can be stubborn, but they are not unreasonable. Now, if you will excuse me, I am weary, and it is passed the time I go to my bed. The mind is willing to stay up all night, but this old body will not agree!"
50 The Old Chieftain motioned to his chair bearers, and they came forward, lifting him up, and carried him out.
51 Bold Fox rose. "I, myself," he said, "am weary. I hope you will not be offended if I, too, find my bed."
52 "Not at all!" replied Strong Wall "your needs are our desire, not ours. I will send a servant to show you the way. If you don't mind, I'd like to spend a little more time here." He laid his hand on Shining Goat's, and the girl smiled.
53 "To keep a man from such pleasant company," Bold Fox said, "would be an unforgivable crime! I will take my leave." He returned to his room and literally sank into his bed! The sleeping cushioins were filled with the feathers of a large bird found only in the Giants' mountains! It was the softest thing Bold Fox had ever felt! He would want to buy several of these to take home.
54 He awoke the next day, put on his robe, then made his way to the diningroom. He found the Healers there, gathered about one table, eating breakfast. And there was plenty of breakfast, indeed!
55 But Bold Fox noticed the Healers were strangely quiet, looking at each other and speaking in whispers. Bold Fox sat at the table for some time before he finally spoke. "All right, what is it?"
56 "Lord," they answered, "we are sure the disease effecting these people is Jointed Fever. Those we treated last night responded quickly to the medication. But what we have seen, Lord, in this city, has sickened us! The rich here, live in splendor, and the poor live in filth and disgust. They are dressed in rags, and live in hovels that we would not put our cattle in. The main streets of the city are beautiful, but the back streets are sewers!
57 We could cure the people, but unless something is done about the filth, new sickness will just return. These people are cruel to their servants. While they have all this food, children in their city starve, widows have no bread, and sleep with their little ones in the streets. We thought these were good people. Now, we do not know what to think, or what to say!"
58 "You should say," came a voice from behind them, "what is necessary to say! And, begin by explaining to me what cleanliness has to do with disease. And there is plenty of food in this city! None of our people should be hungry!" They all turned to see Strong Wall standing behind them. He looked angry as he came up to Yellow Blossom Raven. "I said EXPLAIN!" he repeated.
59 "Sir," she explained, "filth breeds disease. The flies and other bugs that carry disease live in the filth. Your houses are beautiful and clean. Your uncle has lived to sixty seasons, but there is not one person among the poor that is over thirty. Sickness destroys their bodies hardly before they live.
60 And many people suffer from a sickness of the bowels, because the water they drink is filthy. Their clothes are full of bugs because they are filthy. Bugs crawl on the sleeping children and eat them alive. And, when your servants come into your houses, they bring these bugs with them, and they make your old people sick, and, your children.
61 And the people are not hungry because there is a lack of food, there is plenty of food. They simply have no money to buy it."
62 Strong Wall looked like she had slapped his face. "Unless this city is cleaned up," the Healer continued, "unless something is done about the deplorable conditions of the poor, this epidemic will continue. And there will be epidemic after epidemic after epidemic with no hope of controlling them, until your cities become uninhabitable."
63 "Enough!" snapped Bold Fox.
64 Strong Wall raised his hand. "We did not understand," he explained, "we did not know! These ideas are completely new to us. You will excuse me. I must go and speak with my Uncle. Remain here. I will fetch you shortly."
65 But Strong Wall did not return for many hours. Bold Fox returned to his room, dressed, and came back. The Healers complained that they could not wait all day. There were still people dying in the city, and it was their duty to do what they could. Bold Fox told them to go. "I will handle things here," he announced. He could hear discussion in The Great Hall, but he could not understand what was being said.
66 Finally, late in the afternoon, Strong Wall entered. "Where are the Healers?" he asked.
67 "They had duties to their patients," Bold Fox told them. "They could not stay. They have left me as their spokesman." 68 "But you have the knowledge," asked Strong Wall, "you can tell us what it is that must be done?"
69 "I understand what they told you," he said, "yes."
70 Strong Wall nodded. "Come," he ordered.
71 Together they entered The Great Hall, and Bold Fox found it filled with Giants, that even its great size could not contain! He felt tiny as he passed by these huge men looking down at him. And their looks were not pleasing. They looked almost hurt, afraid, like a child who had done something wrong and was expecting its parents' swift punishment.
72 Strong Wall led Bold Fox directly to his Uncle. "Come," demanded High Wall, "here and stand beside me, where all can see and hear you."
73 "Where are the Healers?" The Old Chieftain asked. Strong Wall quickly explained, and his Uncle nodded.
74 "As it should be," he said. "You were mistaken ordering them to stay; though, we will speak no more of it."
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