Noonewasimpertinent。Wecouldcatchquiteabitofthetalknow，andalltheysaidseemedpleasantenough。
Well——beforenightfallwewereallsafelybackinourbigroom。
Thedamagewehaddonewasquiteignored;thebedsassmoothandcomfortableasbefore，newclothingandtowelssupplied。Theonlythingthosewomendidwastoilluminatethegardensatnight，andtosetanextrawatch。Buttheycalledustoaccountnextday。
Ourthreetutors，whohadnotjoinedintherecapturingexpedition，hadbeenquitebusyinpreparingforus，andnowmadeexplanation。
Theyknewwellwewouldmakeforourmachine，andalsothattherewasnootherwayofgettingdown——alive。Soourflighthadtroublednoone;alltheydidwastocalltheinhabitantstokeepaneyeonourmovementsallalongtheedgeoftheforestbetweenthetwopoints。Itappearedthatmanyofthosenightswehadbeenseen，bycarefulladiessittingsnuglyinbigtreesbytheriverbed，orupamongtherocks。
Terrylookedimmenselydisgusted，butitstruckmeasextremelyfunny。Herewehadbeenriskingourlives，hidingandprowlinglikeoutlaws，livingonnutsandfruit，gettingwetandcoldatnight，anddryandhotbyday，andallthewhiletheseestimablewomenhadjustbeenwaitingforustocomeout。
Nowtheybegantoexplain，carefullyusingsuchwordsaswecouldunderstand。Itappearedthatwewereconsideredasguestsofthecountry——sortofpublicwards。Ourfirstviolencehadmadeitnecessarytokeepussafeguardedforawhile，butassoonaswelearnedthelanguage——andwouldagreetodonoharm——theywouldshowusallabouttheland。
Jeffwaseagertoreassurethem。OfcoursehedidnottellonTerry，buthemadeitclearthathewasashamedofhimself，andthathewouldnowconform。Astothelanguage——weallfelluponitwithredoubledenergy。Theybroughtusbooks，ingreaternumbers，andIbegantostudythemseriously。
"Prettypunkliterature，"Terryburstforthoneday，whenwewereintheprivacyofourownroom。"Ofcourseoneexpectstobeginonchild—stories，butIwouldlikesomethingmoreinterestingnow。"
"Can’texpectstirringromanceandwildadventurewithoutmen，canyou？"Iasked。NothingirritatedTerrymorethantohaveusassumethattherewerenomen;buttherewerenosignsoftheminthebookstheygaveus，orthepictures。
"Shutup！"hegrowled。"Whatinfernalnonsenseyoutalk！
I’mgoingtoask’emoutright——weknowenoughnow。"
Intruthwehadbeenusingourbesteffortstomasterthelanguage，andwereabletoreadfluentlyandtodiscusswhatwereadwithconsiderableease。
Thatafternoonwewereallsittingtogetherontheroof——wethreeandthetutorsgatheredaboutatable，noguardsabout。Wehadbeenmadetounderstandsometimeearlierthatifwewouldagreetodonoviolencetheywouldwithdrawtheirconstantattendance，andwepromisedmostwillingly。
Sotherewesat，atease;allinsimilardress;ourhair，bynow，aslongastheirs，onlyourbeardstodistinguishus。Wedidnotwantthosebeards，buthadsofarbeenunabletoinducethemtogiveusanycuttinginstruments。
"Ladies，"Terrybegan，outofaclearsky，asitwere，"aretherenomeninthiscountry？"
"Men？"Somelanswered。"Likeyou？"
"Yes，men，"Terryindicatedhisbeard，andthrewbackhisbroadshoulders。"Men，realmen。"
"No，"sheansweredquietly。"Therearenomeninthiscountry。
Therehasnotbeenamanamongusfortwothousandyears。"
Herlookwasclearandtruthfulandshedidnotadvancethisastonishingstatementasifitwasastonishing，butquiteasamatteroffact。
"But——thepeople——thechildren，"heprotested，notbelievingherintheleast，butnotwishingtosayso。
"Ohyes，"shesmiled。"Idonotwonderyouarepuzzled。
Wearemothers——allofus——buttherearenofathers。Wethoughtyouwouldaskaboutthatlongago——whyhaveyounot？"Herlookwasasfranklykindasalways，hertonequitesimple。
Terryexplainedthatwehadnotfeltsufficientlyusedtothelanguage，makingratheramessofit，Ithought，butJeffwasfranker。
"Willyouexcuseusall，"hesaid，"ifweadmitthatwefindithardtobelieve？Thereisnosuch——possibility——intherestoftheworld。"
"Haveyounokindoflifewhereitispossible？"askedZava。
"Why，yes——somelowforms，ofcourse。"
"Howlow——orhowhigh，rather？"
"Well——therearesomeratherhighformsofinsectlifeinwhichitoccurs。Parthenogenesis，wecallit——thatmeansvirginbirth。"
Shecouldnotfollowhim。
"BIRTH，weknow，ofcourse;butwhatisVIRGIN？"
Terrylookeduncomfortable，butJeffmetthequestionquitecalmly。"Amongmatinganimals，thetermVIRGINisappliedtothefemalewhohasnotmated，"heanswered。
"Oh，Isee。Anddoesitapplytothemalealso？Oristhereadifferenttermforhim？"
Hepassedthisoverratherhurriedly，sayingthatthesametermwouldapply，butwasseldomused。
"No？"shesaid。"Butonecannotmatewithouttheothersurely。
Isnoteachthen——virgin——beforemating？And，tellme，haveyouanyformsoflifeinwhichthereisbirthfromafatheronly？"
"Iknowofnone，"heanswered，andIinquiredseriously。
"Youaskustobelievethatfortwothousandyearstherehavebeenonlywomenhere，andonlygirlbabiesborn？"
