth."
She frowned.