75 "Well, they sure did OUR village some good,"
added another man. "A gang of drug dealers had set up shop on an estate
outside our village and were growing Pon right in the open. Anybody that complained was told by the local
authorities that IF they valued their lives, they'd better mind their
own business.
76 One night, there was a commotion out there, and the next morning
they were gone, their fields had been harrowed over, the house had been
stripped, and a lot of them were gone.
77 The Village Speaker, The High Guardian and two of his officers
disappeared. And later a Messenger came to the bank with certified
letters asking their accounts be closed and their money given to the
Messenger. Their mates came with the Messenger so the bank couldn't do
anything but give them the money.
78 The City Official's mates picked up their houses, signed their
property over to some new people, and went away with some strange men.
Some new owners showed up for the estate, too, and strangely enough,
they're all followers of The Young Speaker, and they've been damned
nice people in our community."
79 "Dammit!" snapped another man, "no matter what, it's simply not
right for them to take The Law into their own hands. These stories we
hear that they've got their own secret prisons, that they're trying and
holding people by The Old Laws instead of the new statutes is wrong.
Many people fought very hard to get the new statutes.
80 The Old Laws were too harsh, too barbaric. I mean, taking a man's
manhood because some woman tempted him too far is ridiculous. I mean,
nowadays they're walking around the street half naked, asking for it.
What do they expect?"
81 Smiling Fox snapped back, "It doesn't make any difference if a woman
is walking down the street naked, it doesn't give a man the right to
rape her. I mean there ARE circumstances, and The Law takes them into
consideration,