best prospects for the success of such policies are to implement them among men who have never tasted the mastery or, ideally, on innocent children who, if the programs are successful, will lead the child to suspect and fear himself, to experience shame and guilt at the very promptings of his own body and nature. It is a question, of course, as to the feasibility of these distortions, and the long-range consequences of them, if they prove feasible. Irreparable damage would result to the gene pool and the human race might actually, interestingly, eventually, for lack of will and joy, cease to thrive, as well, for if the human being cannot be a human being, why should it be anything else? Indeed, there is more than one way for a race to become extinct. The prehistoric wolf hunts now only in the corridors of the past. The poodle survives. Does the poodle remember? Does the wolf live in the poodle yet? I do not know. Would it not be interesting if the wolf were not dead but sleeping, and returned. Does this fear disturb the sleep of sheep?
'Kneel,' I said to the female, 'now.'
Swiftly she knelt.
'You are pretty,' I said.
'Thank you, Master,' she said, frightened.
'Head to the pavement,' I said, 'palms on it.'
She compiled, losing no time. She looked well, in this position of obeisance. 'You seem fulfilled,' I said.
'My master handles me well,' she said.
'What would occur if you were not pleasing?' I asked.
'I would be beaten,' she said.
'Stand,' I said.
'Yes, Master,' she said.
'Put your head back, your hands clasped behind it,' I said.
'Oh!' she said.
'She is in the iron belt,' I said to Marcus.
'Excellent!' he said. This, too, in its way, was a sign that manhood, or the suspicion of it, might be reasserting itself in the streets of Ar, that masters, or some of them at least, would no longer take for granted the safety of their girls in the streets. Naturally self-pride and health stimulates sexual vitality. Contrariwise, of course, as sexual vitality is stunted and crippled, so, too, will be masculine pride and health. One cannot poison a part of an animal without poisoning the whole animal.
'Speed off!' I said.
The girl sped away.
'I envy the fellow his slave,' said Marcus.
'And he would probably envy you yours,' I said.
'I would not trade Phoebe for her,' he said.
'And he might not trade her for Phoebe,' I smiled.
'Perhaps not,' he said.
I wondered if a man could be a man without a slave. I supposed that he might be a strong fellow, and a good fighter, and such, without a slave. Similarly, one might have lived I supposed, without having eaten meat, without having heard music. I wondered if a woman knew what it was to be a woman without ever having had a master. It did not seem to me likely.
'Surely Cos will take note of these changes in Ar,' I said.
'I have heard that there are fights among youths in Ar,' he said, 'that the gangs of youths called «Cosians» are now set upon by others, who speak of themselves in eccentric names, such as 'The Ubars,' 'The Larls,' and such.'
'I have heard that,' I said.
'And, too, interestingly,' he said, 'it seems that some of those lads who were «Cosians» now wander about under quite different colors, not affecting beards and hair styles reminiscent of those once associated with veterans, hirsute and shabby, returned from the delta.'
'I have heard that, too,' I said.
I could recall when I had first come to Ar months ago that these veterans had not been welcome in the city. In spite of the hardships they had endured and the risks they had taken on behalf of Ar, both for the Home Stone and city, they had been held in contempt. They had been insulted, spat upon, ridiculed, and despised. Emotions which might better have been spent on the enemy were ventilated on one's own brothers. Some had scorned them as embarrassments and failures, as defeated men and fools, tricked, humiliated and decimated in the north, me who had dared to return to Glorious Ar without the crown of victory. Better, said some, that they should have died in the marshes or remained in the north then return home in defeat and disgrace. But those who said that had perhaps not themselves been in the delta, or even held weapons. Others, adopting the political ruses of Cos, had scorned them as little better than criminals, and as purveyors of imperialism, as though the ambitions of Cos were not the equal of those of Ar. Many of these men were confused and bitter. Was it for this that they had done their duty, was if for this that they had faced the delta, the tracklessness, the tharlarion, the insects, the hunger, the arrows of rencers, the blades of Cos?
'Some of these lads, former, «Cosians» and others,' I said, 'are apparently little better, still, than vandals, but, others, interestingly, it is rumored, track troop movements, shadow Cosian patrols and record the rounds of watchmen, reporting to the Delta Brigade.'
'If so,' said he, 'that is a dangerous game for boys. I do not think Cos, in spite of their youth, will hesitate to impale them or have them at the ends of ropes.'
'Others set themselves to different tasks,' I said, 'such as the supervision and protection of their own neighborhoods.'
'A hopeful sign,' said he, 'if Ar, if only in her youth, should once again begin to look after herself.'
'There is the Delta Brigade,' I said.
'We are not of Ar,' he said.
'But others, whosoever they may be, must be,' I said.
'That cannot long continue.'
'No,' I said.
'And it she who holds the sword,' he said.
'Gross Lurius of Jad, Ubar of Cos, and many of his ministers,' I said, 'are doubtless in favor of wielding it. Until now they have doubtless been restrained only by the general effectiveness of their political warfare, the policies of spreading guilt, confusion and self-doubt in the enemy, pretending to be not the foe but the concerned friend and ally.'
'Let those beware,' smiled Marcus, 'who are invited to dine with the sleen.'
'There is a crowd ahead,' I said, 'at the public boards.'
'They seem angry,' he said.
'Let us see what is afoot,' I said, and together we hurried forward, toward the boards.
14 In the Vicinity of the Public Boards
Before the boards, rather in a circle before them, there was a crowd. Whereas, there may have been unwelcome information on the boards, the immediate attention of the crowd was not at this moment upon them.
'Here is the insolent slut!' cried a fellow.
We pushed in, toward the center of the circle.
'Make way,' I said. 'Guardsmen! Guardsmen!'
Men cried out with anger, but drew back.
Marcus and I had our armbands, those of auxiliary guardsman, a band of red beneath one of blue, Ar under the supervision of Cos.
'Cosian sleen,' I heard. But the fellow did not make himself prominent.
'One side!' I said.