"Exactly，"answeredSomel，noddinggravely。"Ofcourseweknowthatamongotheranimalsitisnotso，thattherearefathersaswellasmothers;andweseethatyouarefathers，thatyoucomefromapeoplewhoareofbothkinds。Wehavebeenwaiting，yousee，foryoutobeabletospeakfreelywithus，andteachusaboutyourcountryandtherestoftheworld。Youknowsomuch，yousee，andweknowonlyourownland。"
Inthecourseofourpreviousstudieswehadbeenatsomepainstotellthemaboutthebigworldoutside，todrawsketches，maps，tomakeaglobe，even，outofasphericalfruit，andshowthesizeandrelationofthecountries，andtotellofthenumbersoftheirpeople。Allthishadbeenscantandinoutline，buttheyquiteunderstood。
IfindIsucceedverypoorlyinconveyingtheimpressionI
wouldliketoofthesewomen。Sofarfrombeingignorant，theyweredeeplywise——thatwerealizedmoreandmore;andforclearreasoning，forrealbrainscopeandpowertheywereANo。1，buttherewerealotofthingstheydidnotknow。
Theyhadtheevenesttempers，themostperfectpatienceandgoodnature——oneofthethingsmostimpressiveaboutthemallwastheabsenceofirritability。Sofarwehadonlythisgrouptostudy，butafterwardIfounditacommontrait。
Wehadgraduallycometofeelthatwewereinthehandsoffriends，andverycapableonesatthat——butwecouldn’tformanyopinionyetofthegenerallevelofthesewomen。
"Wewantyoutoteachusallyoucan，"Somelwenton，herfirmshapelyhandsclaspedonthetablebeforeher，herclearquieteyesmeetingoursfrankly。"Andwewanttoteachyouwhatwehavethatisnovelanduseful。Youcanwellimaginethatitisawonderfuleventtous，tohavemenamongus——aftertwothousandyears。Andwewanttoknowaboutyourwomen。"
WhatshesaidaboutourimportancegaveinstantpleasuretoTerry。
Icouldseebythewayheliftedhisheadthatitpleasedhim。Butwhenshespokeofourwomen——somewayIhadaqueerlittleindescribablefeeling，notlikeanyfeelingIeverhadbeforewhen"women"werementioned。
"Willyoutellushowitcameabout？"Jeffpursued。"Yousaid`fortwothousandyears’——didyouhavemenherebeforethat？"
"Yes，"answeredZava。
Theywereallquietforalittle。
"Youshouldhaveourfullhistorytoread——donotbealarmed——ithasbeenmadeclearandshort。Ittookusalongtimetolearnhowtowritehistory。Oh，howIshouldlovetoreadyours！"
Sheturnedwithflashingeagereyes，lookingfromonetotheotherofus。
"Itwouldbesowonderful——woulditnot？Tocomparethehistoryoftwothousandyears，toseewhatthedifferencesare——
betweenus，whoareonlymothers，andyou，whoaremothersandfathers，too。Ofcoursewesee，withourbirds，thatthefatherisasusefulasthemother，almost。Butamonginsectswefindhimoflessimportance，sometimesverylittle。Isitnotsowithyou？"
"Oh，yes，birdsandbugs，"Terrysaid，"butnotamonganimals——
haveyouNOanimals？"
"Wehavecats，"shesaid。"Thefatherisnotveryuseful。"
"Haveyounocattle——sheep——horses？"Idrewsomeroughoutlinesofthesebeastsandshowedthemtoher。
"Wehad，intheveryolddays，these，"saidSomel，andsketchedwithswiftsuretouchesasortofsheeporllama，"andthese"——dogs，oftwoorthreekinds，"thatthat"——pointingtomyabsurdbutrecognizablehorse。
"Whatbecameofthem？"askedJeff。
"Wedonotwantthemanymore。Theytookuptoomuchroom——weneedallourlandtofeedourpeople。Itissuchalittlecountry，youknow。"
"Whateverdoyoudowithoutmilk？"Terrydemandedincredulously。
"MILK？Wehavemilkinabundance——ourown。"
"But——but——Imeanforcooking——forgrownpeople，"Terryblundered，whiletheylookedamazedandashadedispleased。
Jeffcametotherescue。"Wekeepcattlefortheirmilk，aswellasfortheirmeat，"heexplained。"Cow’smilkisastaplearticleofdiet。
Thereisagreatmilkindustry——tocollectanddistributeit。"
Stilltheylookedpuzzled。Ipointedtomyoutlineofacow。
"Thefarmermilksthecow，"Isaid，andsketchedamilkpail，thestool，andinpantomimeshowedthemanmilking。"Thenitiscarriedtothecityanddistributedbymilkmen——everybodyhasitatthedoorinthemorning。"
"Hasthecownochild？"askedSomelearnestly。
"Oh，yes，ofcourse，acalf，thatis。"
"Istheremilkforthecalfandyou，too？"
Ittooksometimetomakecleartothosethreesweet—facedwomentheprocesswhichrobsthecowofhercalf，andthecalfofitstruefood;andthetalkledusintoafurtherdiscussionofthemeatbusiness。Theyhearditout，lookingverywhite，andpresentlybeggedtobeexcused。
CHAPTER5
AUniqueHistoryItisnouseformetotrytopieceoutthisaccountwithadventures。Ifthepeoplewhoreaditarenotinterestedintheseamazingwomenandtheirhistory，theywillnotbeinterestedatall。
Asforus——threeyoungmentoawholelandfulofwomen——
whatcouldwedo？Wedidgetaway，asdescribed，andwerepeacefullybroughtbackagainwithout，asTerrycomplained，eventhesatisfactionofhittinganybody。
Therewerenoadventuresbecausetherewasnothingtofight。
Therewerenowildbeastsinthecountryandveryfewtameones。
OftheseImightaswellstoptodescribetheonecommonpetofthecountry。Cats，ofcourse。Butsuchcats！
WhatdoyousupposetheseLadyBurbankshaddonewiththeircats？Bythemostprolongedandcarefulselectionandexclusiontheyhaddevelopedaraceofcatsthatdidnotsing！
