young wives, daughters, and sons we
keep....slaves. The rest we sell. We trade to those over the mountain
that eat men.
22 Our enemy strong. Their gods strong, but Jordanea stronger. Without
Jordanea NONE can live. Now you go. You get out. You are strong demon,
hard to kill! But we find way if you stay. This Jordanea's land!"
23 North nodded. "If I was to return," he asked, "with some of my
friends with spears, axes and furs to trade for fruit, meat, and fish,
would we then be enemies?"
24 The Chief began to rub his chin which was covered with hair, his
black face showing the great deal of effort it was taking for him to
make his decision. "If you come to the beach," he answered, "on the
lower part of the river that is the boundary of our land, and build a
fire so we see the smoke, we will come, we will trade. But do not come
on my land!"
25 North agreed. "I will take these with me," he announced, "this axe,
these spears, to show my people how to make these things you want. But
I will return them with new when I come back!"
26 The Chief only nodded. North turned, sped off back to the landing
site. The medical personnel were finished with their survey. They had
found nothing that their immunizing agents couldn't handle.
27 They returned to the ship and North made his report to The Voice,
and, The Lord God. "I would not doubt that most of the natives are in a
similar state of development, but it should be simple for us to make
trade goods like they use and get everything we need from them."
28 "Why bother to trade," complained The Lord God, "we just go down and
take what we want. They're animals, they're not intelligent! They don't
compare in any way with us."
29 "Except for their dark skin," argued The Voice,