*  *  *  *

Riverworld, Day 68, Evening

The day progressed quickly, as many had of late. Charles spent much of
his time with Diana, actively courting her in a fashion that would
have been recognizable to any gentleman of his time.

Cixi wandered the village calmly, speaking little, her hands folded
inside the edges of the sleeves she had formed from her towels. When
she passed the Japanese, she would straighten regally and look
away. Matoaka, her face painted with patterns which concealed and
distorted her features, also spent her time quietly observing the
others and saying little.

Matoaka spent the morning in her usual routine. Withdrawing her fish net
from her grail, she attached the rope at its corner to her wrist and
tossed it out into the River.  After letting the net sink for
sometime, she strained to reel it in. That morning, she had managed to
catch three of the small River fish which reminded her of trout. A
sharpened stone made quick work of scaling and gutting the fish, and
she strung them by their gills through a tree branch. Then she removed
her clothes and bathed in the River, her paintings washing away in the
water. When she emerged, she clothed herself again and began crushing
some herbs and berries she had found, mixing them into an ink with her
saliva.  When the mixture was ready, she dipped two fingers in it and
started painting the patterns on her face and shoulders while looking
at herself in the River. Later that day, she checked her canoe, which
she had secreted away under vegetation near the edge of the River.

She once again looked around the village in hopes of seeing other
Indians, but found none. Instead, she considered the others, one by
one. First the pale ones: Charles, the short man who seemed to carry
authority with him like anointing oil on his dark hair; Jeanne, the
dimunitive Frenchwoman who seemed alternatively belligerent and
distressed; Louis, the one-armed French soldier; Benjamin, who spoke
almost like an Englishman, and yet not quite, and who spent much of
his time carving strange figurines from wood; Jean and Robbie, a pair
of men who were often together, one another French soldier, and the
other an Englishman who seemed to always be laughing; and Shaw,
another Englishman of more striking appearance. Cixi, with whom she
shared a hut, had darker skin and was quiet. Josephine, the woman
whose skin was a very dark brown, was tall and graceful. And the
others, the group called "Japanese" whose skin was like Cixi's and the
group called "Celtic", who, like her, painted their skin, though their
dyes were bluer and their patterns different.

Cixi privately considered her hutmate to be unusual, but agreeable.
Matoaka was pleasantly untalkative and kept herself and her part of
the hut tidy. If she slept with a dagger, and left early in the
morning to bathe and reapply her face-paintings, what of it? Cixi
thought to herself.

Jeanne's day had been spent, as had many in the past, praying in her
chapel and helping with the excavation of the ore. She incessantly
asked Robbie her hopeful question, "When will you make me a sword?"
but he replied that he did not know when the need for a sword would be
greater than the need for iron tools.

Later, Jeanne joined Louis in his hut. He was busily practicing his
sinister penmanship.  "I cannot help you to relearn such things,"
Jeanne said to him. "but perhaps you could help me? I have never
learned my letters, and would dearly love to be able to read, even if
I never master writing."  She looks at him hopefully.

Louis responded with enthusiasm.  "Of course, Madam, I should be
honored to instruct you.  I have written several books, even one of
poetry.  It is quite straightforward; we shall have you reading and
writing in a short time!" In the next few hours, Jeanne was well on
her way to competence in writing the alphabet, and had mastered her
own name, and accomplishment which filled her with pride and gratitude.

As evening came, all the villagers brought their grail to the
grailstone. Its many indentations still had room for the grails of a
village of twice the size. Matoaka stopped outside her hut for a few
seconds in front of a stick with a few fish she had caught on it and
checked it out.

At dinner, many of the motley band of non-Celtic, non-Japanese lazari
gathered together, along with Culwyn, Josephine's Celtic consort,
Llyr, her new ward, and Diana, the Celtic priestess who had taken
Charles as her consort.  Josephine encouragingly motioned for Cixi and
Matoaka to join the group, which they did, wordlessly. Jeanne took a
position on the other side of the circle from Diana and Matoaka.
Robbie, tired from working at the mine, dug eagerly into his
food. Matoaka, on the other hand, ate with a certain dignity, showing
a hint of European manners.

