Incredulity changed to apprehension. “We certainly want to see where that happened,” Horgy said. “Meantime, you don’t mind if we wander around and talk to people? Just to see if anyone’s seen any strange … beasts. Later, we’ll want to go see that canyon you mentioned.”
“Just don’t bother any of the work crews until quitting time,” said Sam in a firm but friendly voice. “After that, do as you like. Be our guests.” He had previously assigned a settler as escort to each of the four visitors so the people from CM wouldn’t wander off alone and kill themselves by stumbling in front of a harvester.
Zilia, accompanied by China Wilm, made straight for the temple of Bondru Dharm. When she got there, she turned, glared, and asked, as China had almost known she would, “Someone destroyed it, didn’t they? Who was it, really?”
China shook her head. “I’m sure you’ve seen the report I sent to CM, Zilia. Sam assigned me as your escort just so I could tell you about it personally. I was right here when it happened, and nobody did it. The thing just fell in. The Theckles were here, too. You can ask them.”
“I find that very hard to believe,” Zilia sniffed, watching China from the corner of her eye, “considering the way you all felt about the God.”
“I think most of us rather liked Bondru Dharm,” China commented, not at all put off by Zilia’s manner, which everyone in Hobbs Land had encountered at one time or another. “Actually, Zilia, I don’t think you have any idea how we felt about Bondru Dharm. He was ours. He was Settlement One’s own thing. It was kind of prestigious to have something none of the other settlements had. We rather liked it.”
“You didn’t pay any attention to it!” Zilia charged, as though this neglect had been China’s personal fault, and ignoring the fact that in the two years Zilia had been on Hobbs she herself had visited Bondru Dharm only once. “None of you paid attention to the God.”
“Most of us didn’t,” China admitted, “but your inference from that fact is all wrong. Most of us went to a sacrifice maybe once a year, out of curiosity more than anything. But we all put in our share to support Vonce and Birribat, and they spent all their time maintaining the temple and serving the God, which means they spent no time helping with production. Settlements aren’t required to support nonproductive personnel, except for children and the disabled and their own retirees. In this case, we all voted to do it, and, as I recall, it was a unanimous vote.”
Zilia shook her head in her customary expression of skeptical disbelief and turned back along the road toward the recreation building where Sal was flirting with Horgy. Zilia ignored them, taking plenty of time to peer into each of the other ruined temples as they went by. When she and China came up to Sal and Horgy, Zilia interrupted their fun to say she was going on out the north road to inspect the other ruins. Horgy let go of Sal’s hand, which he had been stroking in a suggestive way, and said he’d go along.
China gave Sal an exasperated glance, which Sal ignored, and they walked on toward the northern edge of the settlement. On the way they picked up the other two visitors with their escorts—Jebedo and Fearsome Quillow, uncle and mother, respectively, of Gotoit and Sabby Quillow—outside the Supply and Administration building. All eight of them continued northward along the dusty road, all the settlement people except Sal, who had enjoyed flirting with Horgy, feeling that this visitation was a total waste of valuable time.
As they crossed the stream north of the settlement, they were joined by children: the two Tillan boys and all four of the Quillow kids, as well as Jeopardy and Saturday Wilm—the entire wolf-cedar logging crew. Horgy and Zilia led the group, closely followed by Spiggy and Jamice, as they strode up the slope to the temple.
Though the CM people had noticed the restored roof while they were still a good distance away, no one said anything until they were close enough to be sure it was no illusion. It was Zilia who put what they were all wondering into the most accusatory words possible.
“On whose authority was this temple rebuilt?”
Jebedo and Fearsome stared at the roof with their mouths open and shook their heads to say they didn’t know what it was or who had done it. Sal was equally ignorant. China had a kind of idea, based on something Africa had told her. “The children did it as a recreational learning experience,” she said mildly.
“On whose authority,” Zilia quivered. “Who gave them permission?”
“I don’t think they needed authorization or asked for permission,” China found herself saying in a dead-calm voice, without emotion or apprehension. “You didn’t ask anyone, did you, Jep?”
“No, Ma’am. We didn’t think anyone would care,” said Jep in an equally casual tone. “It’s outside the settlement proper but within the utilization zone, so we didn’t need to ask CM. We did it outside schooling time, a whole bunch of us, so we didn’t need our teachers’ permission. Since we were rebuilding, not tearing down, we didn’t need Ancient Monuments approval. The AM Panel directives say reconstruction doesn’t need approval. I did ask Aunt Africa about proper crew management when we put the roof on, and some of the grown-ups helped with that.”
“I don’t think anyone knew they were doing it until the job was nine-tenths completed,” remarked Sal in the same disinterested voice China had just used.
Zilia started a complaint with, “You can’t just let your children … ,” and Spiggy laid his hands on her shoulders, calming her down.
“Come on, Zil. No damage done. For heaven’s sake, girl! Make up your mind. The kid is right! This is exactly what the Native Matters Advisory would like to see done, isn’t it? Exactly what you’d like