That’safact。Themostthosepoordumbbrutescoulddowastomakeakindofsqueakwhentheywerehungryorwantedthedooropen，and，ofcourse，topurr，andmakethevariousmother—noisestotheirkittens。
Moreover，theyhadceasedtokillbirds。Theywererigorouslybredtodestroymiceandmolesandallsuchenemiesofthefoodsupply;
butthebirdswerenumerousandsafe。
Whilewewerediscussingbirds，Terryaskedthemiftheyusedfeathersfortheirhats，andtheyseemedamusedattheidea。
Hemadeafewsketchesofourwomen’shats，withplumesandquillsandthosevariousticklingthingsthatstickoutsofar;andtheywereeagerlyinterested，asateverythingaboutourwomen。
Asforthem，theysaidtheyonlyworehatsforshadewhenworkinginthesun;andthosewerebiglightstrawhats，somethinglikethoseusedinChinaandJapan。Incoldweathertheyworecapsorhoods。
"Butfordecorativepurposes——don’tyouthinktheywouldbebecoming？"pursuedTerry，makingasprettyapictureashecouldofaladywithaplumedhat。
Theybynomeansagreedtothat，askingquitesimplyifthemenworethesamekind。Wehastenedtoassureherthattheydidnot——drewforthemourkindofheadgear。
"Anddonomenwearfeathersintheirhats？"
"OnlyIndians，"Jeffexplained。"Savages，youknow。"Andhesketchedawarbonnettoshowthem。
"Andsoldiers，"Iadded，drawingamilitaryhatwithplumes。
Theyneverexpressedhorrorordisapproval，norindeedmuchsurprise——
justakeeninterest。Andthenotestheymade！——milesofthem！
Buttoreturntoourpussycats。Wewereagooddealimpressedbythisachievementinbreeding，andwhentheyquestionedus——Icantellyouwewerewellpumpedforinformation——wetoldofwhathadbeendonefordogsandhorsesandcattle，butthattherewasnoeffortappliedtocats，exceptforshowpurposes。
IwishIcouldrepresentthekind，quiet，steady，ingeniouswaytheyquestionedus。Itwasnotjustcuriosity——theyweren’tabitmorecuriousaboutusthanwewereaboutthem，ifasmuch。Buttheywerebentonunderstandingourkindofcivilization，andtheirlinesofinterrogationwouldgraduallysurroundusanddriveusintillwefoundourselvesupagainstsomeadmissionswedidnotwanttomake。
"Areallthesebreedsofdogsyouhavemadeuseful？"theyasked。
"Oh——useful！Why，thehuntingdogsandwatchdogsandsheepdogsareuseful——andsleddogsofcourse！——andratters，I
suppose，butwedon’tkeepdogsfortheirUSEFULNESS。Thedogis`thefriendofman，’wesay——welovethem。"
Thattheyunderstood。"Weloveourcatsthatway。
Theysurelyareourfriends，andhelpers，too。Youcanseehowintelligentandaffectionatetheyare。"
Itwasafact。I’dneverseensuchcats，exceptinafewrareinstances。Big，handsomesilkythings，friendlywitheveryoneanddevotedlyattachedtotheirspecialowners。
"Youmusthaveaheartbreakingtimedrowningkittens，"wesuggested。Buttheysaid，"Oh，no！Youseewecareforthemasyoudoforyourvaluablecattle。Thefathersarefewcomparedtothemothers，justafewveryfineonesineachtown;theylivequitehappilyinwalledgardensandthehousesoftheirfriends。
Buttheyonlyhaveamatingseasononceayear。"
"RatherhardonThomas，isn’tit？"suggestedTerry。
"Oh，no——truly！Yousee，itismanycenturiesthatwehavebeenbreedingthekindofcatswewanted。Theyarehealthyandhappyandfriendly，asyousee。Howdoyoumanagewithyourdogs？
Doyoukeeptheminpairs，orsegregatethefathers，orwhat？"
Thenweexplainedthat——well，thatitwasn’taquestionoffathersexactly;thatnobodywanteda——amotherdog;that，well，thatpracticallyallourdogsweremales——therewasonlyaverysmallpercentageoffemalesallowedtolive。
ThenZava，observingTerrywithhergravesweetsmile，quotedbackathim："RatherhardonThomas，isn’tit？Dotheyenjoyit——livingwithoutmates？Areyourdogsasuniformlyhealthyandsweet—temperedasourcats？"
Jefflaughed，eyeingTerrymischievously。AsamatteroffactwebegantofeelJeffsomethingofatraitor——hesooftenfloppedoverandtooktheirsideofthings;alsohismedicalknowledgegavehimadifferentpointofviewsomehow。
"I’msorrytoadmit，"hetoldthem，"thatthedog，withus，isthemostdiseasedofanyanimal——nexttoman。Andastotemper——therearealwayssomedogswhobitepeople——especiallychildren。"
Thatwaspuremalice。Yousee，childrenwerethe——theRAISON
D’ETREinthiscountry。Allourinterlocutorssatupstraightatonce。
Theywerestillgentle，stillrestrained，buttherewasanoteofdeepamazementintheirvoices。
"Doweunderstandthatyoukeepananimal——anunmatedmaleanimal——
thatbiteschildren？Abouthowmanyarethereofthem，please？"
"Thousands——inalargecity，"saidJeff，"andnearlyeveryfamilyhasoneinthecountry。"
Terrybrokeinatthis。"Youmustnotimaginetheyarealldangerous——it’snotoneinahundredthateverbitesanybody。
Why，theyarethebestfriendsofthechildren——aboydoesn’thavehalfachancethathasn’tadogtoplaywith！"
"Andthegirls？"askedSomel。
"Oh——girls——whytheylikethemtoo，"hesaid，buthisvoiceflattedalittle。Theyalwaysnoticedlittlethingslikethat，wefoundlater。