Benjamin had been distracted during the evenings lately, gazing off
into the distance with a sad look.  However, his natural humors would
soon reassert themselves and he would throw himself back into his
efforts, or would wander amongst the huts looking for a young lady
with some wit about her, with whom to spend a night. Tonight, though,
he knew that he would have to bring his thoughts forward and direct
the others toward the development of the community.

Benjamin stood up, and addressed the group.

"We have much to decide, and a stitch in Time saves nine," he began,
chuckling a little at his own words. He glanced over at the hut in
which Helga was imprisoned.  "We are not yet prepared to set Precedent
about Law, about Trials, about Crime, about Punishment.  Before we can
do that, we must decide how we are to rule ourselves, and the System
of Governance which we create, will in turn create Law.  I therefore
propose that for now, to avoid creating any more Precedent than
necessary, we relegate the Decision to Charles and Culwyn, and if they
cannot agree on a suitable Punishment, then it should be decided by
Diana and Josephine.  If any object to this, it should be put to a
Vote.  Finally, I would recommend that the best Punishment available
would be Banishment, until we have Law and the means to enforce it."

"Is nothing permanent in this world?" Jeanne muttered. "If we kill
her, she will be resurrected. Hopefully further away than Shaka
was. But if we banish her, there is nothing to say she will go!"
After a moment's thought, she added, "I am reluctant to adopt a cruel
system such as some lords of my time did... but for stealing, the
punishment was loss of a hand."

"The punitive nature of government is often too harsh for what the endeavor
brings," Louis said. "We should not open that door yet. I would like
to why she felt it was necessary to steal, and would rather banish her
than kill her, maim her, or waste our efforts guarding her."

Robbie chimed in. "Perhaps imprisonment or banishment? Of course death
on the river is more like banishment than death isn't it?"

The others generally concurred with Benjamin's idea.  He continued, "As
to Governance, I further propose that we being with Democracy, in
which Decisions are made by voting. Each man or woman who contributes
10% of their Labor to the Community may vote. As we grow, we should
expect that direct voting will become too cumbersome, and instead each
Region of our expanding town should elect Representatives who, in a
Body, shall make Decisions binding on All."

"Finally," he concluded, "a City deserves a Name. I suggest 'Ferrum',
in honor of the Iron on which we are founded."

"Friend Benjamin," Louis said, "we should codify the principles of our
new city, which perhaps might grow into a country some day.  Since you
helped author your country's Declaration, and I had a hand in mine,
what say you to sitting down and discussing a new one?  I do not favor
a representative government; I have too many issues over power and its
abuse to let someone speak for me...or you.  I feel we should directly
participate.  And I would second Ferrum for the name of our city."

"Hmmm..." Robbie said. "Perhaps New Ayrshire would be a better name
for this town-Aye an' the river could be called th' new Doon- but a
brig o' Doon may be a problem..."  He sank back into contemplation and
then began to hum, a bit out of tune.

Matoaka removed the cigarettes from her grail and unwrapped them. She
withdrew a long pipe made from bamboo, filled it with the leaves, and
began smoking blissfully, casually glancing at Robbie and Shaw from
time to time.

"I agree that a direct Democracy is far superior to a Republic at a
time like this, when there are few enough People that one Man might
know them all." Benjamin replied. "But if we succeed here, History
tells us that we can expect our City to become larger and larger.
True, we do not have Births to increase Population, but I feel sure
that the Advent of Civilization here will attract others to join us --
we have already seen a few trickles.  And a time will come when Ferrum
will assimilate its Neighbors.  When that time comes, our Democracy
must turn into a Republic because otherwise it will turn into
something worse.  That is why I suggest we start as a Democracy, but
we provide a smooth path to transform into a Republic over time."

