Food became a problem. Day and night, fishing boats toiled at their task of providing for the teeming multitudes. Suddenly, the helmsman saw . . . Aaaaaah! . . . The face of evil! The boat was from one of the islands that was populated by people from the former province of Tharv. Next morning, they found it drifting . . . What could have happened? Who would do such a thing? That’s easy to answer! Someone attacked them, threw our lads overboard and stole their catch! The people from over there—who else? The animals from Cato! Accursed Catons! Never trust a Caton, my father used to say! Ancient hatreds having been aroused, the Tharvs set out to avenge the imagined crime! Long live Tharv! down with the Caton murderers! Throw them back into the sea!Soon, a battle royal was raging! Share that between you, Tharvs! Aaaaaaaagh! Eeeeeeeegh! The turmoil was only ended by the arrival of a Trigan aircraft. Cease fighting!—or we open fire on you all! The Emperor Trigo himself arrived. You’ve lost your homelands and your possessions! have you also taken leave of your senses? The Catons raided one of out fishing boats! That’s a lie! Silence! If this kind of madness continues, there will be no one left to rebuild this planet of ours! From now on, all survivors will live in mixed groups—no more tribal warfare! The following dawn, aboard the Air Fleet carrier ‘Daveli’. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh! In the early light, it was seen that the ‘Daveli’ was sinking!
This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 639 on 13 April 1974.
