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the Continent's hygiene would not come
to my mind. But this is getting beyond hygiene. The Oms present a danger, a
danger which grows from day to day!'
    He pulled
from his gown several documents and asked:
    in your opinion, how many Oms are there on Ygam?'
    Dumbfounded,
the First Councillor waved evasively.
    it is hard for me to say precisely', he admitted. 'This year's census
mentions roughly ten million for Continent A North.'
    He cut short
with his hand an interruption from the Master and added:
    'Of course,
one or two million stray Oms must be counted in, but not many more. Every two
years urban deomisations put a stop to their incursions.'
    'The figures
I have here', declared the Master, 'are much larger than the ones you have just
mentioned, although they are still not precise.'
    He softened
his contradiction with an apologetic gesture and carried on:
    'I do not
mean to offend you, but the Faculty's estimates undoubtedly come nearer to the
truth.'
    He made
another reassuring gesture:
    'The
Continental Council is faultless, dear First Councillor, exemplary in all respects.
And the measures it is taking are carried out with commendable frequency. But
unlike us, your colleagues have not had to study the issue closely. Which, I may add, is absolutely customary. Each to one's own field.'
    He coughed a
little, embarrassed by his frankness, and said:
    'I mentioned
fields. Our studies have led us to compile a register of stray Oms using new
methods, based on the number of tracks and the frequency of pillaging.'
    The First
Councillor laughed.
    'Pillage is
a big word!' he protested. 'A few minor thefts at the most!'
    'Do not
laugh. The number of collarless Oms is reaching thirty million on our continent
alone. I contacted my colleagues on other continents, and they used the same
method. A simple calculation gives a total of one hundred and fifty million,
plus thirty five million properly registered by their masters. In other words
there are almost two hundred million Oms on our planet.'
    The two
Traags remained quiet for a while. The First Councillor spoke first:
    i am astounded, I must admit. But since I have no reason to doubt your
scholarly claims, we will take action. Do you think ten deomisations a year
would be enough to check the invasion? I can also tighten the regulations for
luxury breeding. What do you think?'
    The old
Traag shook his head.
    'That is not
enough', he said. 'The issue is not only with the proliferation of the Oms, but
also with their evolution. The latter is more worrying than the former.'
    'Their... evolution? Please explain, Master.'
    The
scientist sat up and clicked his membranes resolutely.
    'I will have
to give you a lecture', he apologized. 'Oh! Rest assured I will not go into
details. Did you know the Oms were acclimatized on Ygam by our ancestors from
the Second Age?'
    indeed , they were brought from planet Earth.'
    'Their planet of origin! That's right... Well, do you
know how the Oms were organized on their planet?'
    The First
Councillor was surprised.
    'Organised,
did you say? But they're animals! They were roaming as families, I suppose, or
in wild herds!'
    'Not at all! They lived in large
conurbations of cemented alleys where each had a place of their own. They were
organized in societies numbering roughly one million. A flawless discipline was
kept by a strict hierarchical organization. Breeders were cherished and their
only work was to bear children. At birth, each baby was selected for breeding,
work or battle. They had a basic language.'
    'A language!'
    'Exactly. Oh, just a few terms used for precise commands,
and always the same ones! Their organization's rigidity spared them from
improving their means of communication. Here is an interesting example, an
alarm call: "Ant!"
    'Ant? What does ...'
    ' An alarm call , as I was saying. The reason it is interesting
is because it indicated their traditional enemy was getting near: a giant
insect organized in a similar way and also living in