"It is true that I was part of our Declaration Committee, though
frankly, my part was mostly goading Tom to actually write it." He
chuckled. "But our Declaration was mostly Rhetoric intended to be read
by the Heads of State of other Nations, and the Circumstance which
made it necessary, does not exist here.  Rather, it is the
Constitution which we need to be creating.  Where the Declaration
Committee was five people, the Constitutional Committee was
fifty-five, so my Voice was somewhat less heard.  Truth be known... I
was mostly there to smooth over the flares of Temper and keep the
Discussion moving productively, more than I was there to actually
write anything."

"Do you think this fledgling City is ready for a Constitution?
Methinks we have not the Means to ratify it yet.  Be patient, my boy,
and have Faith.  We must lay the Foundation first.  To every Thing
there is a Season, and a Time to every Purpose alongside the River."
Jeanne looked up from her food at Benjamin's epigraph.

Charles stood next. "If you all consent, I will speak with Helga, and
render judgment, along with Culwyn. For now, I suggest a set of
God-given principles by which we should live, the Ten Commandments."
He recited,
        1.  You shall have no other gods before the Lord.
        2.  You shall not make for yourself a graven image (or any
	likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in
	the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
	you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord
	your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
	fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth
	generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to
	thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments).
        3.  You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
	(for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name
	in vain).
        4.  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Six days you
	shall labour, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a
	sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work,
	you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your
	maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within
	your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth,
	the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day;
	therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.)
	5.  Honor your father and your mother (that your days may be
	long in the land which the Lord your God gives you).
        6.  You shall not murder.
        7.  You shall not commit adultery.
        8.  You shall not steal.
        9.  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
	10. You shall not covet (your neighbor's house; you shall not
	covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his
	maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or) anything that is your
	neighbor's.
        
"I also agree that citizens should spend part of their time working
for the betterment of all -- mining, fishing, cooking, defense,
teaching, and cultural advancement in keeping with the spirit of the
community. We should form a greeting council who can welcome
newcomers, and teach them our rules so they can decide if they wish to
join or merely to pass through. We should send others to Ford's group,
to bring us closer together.

"As to government," he concluded, "The Roman republic will certainly
not serve us. Everyone's voice should be heard, but we must have a
head, a guiding force, a decision maker and arbiter.  In time, perhaps
even now, this leader should be advised and guided by a council of
people from the community.  Specialists in forms of study, that the
leader is not familiar with."

Ehrich spoke up next. "The ten commandments are solid and time proven,
if not time honored.  But many provisions in it raise questions.
Every government since time began has violated the prohibition against
murder.  And adultery has little meaning without some form of marriage
to go with it.  Have my wedding vows been annulled because I have
died, or should I wait ten years to find my spouse?  What of those who
married several times during life, only to find all of their deceased
spouses alive again?  And Honor God Thy Father, do we impose that upon
citizens of different faiths?  The law should have no place in
dictating religion or restricting, and should dictate morals only in
as much as it protects the community.

Josephine nodded. "As we already know the majority of the population
here," she indicated the Celts and the Japanese with sweeping
movements, "are not Christians.  To come in and expect them to worship
as a minority does is as bad as punishing them because they are
different.  The respect for life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness is all well and good as long as each person's beliefs are
validated and do not infringe on the rights of others."

"The purpose of government is to provide for the well being of the
citizens, for their safety and for their defense." Ehrich began to
warm to his topic. "The well being is assured by the grailstones, thus
all government must do here is to ensure that there is equal access to
all.  Immigration should be carefully controlled, less we have more
people than can be supported."

Benjamin interrupted, "Are you saying that we should arbitrarily
deprive all those other people who are not here now, of the Fruits of
this Mine and the Civilization it will bring?  If we sit here and
hoard this Treasure like a Tyrant King, we are advocating Anarchy, the
law of Might Makes Right, and we leave others no other choice but to
conquer us, which will, in time, happen in that case.  Nay!  Any who
will trade their Skills, their Industry, and their Talents will be
welcome here so long as there is Work to be done."

