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.Fielders ran hither and yon, wearing themselves to a frazzle.Thru played more defensive strokes as the time wore on, and he tired, but he avoided skying the ball and giving up that final out.Nor could the throwers get past him and strike the red zone.And where a ball came wide, but was in his reach for a deflection shot, he would try his skill.Few fielders were stationed in reach of the near and farside parts of the field, and a well-deflected ball might easily bounce to the boundary before a fielder could run across from his more central position.At seventy he paused for a large drink of water.The throwers were just as glad of the break.There was a hum of excitement in the crowd around the ball field.He resumed and went on to seventy-seven, where he finally got under a ball and skyed it high, which allowed a catch by Pills.Thru stepped out with Warkeen on ninety-eight runs.A solid enough score, but there were plenty of batters to come.It looked as if Warkeen could run up a comfortable 150 or so.A score that would be very hard for the Meever's Tavern team to approach.Thru stood back behind the nets and the throng of the cognoscenti watching the batting tree.The congratulations poured in; he nodded and thanked folk and tried just to enjoy the moment.Seventy-seven runs in a single inning! It was a record, a tremendous record, far in advance of the old one, and the cheers and the sense of accomplishment were heady.It was almost like drinking one's first mug of ale after a long time without, and he felt a little giddy.It was a good time to fall back on his training with Master Utnapishtim.The kyo of breath and relaxation, the way to the calm place.He had found a unique fusion of the kyo and the swing of the bat, something to bless the Spirit for conferring upon him.So he let the adulation wash around him, understanding that it was as much for the moment as it was for him.And you had to wonder at the lot of them, getting this worked up about such a trivial pastime.Except that it pleased the eye of many on a warm afternoon in the lazy summer to watch young mots striking the small white ball for the distant boundary.So much passion for such a simple thing!Pern had been much in evidence behind the tree while Warkeen were tumbling badly in the early going.Iallia and her friends had taken a position on the raised bench behind the line.As Thru struck his first fifteen Pern clung to his good humor.As Thru struck into the twenties before giving up a second strike, Pern became less amused.By the fortieth run, Pern was scowling and having notes taken of the quality of the throwing by the pros he'd hired up from Dronned.Pern stayed for the fifty, but could not bring himself to join in the applause that was ringing around the small crowd.As the score continued building Pern scowled openly, groaned, and threw a fist into the sky.He departed at sixty-two, suddenly snapping and ordering up his flashy coach, pulled by a team of donkeys.He left with harsh cracks of the whip over the heads of the animals.Before he left he had his hired tough, Ulghrum, pluck Iallia from her place on the high bench and put her in the coach, despite her protests.The match was the crowning moment of the season for the village of Warkeen.The village team's best throwers were not as good as the mots from Dronned, but they were good enough to maintain the lead.That night the revelers kept it up way into the wee hours of morning.Thru enjoyed an ale or two himself, then retired and fell asleep, worn-out by the strong emotions of the day.A few days later the lawsuit brought by Pern Treevi was heard by the traveling Circuit Judge sent out from the Royal Court in Dronned.The court sat in the constable's office, which was hot and crowded when all the Gillos, plus Pern Treevi and his team of legal advocates, were gathered inside.The judge gaveled the session into order and began an examination of the papers.He searched through them, studied the deed, checked the seal for authenticity with a book of seals, and looked up."These papers as presented by Ware Gillo appear to be correct and in order."Arguments were then presented by the legal advocates.These arguments were laced with airy verbiage and long, complex references to ancient laws governing the construction and maintenance of seaponds.The judge listened patiently for several hours.When the Treevi lawyers had finally finished their presentation the judge referred to several notes.Then he called the lawyers forward and peppered them with questions."Where, in all this train of argument, do you make the case that Ware Gillo's deed to the seapond in question is without merit?"The lawyers hemmed and hawed, one or two began long perorations, but the judge cut them short
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