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。