A thousand histories were stained with the blood of heretics. Too, in all honesty he doubted that his touch would much comfort the tiny, forlorn beast.
“Look,” whispered Rodriguez.
“The git keeper, with two other Pons, was approaching. They carried pointed sticks.
“Do not interfere,” Rodriguez cautioned him.
“I have already interfered,” said Brenner.
“More are coming,” said Rodriguez. They were mostly males. That could be told from the distances, if nothing else. Females hung about the edges of what was now becoming a circle. More than one male carefully approached, avoiding them.
“There must be fifty or sixty of them,” said Rodriguez.
Brenner took a step closer, a protective step, toward the tiny female a few feet in front of him.
“I will not let them hurt her,” said Brenner under his breath.
“Do not interfere,” said Rodriguez, softly, tensely.
“I will not let them hurt her,” said Brenner.
“You will ruin the study,” said Rodriguez.
“I will not let them hurt her,” said Brenner.
“It is an animal, a monkey,” said Rodriguez. “That is what they all are. Do not interfere.”
“They are not going to hurt her,” said Brenner, determinedly.
“Look,” said Rodriguez.
Some four Pons were now carrying forth three poles, with some rope. Two more, behind them, held a cage of saplings, tiny, and conical. They came through the males gathered about and tied the poles together at one end, and fastened the cage of saplings to it, by more rope. They then set the poles up, as a tripod, the cage dangling from it. It was set up at the proper distance from the other tripod and cage. One of the Pons then opened the door of the tiny cage, and gestured to the small female to come forward and enter it.
She looked around, wildly, at Brenner.
“Do not interfere,” said Rodriguez.
Brenner put out his hand. The tiny female hurried to him, and put her hand in his. Several of the Pons about, in particular those who had not been at the amphitheater, gasped. Their eyes widened in fear.
One of the Pons at the cage angrily gestured again toward the small opening.
“No,” said Brenner, firmly. “No.”
The Pons looked at one another. Rodriguez was pleased that they were so small.
“No,” repeated Brenner, in a kindly, but firm, voice.
“No?” said one of the Pons, puzzled.
“No,” said Brenner.
The git keeper, with his pointed stick held in two hands, lifted, the point toward the tiny female, took a step forward. Brenner, with an angry scowl, released the hand of the female and stood squarely between her and the git keeper.
The git keeper, his way barred by Brenner, who to him must surely have constituted a considerable, menacing obstacle, stopped.
“Touching!” cried one of the Pons shrilly, pointing to the crumpled form in the cage and then to the small female. “Touching! Touching!”
“They must have violated the distances,” said Rodriguez. “They may even have touched.”
It may be recalled that the two central tenets of totemism, its most fundamental doctrines, so to speak, have to do with the veneration of the totem animal and exogamy, that the females of the totem group are denied to the males of the same totem.
“It does not matter,” said Brenner.
“It is the violation of a taboo,” said Rodriguez. “That is serious here.”
“It does not matter,” said Brenner.
“The violation of a taboo must be punished by the group,” said Rodriguez. “If it is permitted for the taboo to be broken, the example will be contagious. Do you not understand? It is like condoning crime. It is like saying that the bonds of the community are unimportant. It is like saying everything is permitted. It is to threaten the foundations of society. It will produce moral anarchy. Chaos will ensue. There is a reason for these things, even if you do not know it, or they. They are afraid that a taboo should be violated. They fear that the violation of the taboo, the betrayal of the totem animal, and their pledge to it, the sundering of the pact with the totem, if not punished, will being disaster upon the group. They are afraid. Understand them.”
“There is nothing to fear,” said Brenner.
“They fear the vengeance of the totem,” said Rodriguez.
“The totem is a git,” said Brenner.
“They are afraid,” said Rodriguez.
“There is nothing to fear,” said Brenner.
“It is their perceptions which are important here,” said Rodriguez. “Not yours.”
“I will not let them harm her,” said Brenner. “No!” he said angrily to the git keeper, who had inched forward. The git keeper looked about, frightened, at the others. Two of the Pons began to wail. Some