"I do not fear forDanor."
"You should," LiSung said grimly.
"I do not think so."Dilam smiled as she sat up and wrapped her blanket around her. "Very well,I will tell you all I know of elephants. They are very like us, you know. Theylive very long lives, sometimes over sixty years and do not reach adulthooduntil they are in their teens. They travel in family herds of eight or ten andoften join together with larger herds. I have counted over a hundred in Danor'sherd. Usually the leader is the largest cow elephant of the herd."
"Another matriarch,"Li Sung said sourly. "No wonder you like elephants."
Dilam smiled slyly. "Itold you they were intelligent. The herd bull has to be very clever and strongto maintain his position. If another male elephant challenges and wins, thedefeated bull leaves the herd and goes off alone. Often despair makes him turnviolent and he turns rogue."
"Like Danor?"
"Perhaps." Sheshrugged. "I know Danor's mate is leader of the herd. I have seen themtogether. An elephant sometimes eats over a thousand pounds of food a day andhis favorite fare is the top branches of low trees. They are very tender, andif he cannot reach those branches he will push the tree over to get at them.That is why you see all those fallen trees as an elephant moves through thejungle. They must eat all the time or grow weak."
"I am not interested inDanor's menu."
"No, you would ratherknow how to kill him. I will tell you this also, but you asked for everythingand that is what you will receive. Only the males have tusks and t hey can domuch damage with them."
"I noticed."
"I am not sure Danormeant to trample or gore you. They can be very surefooted and he could haveswerved when you jumped aside."
"He meant to killme."
"You will clearly notbelieve anything else." She made a face and went on. "Elephants likewater and are very at ease in it. I have seen an entire herd swimmingunderneath the water to get to the opposite bank, only occasionally liftingtheir trunks above the surface to breathe air. It is like watching—"
"That is not important tome. Since I do not swim, I have no intention of confronting him anywhere but ondry land."
"Do not interrupt. I willsay what I wish to say."
Li Sung opened his lips toargue and then closed them with the words unspoken. He had learned in the pastmonths Dilam could be very stubborn and it would do him no harm to hear herout.
She nodded with satisfactionand again began to speak. Another twenty minutes passed before she finally fellsilent.
"You have given me agreat deal of information I cannot use," Li Sung said. "I will haveto filter the gold from the dross."
"It is all gold,"Dilam said. "You merely have to fashion it to your needs." Sheyawned. "Now, if that is all you wish to know, I will go back tosleep."
He should go back to his ownblankets, Li Sung thought. He'd learned all he needed to know. Yet, there wassomething else bothering him.
"Well?" sheprompted.
"You never mentioned youhad children before this," he said slowly.
"You were not ready to beinterested in that knowledge. I have two children, both fine boys. Medor isnine and Kalmar is four. They are being cared for by the women of the HighCouncil while I am on this mission."
"Males?" He scowled."How unfortunate for you. No females to carry on your tradition ofdomination and glory."
She sighed. "You do notunderstand. We do not dominate, it's merely... If a male wishes to sit on theHigh Council, he may do so. He must just prove himself worthy." A grin lither face. "But the tests are hard and the men of our tribe usually preferto enjoy life and leave the decision-making to us."
"And does your husbandalso prefer to let you make the decisions?"
Her smile vanished. "Myhusband is dead, but no, he never wanted to govern. Senat was a hunter and tookjoy in it. He took joy in everything he did."
"Which of your childrendid Danor save?"
"Medor. He was only fivethen. You wish to hear about it?"
He nodded.