Littlebylittletheywrungfromusthefactthatthefriendofman，inthecity，wasaprisoner;wastakenoutforhismeagerexerciseonaleash;wasliablenotonlytomanydiseasesbuttotheonedestroyinghorrorofrabies;and，inmanycases，forthesafetyofthecitizens，hadtogomuzzled。Jeffmaliciouslyaddedvividinstanceshehadknownorreadofinjuryanddeathfrommaddogs。
Theydidnotscoldorfussaboutit。Calmasjudges，thosewomenwere。Buttheymadenotes;Moadinereadthemtous。
"PleasetellmeifIhavethefactscorrect，"shesaid。
"Inyourcountry——andinotherstoo？"
"Yes，"weadmitted，"inmostcivilizedcountries。"
"Inmostcivilizedcountriesakindofanimaliskeptwhichisnolongeruseful——"
"Theyareaprotection，"Terryinsisted。"Theybarkifburglarstrytogetin。"
Thenshemadenotesof"burglars"andwenton："becauseofthelovewhichpeoplebeartothisanimal。"
Zavainterruptedhere。"Isitthemenorthewomenwholovethisanimalsomuch？"
"Both！"insistedTerry。
"Equally？"sheinquired。
AndJeffsaid，"Nonsense，Terry——youknowmenlikedogsbetterthanwomendo——asawhole。"
"Becausetheyloveitsomuch——especiallymen。Thisanimaliskeptshutup，orchained。"
"Why？"suddenlyaskedSomel。"Wekeepourfathercatsshutupbecausewedonotwanttoomuchfathering;buttheyarenotchained——theyhavelargegroundstorunin。"
"Avaluabledogwouldbestolenifhewasletloose，"Isaid。
"Weputcollarsonthem，withtheowner’sname，incasetheydostray。Besides，theygetintofights——avaluabledogmighteasilybekilledbyabiggerone。"
"Isee，"shesaid。"Theyfightwhentheymeet——isthatcommon？"
Weadmittedthatitwas。
"Theyarekeptshutup，orchained。"Shepausedagain，andasked，"Isnotadogfondofrunning？Aretheynotbuiltforspeed？"
Thatweadmitted，too，andJeff，stillmalicious，enlightenedthemfurther。
"I’vealwaysthoughtitwasapatheticsight，bothways——toseeamanorawomantakingadogtowalk——attheendofastring。"
"Haveyoubredthemtobeasneatintheirhabitsascatsare？"
wasthenextquestion。AndwhenJefftoldthemoftheeffectofdogsonsidewalkmerchandiseandthestreetsgenerally，theyfoundithardtobelieve。
Yousee，theircountrywasasneatasaDutchkitchen，andastosanitation——butImightaswellstartinnowwithasmuchasIcanrememberofthehistoryofthisamazingcountrybeforefurtherdescription。
AndI’llsummarizehereabitastoouropportunitiesforlearningit。Iwillnottrytorepeatthecareful，detailedaccountIlost;I’lljustsaythatwewerekeptinthatfortressagoodsixmonthsalltold，andafterthat，threeinapleasantenoughcitywhere——toTerry’sinfinitedisgust——therewereonly"Colonels"
andlittlechildren——noyoungwomenwhatever。Thenwewereundersurveillanceforthreemore——alwayswithatutororaguardorboth。Butthosemonthswerepleasantbecausewewerereallygettingacquaintedwiththegirls。Thatwasachapter！——
orwillbe——Iwilltrytodojusticetoit。
Welearnedtheirlanguageprettythoroughly——hadto;andtheylearnedoursmuchmorequicklyandusedittohastenourownstudies。
Jeff，whowasneverwithoutreadingmatterofsomesort，hadtwolittlebookswithhim，anovelandalittleanthologyofverse;
andIhadoneofthosepocketencyclopedias——afatlittlething，burstingwithfacts。Thesewereusedinoureducation——andtheirs。
Thenassoonaswewereuptoit，theyfurnisheduswithplentyoftheirownbooks，andIwentinforthehistorypart——Iwantedtounderstandthegenesisofthismiracleoftheirs。
Andthisiswhathappened，accordingtotheirrecords。
Astogeography——ataboutthetimeoftheChristianerathislandhadafreepassagetothesea。I’mnotsayingwhere，forgoodreasons。Buttherewasafairlyeasypassthroughthatwallofmountainsbehindus，andthereisnodoubtinmymindthatthesepeoplewereofAryanstock，andwereonceincontactwiththebestcivilizationoftheoldworld。Theywere"white，"butsomewhatdarkerthanournorthernracesbecauseoftheirconstantexposuretosunandair。
Thecountrywasfarlargerthen，includingmuchlandbeyondthepass，andastripofcoast。Theyhadships，commerce，anarmy，aking——foratthattimetheywerewhattheysocalmlycalledus——abi—sexualrace。
Whathappenedtothemfirstwasmerelyasuccessionofhistoricmisfortunessuchashavebefallenothernationsoftenenough。Theyweredecimatedbywar，drivenupfromtheircoastlinetillfinallythereducedpopulation，withmanyofthemenkilledinbattle，occupiedthishinterland，anddefendeditforyears，inthemountainpasses。Whereitwasopentoanypossibleattackfrombelowtheystrengthenedthenaturaldefensessothatitbecameunscalablysecure，aswefoundit。
Theywereapolygamouspeople，andaslave—holdingpeople，likealloftheirtime;andduringthegenerationortwoofthisstruggletodefendtheirmountainhometheybuiltthefortresses，suchastheonewewereheldin，andotheroftheiroldestbuildings，somestillinuse。Nothingbutearthquakescoulddestroysucharchitecture——hugesolidblocks，holdingbytheirownweight。
Theymusthavehadefficientworkmenandenoughoftheminthosedays。
