"This may be a bore, my friend, but it is better than being boiled like a lobster."
When the midday meal was brought, Marot asked the jailer: "Would you please inquire of the captain whether we might have a copy of the Book of Bákh? We need spiritual enlightenment."
Shortly afterward, the captain appeared with a copy of the Book of Bákh under his arm. "Such piety merits praise, O Terrans," he said, handing over the book. "Methinks ye'll fare well at the hearing."
Reith and Marot spent the afternoon listening to each other drone through the first chapter of the Book of Bákh, over and over, until they had it memorized.
An enormous golden star adorned the door of the hearing room. The captain of the Temple guard pulled open the door, saying: "Go on in. Ye shall sit to the right, over yonder, where your defender now sits."
The hearing room was spacious, but there was no provision for spectators. Opposite the entrance stood three thronelike chairs, with high backs gilded and elaborately carved. In the largest of these sat Kharob bad-Kavir, Dasht of Chilihagh. On his right huddled an aged, bony Krishnan woman, who Reith surmised was the High Priestess Lazdai. The Krishnan on the left of the Dasht, another ancient wearing spectacles, Reith did not recognize. In a low voice, he asked the captain:
"Who is that in the throne on our right?"
"Chief Justicer Hargao," murmured the captain.
As Reith's glance swept the chamber, he saw Warren Foltz sitting across the room beside an aggressive-looking Krishnan. Eight armed guards were disposed around the room.
Reith and Marot took their seats in the two chairs assigned to them and nodded to the youthful Krishnan who was to act as their defender. The captain faced the tribunal, brought his right fist smartly against his left shoulder in salute, and announced: "Your Altitude, Captain Zurian of the Temple guard begs leave to report that preparations for the hearing in the matter of the three bone-hunting Ertsuma are now complete."
"My Altitude thanks you," said the Dasht. "Let the inquiry proceed. Sir Chief Justicer, state the case."
The aged male Krishnan spoke in a creaky voice: "On the fourteenth day of the third month, in the twenty-fifth year of Dasht Kharob bad-Kavir, we are assembled to investigate certain disturbances that have taken place within the Dashtate of Chilihagh during the past moon, in order to decide whether the persons involved, to wit: three aliens from the alleged world called Terra, have committed an offense against the laws of Chilihagh; and, if so, whether they should be tried under the civil law; or dismissed without further proceedings; or expelled as undesirable aliens; or, in the event that they prove suspect of an offense against the True Religion of the Dashtate, they should be remanded to the ecclesiastical authorities for further proceedings under the statutes governing such matters. Sir Prosecutor, proceed."
The Krishnan seated beside Foltz rose, bowed to the tribunal, and turned to face Foltz. He said: "Ertsu, identify yourself."
His voice still husky from the effects of Reith's strangling fingers, Foltz spoke: "I am Doctor of Philosophy Warren William Foltz, a native of the city of St. Louis, the nation the _ United States of America, the planet Terra."
"Explain, in a few words, how you came to be in Chilihagh."
Foltz: "I was a student of the evolution of life on my native planet. I came to this world supposing that life here had followed a similar course from lowly, invisibly small aquatic creatures to various larger forms, including the intelligent species—"
The prosecutor cut him off. "You will have a chance to explain your change of philosophy later." He turned to Reith, saying: "Ertsu with the fiery hair, identify yourself."
"My name is Fergus MacDonald Reith, a native of the city of Philadelphia, in the United States of America, on the planet Terra."
"How came you to be in Chilihagh?"
"I was hired as a guide by Doctor Aristide Marot, here beside me, to take him to the Zorian region of Chilihagh, where he intended to pursue his scientific researches."
Similar questioning established that Marot was a native of Lyons, France; and that, being an authority on the evolution of Terran life, he had come to ascertain what parallels with and divergences from Terran evolution had taken place on Krishna.
The prosecutor turned back to Foltz, saying: "Doctor Foltus, narrate the events that led to your being brought to Jeshang under guard."
Foltz shot a nasty little smile across the room. "As I have stated elsewhere, I arrived in your world assuming that evolution here had followed a course much like that on my own planet. In Jeshang, however, I read the Book of Bákh and learned that, contrary to the course of events on Terra, here Bákh created all species at once, at the time he established human life; and that all these created species have persevered with only minor changes down to the present."
"State how you came to be involved with these other Terrans," said the prosecutor.
"I knew the work of Doctor Marot on Terra and had met him at scientific meetings. I also knew of his plan to travel to this world to pursue similar investigations. Before I saw the light of Bákh, I knew of no objections to my colleague's plans. When, however, the Truth of Bákh was made manifest to me, I perceived that, for the sake of the True Faith, I must forestall Doctor Marot's well-intentioned activities. Knowing him to be dogmatically committed to the false hypothesis of evolution— false on this world, that is—and surmising that he would seek evidence to support his fallacy in the geological beds of the Zorian formation, I arrived ahead of him.
"As I foresaw, Doctor Marot unearthed a fossil by means of which he meant, with specious arguments, to foist upon the enlightened people of Chilihagh his wrongful theory. I therefore seized the opportunity to destroy the fossil. In the course of this action, I was compelled to have my servants forcibly restrain Masters Reith and Marot, who were understandably distressed at the loss of what they in their delusion deemed evidence of their belief. I took care to apply no more force than was necessary and would have released them unharmed, had not the unfortunate conflict with the escort of Father Behorj taken place."
"How came that conflict to pass?"
"As I have explained, it arose as a result of a mistake. In a heavy rainstorm, my men took the men of Father Behorj's escort for a gang of brigands and shot crossbow bolts at them. I have expressed my profound regrets for this blunder, which occurred without my authority while I was occupied with destroying the fossil."
"It is a serious matter natheless," said the prosecutor. "Five men slain, one of Behorj's escort and four of yours, not to mention numerous wounds."
"Any penalty I must suffer in consequence of this blunder, I will gladly submit to," said Foltz, looking martyred.
"One moment!" The Krishnan seated next to Marot rose.
Dasht Kharob said: "You may speak, Sir Defender."
The defender turned to Foltz. "Doctor Foltus, you have stated that you destroyed this fossil. Yet when the men of Father Behorj's party escorted you back to the site of the excavation, you are reported as having said: 'It is gone! The zefta must have come back and carried off the fragments!' So tell us, pray, in what form, if any, this object still exists?"
Foltz shrugged. "My statements were true. I left the rock slab broken into a score of pieces. When I was brought back thither, they were not to be seen. What befell the specimen thereafter, I do not know."