Ehrich frowned. "You have made your views clear, let me state mine."
He returned to his oration. "As for safety, the citizens should have
some form of police, and an arbitration system.  For defense, it is
very likely that other peoples will try to attack sometime, such is
the nature of mankind.  Finally, the government needs to be able to
address new issues in a fair and rational manner.

"All who wish to work the mines should be able to do so, and partake
in the rewards of their labor.  But the community should also partake
in the rewards of providing the ore.  I do not like the strange ideas
of Marx, but neither do I approve of the industrialist idea of wealth
accumulating into the hands of a few.  The ore does not belong to us
individually, and we have no land owners.

"For taxes, I am unsure.  Taxes should be voluntary, but to prevent
disquiet, voluntary contributions should be secret as well.  At least
within the community.  I am uneasy with the prospect of a traveler
working the mines and taking 9/10s of the profit away when he leaves.

Josephine laughed softly, shaking her head, one hand straying to
smooth Llyr's hair.  "In theory Communism works.  In theory.  With the
flow of people in and out of the community, reborn at the grailstone,
sailing up, dying, leaving...  It would be difficult to insist on
people contributing a set amount for "taxes".  I believe that those
who work for the good of the community should benefit from the
community, but the idea of everyone working just because they "should"
just isn't feasible.  I don't have all of the answers, but I do know
that trying to make people pay taxes will soon leave us with only the
scared and mercenary living in the community."

Ehrich nodded, and continued.  "For punishment, death is easy.  The
offender is effectively banished from the community, yet has suffered
no permanent harm.  This should still be a drastic action however,
reserved for murder or habitual crimes.  This has a side effect of
inflicting the criminal upon a new unsuspecting community however.
Community service should be a common option, with the full results of
their labor returning to the community.  Jails should be used for
those who show little remorse over past crimes, but it seems to have
little solution other than to keep the criminal out of harms way.
Ironically, in such a world as this, a jail may indeed be the cruelest
punishment of all.

"And finally, the form of government.  Elections are nice and all, but
can be easily abused.  Why should one person win with 55% and the
other lose with 45%?  The loser had large support, and must have
decent qualifications to get such support.  Could not both serve
together?  Thus, I feel that there should be no single leader, but
a group of leaders.  Perhaps a council of elders, if only we could
determine what "elder" meant in this world.  Perhaps 5 to 10 people
to act as final arbiters, chosen for their experience and expertise,
yet subject to approval.  Each member has executive decision making
in one area, subject to approval by the rest of the council.  In a
community this size, elections and votes are easy to have, so direct
participation by all should not be discouraged."

When he paused, Matoaka, lowering her pipe from her lips, stood.  She
made eye contact with Benjamin, pointed a finger at him, and said,
"Paleface, you talk democracy. You talk republic."

She pointed a finger at herself, shook her head and finally made a
large circle with her hand as if waving something off.  "Me, not
familiar with them.  You hiding behind words.  Me sure not alone not
understand."

She pointed her finger at Benjamin again and then at herself, and
added, "You, explain, what they are?"  Her gestures were extremely
animated, and turned to Ehrich without waiting for an answer.

"You talk wise.  Elders always know good for all."  Turning next to
Charles, she raised her chin and the side of her upper lip curled
slightly.  "Me not agree with the one you call God."  She spit on the
ground.  "Great Spirit, my leader." 

Nodding approvingly at her own words, she spoke reverently in a
language that none of the others understood.

"Only the Great Spirit has the answers," she said in her tribal tongue.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but then closed it and sat down,
watching the others. Benjamin, seemingly delighted by her outburst,
suggested in word and gesture that they discuss the matter later.

Josephine looked over at Cixi for her opinion. Cixi said simply, "We
have saying... 'Allow all to take a course.  Do not be clever.  Then
world will be ruled.'" Judging from her look, Diana seemed to agree
with this viewpoint.

"Clearly we will not finish this conversation tonight," Diana
said. "In the morning, Charles and Culwyn will rule on what is to be
done with Helga. For now, I am ready to retire." She stood and left
the group, together with Charles, and they disappeared into her hut.
Jeanne frowned, and went to her chapel for her nightly prayers. Freud
returned to his hut as well.