Theymadeabravefightfortheirexistence，butnonationcanstandupagainstwhatthesteamshipcompaniescall"anactofGod。"Whilethewholefightingforcewasdoingitsbesttodefendtheirmountainpathway，thereoccurredavolcanicoutburst，withsomelocaltremors，andtheresultwasthecompletefillingupofthepass——theironlyoutlet。Insteadofapassage，anewridge，sheerandhigh，stoodbetweenthemandthesea;theywerewalledin，andbeneaththatwalllaytheirwholelittlearmy。
Veryfewmenwereleftalive，savetheslaves;andthesenowseizedtheiropportunity，roseinrevolt，killedtheirremainingmasterseventotheyoungestboy，killedtheoldwomentoo，andthemothers，intendingtotakepossessionofthecountrywiththeremainingyoungwomenandgirls。
Butthissuccessionofmisfortuneswastoomuchforthoseinfuriatedvirgins。Thereweremanyofthem，andbutfewofthesewould—bemasters，sotheyoungwomen，insteadofsubmitting，roseinsheerdesperationandslewtheirbrutalconquerors。
ThissoundslikeTitusAndronicus，Iknow，butthatistheiraccount。Isupposetheywereaboutcrazy——canyoublamethem？
Therewasliterallynooneleftonthisbeautifulhighgardenlandbutabunchofhystericalgirlsandsomeolderslavewomen。
Thatwasabouttwothousandyearsago。
Atfirsttherewasaperiodofsheerdespair。Themountainstoweredbetweenthemandtheiroldenemies，butalsobetweenthemandescape。Therewasnowayupordownorout——theysimplyhadtostaythere。Somewereforsuicide，butnotthemajority。Theymusthavebeenapluckylot，asawhole，andtheydecidedtolive——aslongastheydidlive。Ofcoursetheyhadhope，asyouthmust，thatsomethingwouldhappentochangetheirfate。
Sotheysettowork，toburythedead，toplowandsow，tocareforoneanother。
Speakingofburyingthedead，IwillsetdownwhileIthinkofit，thattheyhadadoptedcremationinaboutthethirteenthcentury，forthesamereasonthattheyhadleftoffraisingcattle——theycouldnotsparetheroom。Theyweremuchsurprisedtolearnthatwewerestillburying——askedourreasonsforit，andweremuchdissatisfiedwithwhatwegave。Wetoldthemofthebeliefintheresurrectionofthebody，andtheyaskedifourGodwasnotaswellabletoresurrectfromashesasfromlongcorruption。
Wetoldthemofhowpeoplethoughtitrepugnanttohavetheirlovedonesburn，andtheyaskedifitwaslessrepugnanttohavethemdecay。
Theywereinconvenientlyreasonable，thosewomen。
Well——thatoriginalbunchofgirlssettoworktocleanuptheplaceandmaketheirlivingasbesttheycould。Someoftheremainingslavewomenrenderedinvaluableservice，teachingsuchtradesastheyknew。Theyhadsuchrecordsaswerethenkept，allthetoolsandimplementsofthetime，andamostfertilelandtoworkin。
Therewereahandfuloftheyoungermatronswhohadescapedslaughter，andafewbabieswerebornafterthecataclysm——butonlytwoboys，andtheybothdied。
Forfiveortenyearstheyworkedtogether，growingstrongerandwiserandmoreandmoremutuallyattached，andthenthemiraclehappened——oneoftheseyoungwomenboreachild。Ofcoursetheyallthoughttheremustbeamansomewhere，butnonewasfound。Thentheydecideditmustbeadirectgiftfromthegods，andplacedtheproudmotherintheTempleofMaaia——theirGoddessofMotherhood——understrictwatch。Andthere，asyearspassed，thiswonder—womanborechildafterchild，fiveofthem——allgirls。
Ididmybest，keenlyinterestedasIhavealwaysbeeninsociologyandsocialpsychology，toreconstructinmymindtherealpositionoftheseancientwomen。Thereweresomefiveorsixhundredofthem，andtheywereharem—bred;yetforthefewprecedinggenerationstheyhadbeenrearedintheatmosphereofsuchheroicstrugglethatthestockmusthavebeentoughenedsomewhat。Leftaloneinthatterrificorphanhood，theyhadclungtogether，supportingoneanotherandtheirlittlesisters，anddevelopingunknownpowersinthestressofnewnecessity。Tothispain—hardenedandwork—strengthenedgroup，whohadlostnotonlytheloveandcareofparents，butthehopeofeverhavingchildrenoftheirown，therenowdawnedthenewhope。
HereatlastwasMotherhood，andthoughitwasnotforallofthempersonally，itmight——ifthepowerwasinherited——foundhereanewrace。
ItmaybeimaginedhowthosefiveDaughtersofMaaia，ChildrenoftheTemple，MothersoftheFuture——theyhadallthetitlesthatloveandhopeandreverencecouldgive——werereared。
Thewholelittlenationofwomensurroundedthemwithlovingservice，andwaited，betweenaboundlesshopeandanequallyboundlessdespair，toseeifthey，too，wouldbemothers。
Andtheywere！Asfastastheyreachedtheageoftwenty—fivetheybeganbearing。Eachofthem，likehermother，borefivedaughters。Presentlythereweretwenty—fiveNewWomen，Mothersintheirownright，andthewholespiritofthecountrychangedfrommourningandmerecourageousresignationtoproudjoy。Theolderwomen，thosewhorememberedmen，diedoff;
theyoungestofallthefirstlotofcoursediedtoo，afterawhile，andbythattimetherewereleftonehundredandfifty—fiveparthenogeneticwomen，foundinganewrace。
