Around the Salt Lick

"Around the Salt Lick" (originally published in Analog, February 1986) is the third story in the collection A Different Flesh. The story centers on Thomas Kenton, an English scout from Virginia, and his sim companion, Charles, exploring the interior of North America in 1691. Kenton is after the teeth of the spearfang cats (sabretooth) that populate the area. He is captured by a group of wild sims, and must hope that Charles rescues him.

The story is somewhat reminiscient of the frontier tales of early U.S. literature, with Kenton as an archtypal scout hero with his faithful sidekick. However, Harry Turtledove reveals a fair amount about this world and how it works. In the opening "excerpt", the reader learns that England had adopted the "divine right of kings" approach to rule. This suggests that the conflict between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers never happened. Within the story itself, the reader learns that sims have been bread in captivity, that they can understand human speech, and that they can communicate through sign-language. The reader also learns that sims can be loyal companions if they are treated with respect, a fact which probably saves Kenton's life.