Before the others could leave, Ehrich spoke out again, more quietly.
"The possibility that we are indeed in the world of the supernatural
is high.  There may be a logical scientific explanation, and again
there may not be.  I'd like to perform an experiment, and try to
contact the world of the living, by using a seance."

Shaw's expression brightened at once.  "What a wonderful idea. I would
love to see what happens." Freud nodded quietly as Shaw spoke.

Josephine half-smiled at the idea, shrugging one shoulder.  In a light
voice, she replied, "If it doesn't interfere with my duties and you
need someone, I'm always up for a bit of fun."  She grinned and winked
at Ehrich. 

Culwyn looked confused and spoke a few words in private with
Josephine, before giving his assent as well. "To speak with spirits is
a great magic, but if a Priestess participates, it must be well." 

Benjamin, who had been patiently trying to explain the electoral
process to Matoaka as one would to a young child, seemed amused, and
agreed to go along with the seance, though his demeanor was not
completely serious.  Matoaka looked interested as well, though unsure
if she was meant to be invited. Ehrich expansively included both the
Indian woman and Cixi in the party.

"Well," said Ehrich. "No time like the present."

Privately, Shaw agreed, and slipped a cube of dreamgum into his mouth
unobtrusively. From that moment, he remembered little.

They gathered in the darkness in Ehrich's hut, around a low makeshift
table he had built. The squat legs were sturdy wood, but the tabletop
was bamboo, lashed together as one would lash together a raft. He had
been experimenting with stains and planned to finish the tabletop when
he had perfected the work. An alcohol-soaked towel served as a dim torch.

They took seats on the floor, in a circle around the table. At
Culwyn's suggestion, Ehrich placed items on the table: a firelighter,
a handful of dirt, a bamboo branch, a pair of scissors, and a cup of
water from the River. Ehrich asked them to hold hands, and guided them
in a series of breathing exercises and low chants with their eyes
closed and open.

"Spirits of the living," he intoned in a throaty voice, "we wish to
speak with you. Let us contact you, from wherever we are to wherever
you are. Come to us, or let us come to you."

The light cast by the burning towel flickered, as if stirred by a wind
despite the calm of the night. A hush fell over the group, and a sense
of expectation.

After a couple of minutes, Benjamin smirked. He resumed his
straight-faced expression at Ehrich's frown, and they continued to wait
in silence. Finally, Benjamin could stand no more, and burst out
chuckling. Ehrich looked glum as he cast his glance around the room at
the others. His eyes stopped and widened at Shaw.

"Look!" he pointed. Shaw's face seemed blank and expressionless, his
eyes closed as if he had fallen into a deep and relaxing sleep or
trance. Every few seconds, he quivered. As the others watched, his
eyes opened to reveal his pupils rolled backward into his head and in
a high-pitched voice he said, "Veins, plains, the tree and
the river and the reins, beware of the manes." Efforts to engage him
in meaningful conversation failed -- he seemed content to squeak
nonsense -- until someone suggested rousing Freud.

"No!" Shaw exclaimed, "Beware. Fine minds find kind hide ride don't
look inside." Suddenly, his eyes snapped shut, and then fully open.

Shaw awoke to see the others staring at him around the table in
Ehrich's hut. "What happened?" he asked, and then fell into a deep
sleep. The others dragged him back to his bed and returned to their
own huts. Some were thoughtful and most shaken. Other than Shaw, few
slept well.

As dawn rose again on the Riverworld, Charles awoke before breakfast,
found Culwyn, and went to the hut where the Celts stood guard
outside. They knocked on the door, as the others, newly awakened,
stood curiously to watch.
Charles noticed that many of of the others seemed haggard, their eyes
bleary, almost haunted. Only Jeanne, Freud, and Shaw seemed to have
slept well.

When they received no answer, Charles and Culwyn opened the door to
the hut. Helga was gone.