Theyinheritedallthatthedevotedcareofthatdecliningbandoforiginalonescouldleavethem。Theirlittlecountrywasquitesafe。
Theirfarmsandgardenswereallinfullproduction。Suchindustriesastheyhadwereincarefulorder。Therecordsoftheirpastwereallpreserved，andforyearstheolderwomenhadspenttheirtimeinthebestteachingtheywerecapableof，thattheymightleavetothelittlegroupofsistersandmothersalltheypossessedofskillandknowledge。
ThereyouhavethestartofHerland！Onefamily，alldescendedfromonemother！Shelivedtoahundredyearsold;
livedtoseeherhundredandtwenty—fivegreat—granddaughtersborn;livedasQueen—Priestess—Motherofthemall;anddiedwithanoblerprideandafullerjoythanperhapsanyhumansoulhaseverknown——shealonehadfoundedanewrace！
Thefirstfivedaughtershadgrownupinanatmosphereofholycalm，ofawedwatchfulwaiting，ofbreathlessprayer。Tothemthelonged—formotherhoodwasnotonlyapersonaljoy，butanation’shope。Theirtwenty—fivedaughtersinturn，withastrongerhope，aricher，wideroutlook，withthedevotedloveandcareofallthesurvivingpopulation，grewupasaholysisterhood，theirwholeardentyouthlookingforwardtotheirgreatoffice。
Andatlasttheywereleftalone;thewhite—hairedFirstMotherwasgone，andthisonefamily，fivesisters，twenty—fivefirstcousins，andahundredandtwenty—fivesecondcousins，begananewrace。
Hereyouhavehumanbeings，unquestionably，butwhatwewereslowinunderstandingwashowtheseultra—women，inheritingonlyfromwomen，hadeliminatednotonlycertainmasculinecharacteristics，whichofcoursewedidnotlookfor，butsomuchofwhatwehadalwaysthoughtessentiallyfeminine。
Thetraditionofmenasguardiansandprotectorshadquitediedout。Thesestalwartvirginshadnomentofearandthereforenoneedofprotection。Astowildbeasts——therewerenoneintheirshelteredland。
Thepowerofmother—love，thatmaternalinstinctwesohighlylaud，wastheirsofcourse，raisedtoitshighestpower;
andasister—lovewhich，evenwhilerecognizingtheactualrelationship，wefoundithardtocredit。
Terry，incredulous，evencontemptuous，whenwewerealone，refusedtobelievethestory。"AlotoftraditionsasoldasHerodotus——andaboutastrustworthy！"hesaid。"It’slikelywomen——
justapackofwomen——wouldhavehungtogetherlikethat！Weallknowwomencan’torganize——thattheyscraplikeanything——
arefrightfullyjealous。"
"ButtheseNewLadiesdidn’thaveanyonetobejealousof，remember，"drawledJeff。
"That’salikelystory，"Terrysneered。
"Whydon’tyouinventalikelierone？"Iaskedhim。
"HereAREthewomen——nothingbutwomen，andyouyourselfadmitthere’snotraceofamaninthecountry。"Thiswasafterwehadbeenaboutagooddeal。
"I’lladmitthat，"hegrowled。"Andit’sabigmiss，too。There’snotonlynofunwithout’em——norealsport——nocompetition;butthesewomenaren’tWOMANLY。Youknowtheyaren’t。"
ThatkindoftalkalwayssetJeffgoing;andIgraduallygrewtosidewithhim。"Thenyoudon’tcallabreedofwomenwhoseoneconcernismotherhood——womanly？"heasked。
"IndeedIdon’t，"snappedTerry。"Whatdoesamancareformotherhood——whenhehasn’taghostofachanceatfatherhood？
Andbesides——what’sthegoodoftalkingsentimentwhenwearejustmentogether？Whatamanwantsofwomenisagooddealmorethanallthis`motherhood’！"
WewereaspatientaspossiblewithTerry。Hehadlivedaboutninemonthsamongthe"Colonels"whenhemadethatoutburst;
andwithnochanceatanymorestrenuousexcitementthanourgymnasticsgaveus——saveforourescapefiasco。Idon’tsupposeTerryhadeverlivedsolongwithneitherLove，Combat，norDangertoemployhissuperabundantenergies，andhewasirritable。
NeitherJeffnorIfounditsowearing。Iwassomuchinterestedintellectuallythatourconfinementdidnotwearonme;andasforJeff，blesshisheart！——heenjoyedthesocietyofthattutorofhisalmostasmuchasifshehadbeenagirl——Idon’tknowbutmore。
AstoTerry’scriticism，itwastrue。Thesewomen，whoseessentialdistinctionofmotherhoodwasthedominantnoteoftheirwholeculture，werestrikinglydeficientinwhatwecall"femininity。"Thisledmeverypromptlytotheconvictionthatthose"femininecharms"wearesofondofarenotfeminineatall，butmerereflectedmasculinity——developedtopleaseusbecausetheyhadtopleaseus，andinnowayessentialtotherealfulfillmentoftheirgreatprocess。ButTerrycametonosuchconclusion。
"JustyouwaittillIgetout！"hemuttered。
Thenwebothcautionedhim。"Lookhere，Terry，myboy！Youbecareful！They’vebeenmightygoodtous——butdoyouremembertheanesthesia？Ifyoudoanymischiefinthisvirginland，bewareofthevengeanceoftheMaidenAunts！Come，beaman！
Itwon’tbeforever。"
Toreturntothehistory：
Theybeganatoncetoplanandbuiltfortheirchildren，allthestrengthandintelligenceofthewholeofthemdevotedtothatonething。Eachgirl，ofcourse，wasrearedinfullknowledgeofherCrowningOffice，andtheyhad，eventhen，veryhighideasofthemoldingpowersofthemother，aswellasthoseofeducation。
Suchhighidealsastheyhad！Beauty，Health，Strength，Intellect，Goodness——forthosetheyprayedandworked。
Theyhadnoenemies;theythemselveswereallsistersandfriends。
Thelandwasfairbeforethem，andagreatfuturebegantoformitselfintheirminds。
ThereligiontheyhadtobeginwithwasmuchlikethatofoldGreece——anumberofgodsandgoddesses;buttheylostallinterestindeitiesofwarandplunder，andgraduallycenteredontheirMotherGoddessaltogether。Then，astheygrewmoreintelligent，thishadturnedintoasortofMaternalPantheism。
HerewasMotherEarth，bearingfruit。Allthattheyatewasfruitofmotherhood，fromseedoreggortheirproduct。Bymotherhoodtheywerebornandbymotherhoodtheylived——lifewas，tothem，justthelongcycleofmotherhood。
Butveryearlytheyrecognizedtheneedofimprovementaswellasofmererepetition，anddevotedtheircombinedintelligencetothatproblem——howtomakethebestkindofpeople。Firstthiswasmerelythehopeofbearingbetterones，andthentheyrecognizedthathoweverthechildrendifferedatbirth，therealgrowthlaylater——througheducation。
Thenthingsbegantohum。
AsIlearnedmoreandmoretoappreciatewhatthesewomenhadaccomplished，thelessproudIwasofwhatwe，withallourmanhood，haddone。
Yousee，theyhadhadnowars。Theyhadhadnokings，andnopriests，andnoaristocracies。Theyweresisters，andastheygrew，theygrewtogether——notbycompetition，butbyunitedaction。
Wetriedtoputinagoodwordforcompetition，andtheywerekeenlyinterested。Indeed，wesoonfoundfromtheirearnestquestionsofusthattheywerepreparedtobelieveourworldmustbebetterthantheirs。Theywerenotsure;theywantedtoknow;
buttherewasnosucharroganceaboutthemasmighthavebeenexpected。
Weratherspreadourselves，tellingoftheadvantagesofcompetition：howitdevelopedfinequalities;thatwithoutittherewouldbe"nostimulustoindustry。"Terrywasverystrongonthatpoint。
"Nostimulustoindustry，"theyrepeated，withthatpuzzledlookwehadlearnedtoknowsowell。"STIMULUS？TOINDUSTRY？Butdon’tyouLIKEtowork？"
"Nomanwouldworkunlesshehadto，"Terrydeclared。
"Oh，noMAN！Youmeanthatisoneofyoursexdistinctions？"
"No，indeed！"hesaidhastily。"Noone，Imean，manorwoman，wouldworkwithoutincentive。Competitionisthe——themotorpower，yousee。"
"Itisnotwithus，"theyexplainedgently，"soitishardforustounderstand。Doyoumean，forinstance，thatwithyounomotherwouldworkforherchildrenwithoutthestimulusofcompetition？"
No，headmittedthathedidnotmeanthat。Mothers，hesupposed，wouldofcourseworkfortheirchildreninthehome;
buttheworld’sworkwasdifferent——thathadtobedonebymen，andrequiredthecompetitiveelement。
Allourteacherswereeagerlyinterested。
"Wewantsomuchtoknow——youhavethewholeworldtotellusof，andwehaveonlyourlittleland！Andtherearetwoofyou——thetwosexes——
toloveandhelponeanother。Itmustbearichandwonderfulworld。
Tellus——whatistheworkoftheworld，thatmendo——whichwehavenothere？"
"Oh，everything，"Terrysaidgrandly。"Themendoeverything，withus。"
Hesquaredhisbroadshouldersandliftedhischest。"Wedonotallowourwomentowork。Womenareloved——idolized——honored——keptinthehometocareforthechildren。"
"Whatis`thehome’？"askedSomelalittlewistfully。
ButZavabegged："Tellmefirst，doNOwomenwork，really？"
"Why，yes，"Terryadmitted。"Somehaveto，ofthepoorersort。"
"Abouthowmany——inyourcountry？"
"Aboutsevenoreightmillion，"saidJeff，asmischievousasever。
CHAPTER6
ComparisonsAreOdiousIhadalwaysbeenproudofmycountry，ofcourse。Everyoneis。
ComparedwiththeotherlandsandotherracesIknew，theUnitedStatesofAmericahadalwaysseemedtome，speakingmodestly，asgoodasthebestofthem。
Butjustasaclear—eyed，intelligent，perfectlyhonest，andwell—meaningchildwillfrequentlyjarone’sself—esteembyinnocentquestions，sodidthesewomen，withouttheslightestappearanceofmaliceorsatire，continuallybringuppointsofdiscussionwhichwespentourbesteffortsinevading。
Nowthatwewerefairlyproficientintheirlanguage，hadreadalotabouttheirhistory，andhadgiventhemthegeneraloutlinesofours，theywereabletopresstheirquestionscloser。
SowhenJeffadmittedthenumberof"womenwageearners"
wehad，theyinstantlyaskedforthetotalpopulation，fortheproportionofadultwomen，andfoundthattherewerebuttwentymillionorsoattheoutside。
"Thenatleastathirdofyourwomenare——whatisityoucallthem——wageearners？AndtheyareallPOOR。WhatisPOOR，exactly？"
"Oursisthebestcountryintheworldastopoverty，"
Terrytoldthem。"Wedonothavethewretchedpaupersandbeggarsoftheoldercountries，Iassureyou。Why，Europeanvisitorstellus，wedon’tknowwhatpovertyis。"
"Neitherdowe，"answeredZava。"Won’tyoutellus？"
Terryputituptome，sayingIwasthesociologist，andI
explainedthatthelawsofnaturerequireastruggleforexistence，andthatinthestrugglethefittestsurvive，andtheunfitperish。
Inoureconomicstruggle，Icontinued，therewasalwaysplentyofopportunityforthefittesttoreachthetop，whichtheydid，ingreatnumbers，particularlyinourcountry;thatwheretherewassevereeconomicpressurethelowestclassesofcoursefeltittheworst，andthatamongthepoorestofallthewomenweredrivenintothelabormarketbynecessity。
Theylistenedclosely，withtheusualnote—taking。
"Aboutone—third，then，belongtothepoorestclass，"
observedMoadinegravely。"Andtwo—thirdsaretheoneswhoare——howwasityousobeautifullyputit？——`loved，honored，keptinthehometocareforthechildren。’Thisinferiorone—thirdhavenochildren，Isuppose？"
Jeff——hewasgettingasbadastheywere——solemnlyrepliedthat，onthecontrary，thepoorertheywere，themorechildrentheyhad。
Thattoo，heexplained，wasalawofnature：
"Reproductionisininverseproportiontoindividuation。"
"These`lawsofnature，’"Zavagentlyasked，"aretheyallthelawsyouhave？"
"Ishouldsaynot！"protestedTerry。"Wehavesystemsoflawthatgobackthousandsandthousandsofyears——justasyoudo，nodoubt，"hefinishedpolitely。
"Ohno，"Moadinetoldhim。"Wehavenolawsoverahundredyearsold，andmostofthemareundertwenty。Inafewweeksmore，"
shecontinued，"wearegoingtohavethepleasureofshowingyouoverourlittlelandandexplainingeverythingyoucaretoknowabout。
Wewantyoutoseeourpeople。"
"AndIassureyou，"Someladded，"thatourpeoplewanttoseeyou。"
Terrybrightenedupimmenselyatthisnews，andreconciledhimselftothereneweddemandsuponourcapacityasteachers。
Itwasluckythatweknewsolittle，really，andhadnobookstoreferto，else，Ifancywemightallbethereyet，teachingthoseeager—mindedwomenabouttherestoftheworld。
Astogeography，theyhadthetraditionoftheGreatSea，beyondthemountains;andtheycouldseeforthemselvestheendlessthick—forestedplainsbelowthem——thatwasall。Butfromthefewrecordsoftheirancientcondition——not"beforetheflood"withthem，butbeforethatmightyquakewhichhadcutthemoffsocompletely——theywereawarethattherewereotherpeoplesandothercountries。
Ingeologytheywerequiteignorant。
Astoanthropology，theyhadthosesameremnantsofinformationaboutotherpeoples，andtheknowledgeofthesavageryoftheoccupantsofthosedimforestsbelow。Nevertheless，theyhadinferred（marvelouslykeenoninferenceanddeductiontheirmindswere！）theexistenceanddevelopmentofcivilizationinotherplaces，muchasweinferitonotherplanets。
Whenourbiplanecamewhirringovertheirheadsinthatfirstscoutingflightofours，theyhadinstantlyaccepteditasproofofthehighdevelopmentofSomeWhereElse，andhadpreparedtoreceiveusascautiouslyandeagerlyaswemightpreparetowelcomevisitorswhocame"bymeteor"fromMars。
Ofhistory——outsidetheirown——theyknewnothing，ofcourse，savefortheirancienttraditions。
Ofastronomytheyhadafairworkingknowledge——thatisaveryoldscience;andwithit，asurprisingrangeandfacilityinmathematics。
Physiologytheywerequitefamiliarwith。Indeed，whenitcametothesimplerandmoreconcretesciences，whereinthesubjectmatterwasathandandtheyhadbuttoexercisetheirmindsuponit，theresultsweresurprising。Theyhadworkedoutachemistry，abotany，aphysics，withalltheblendswhereasciencetouchesanart，ormergesintoanindustry，tosuchfullnessofknowledgeasmadeusfeellikeschoolchildren。
Alsowefoundthisout——assoonaswewerefreeofthecountry，andbyfurtherstudyandquestion——thatwhatoneknew，allknew，toaveryconsiderableextent。
Italkedlaterwithlittlemountaingirlsfromthefir—darkvalleysawayupattheirhighestpart，andwithsunburnedplains—
womenandagileforesters，alloverthecountry，aswellasthoseinthetowns，andeverywheretherewasthesamehighlevelofintelligence。Someknewfarmorethanothersaboutonething——
theywerespecialized，ofcourse;butallofthemknewmoreabouteverything——thatis，abouteverythingthecountrywasacquaintedwith——thanisthecasewithus。
Weboastagooddealofour"highlevelofgeneralintelligence"
andour"compulsorypubliceducation，"butinproportiontotheiropportunitiestheywerefarbettereducatedthanourpeople。
Withwhatwetoldthem，fromwhatsketchesandmodelswewereabletoprepare，theyconstructedasortofworkingoutlinetofillinastheylearnedmore。
Abigglobewasmade，andouruncertainmaps，helpedoutbythoseinthatpreciousyearbookthingIhad，weretentativelyindicateduponit。
Theysatineagergroups，massesofthemwhocameforthepurpose，andlistenedwhileJeffroughlyranoverthegeologichistoryoftheearth，andshowedthemtheirownlandinrelationtotheothers。Outofthatsamepocketreferencebookofminecamefactsandfigureswhichwereseizeduponandplacedinrightrelationwithunerringacumen。
EvenTerrygrewinterestedinthiswork。"Ifwecankeepthisup，they’llbehavinguslecturetoallthegirls’schoolsandcolleges——
howaboutthat？"hesuggestedtous。"Don’tknowasI’dobjecttobeinganAuthoritytosuchaudiences。"
Theydid，infact，urgeustogivepubliclectureslater，butnottothehearersorwiththepurposeweexpected。
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