"I will do it," he said at last.
"Good! Methought you would," said the Phathvum.
"Has the copy of this chart yet been made?"
"Yerkus, our leading caligrapher, swinks upon it e'en now."
"May I see how far it has progressed? Not that I mistrust you, Your Altitude, but I wish to forestall unforseen obstacles."
"I can make arrangements. Bide you here." The minister left the chamber but soon returned, saying: "Come!"
Mjipa followed the Phathvum through the same maze of corridors as before. This time, King Vuzhov was not in his cabinet. Instead, another Krishnan sat at the royal desk-table, laboriously copying out the lines and names of the chart on another sheet of native paper.
Mjipa looked over the Kalwmian's shoulder and nodded. "I will attend your trial. When and where do you wish me to appear?"
When called to the witness's cushion, Mjipa strode across the space before the dais occupied by the three judges. The audience in the courtroom stirred and muttered at the sight of him. Across the room the defendant, a small, wizened Krishnan, stared at Mjipa. The consul thought he read reproach in that look, although it was hard for an Ertsu to interpret Krishnans' expressions.
The prosecutor said: "Master Mjipa, whereas you are a Terran, we cannot expect you to bind yourself by an oath to our gods. If you will swear by the Terran gods, that will suffice."
Mjipa suppressed a smile. "I suppose I can."
"Very well. Swear by these gods—you must needs name them—that you will speak the truth, the entire truth, and nought but the truth."
"I swear by God, Yahveh, Allah, Brahma—ah— Modimo, Odin, and Zeus that I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
"You are Peh-see Um-jee-pah?"
"Yes."
"A native of the world you call 'Earth'?"
"I am."
"And presently domiciled at Novorecife?"
"Yes."
"A leiger of the government of your native world?"
"If you mean an official representative, yes."
"You are familiar with the official belief of Kalwm, that our world be flat and disk-shaped, as set forth in our sacred book, dictated to the prophet Shadleiv by the god Phai-ghost?"
"Yes."
"And you have also heard of the heretical doctrine said to have been taught by the defendant, that the world be round like unto a ball, so that all the water would run off it?"
"I have."
"Is it true that many of your fellow Terrans believe a doctrine like unto the official one of Kalwm, that the world be a flat disk?"
"Yes."
"Thank you. The advocate for the defendant will now question you."
Mjipa swore under his breath. Chanapar had said nothing about his being cross-examined. If Isayin's attorney trapped him into admitting that, among Ertsuma, only a handful of zanies still maintained that the Earth was flat, the effect of his previous testimony would be nullified, and the king would have an excuse to withhold the chart. Grimly he settled himself on his cushion, preparing to fence with this new antagonist.
The defendant's attorney, an intense-looking young Krishnan, said: "You stated, Master Mjipa, that amongst your fellow Terrans many adhere to the flat-world opinion, did you not?"
"I did."
"Do many also adhere to a round-world belief, like unto that attributed to Doctor Isayin?"
"There are some such."
"How numerous are these round-worlders?"
"I do not know."
"I mean, what are the relative magnitudes of the two groups of believers, the flat-worlders and the round-worlders?"
"I do not know that, either."
"Canst guess?"
"No, sir."
"What is your personal belief about the shape of the world?"
"I have none."
"What! A widely-traveled Terran, and you expect me to believe you have never even thought on the shape of the world?"
"I have thought about it, but without coming to a conclusion. "
"Explain that, pray."
"I have heard arguments in favor of both views. The arguments on both sides seem well reasoned, so I await more conclusive evidence before making up my mind."
"Believe you that a learned man, like unto my client, should bear witness to what he believes to be truth, even though those in power disagree?"
"Such a belief is held by many of my fellow Terrans; but that applies only to my native world. As to what this defendant and his government ought to do, that is their affair. I have no opinions on that question."
"Suppose Doctor Isayin were a Terran; would you then think he should speak out his true beliefs?"
"Sir, I cannot answer a hypothetical question. What he ought to do on my native world, if he were of my own species, has nothing to do with what he should do here and now."
"You do not, then, believe in absolute standards of right and wrong?"
"I have no opinion on such profound philosophical questions. I am no priest or philosopher, merely an official trying to perform his duties."
The attorney gave up. "Very well; no more questions. You may withdraw."
The next witness was the High Priest of Phaighost, clad in a billowing robe of black gauze. After preliminary questions, the prosecutor asked: "My lord, what is our religion's official doctrine anent the shape of the world?"
"It is that the world have the form of a flat, circular disk, with the heavens forming a hemispherical dome above it."
"What is the evidence for this doctrine?"
The High Priest put on his eyeglasses and whisked a book from his robe. Like other Krishnan books, this consisted of a long strip of paper folded zigzag between a pair of thin wooden covers. He untied the string that held the book closed and opened at one of the bends in the strip. Mjipa thought the priest must have marked the page with some form of clip or place mark to enable him to find it so quickly.
In a sonorous, homiletic voice, the High Priest spoke: "I have here a copy of the Vetsareph, our sacred book, known to all of you. I shall read from Chapter Fourteen, verse nine: 'And the gods in Heaven sit upon their golden thrones above the dome of the sky; and below, upon the disk of the world, the people thereof appear but as bugs to them.' That is as plain a statement of the form of the world as one can find.
"If, howsome ver, there remain any doubt of the purport of this divinely inspired passage, I shall read from the twenty-second chapter, verse forty-three: 'And the Lord Phaighost, king of the gods and master of the universe, took his servant Shadleiv up to the top of Mount Meshaq, whence he showed him all the lands of the world, with its kingdoms, republics, tribes, and uninhabited wastelands.' Obviously, had the world the form of a cube, sphere, pyramid, or other geometrical solid, the prophet Shadleiv could not have seen all parts of the world at one time from one place.
"Finally, I shall read from the twenty-seventh chapter, third verse: 'And the Lord Phaighost said unto Shadleiv: "Verily, my son, my words shall go out from thee and thy disciples unto the ends of the world, unto the extremest rim and circumference thereof. Plainly, no matter what demon-inspired aliens from the lamellated hells say, a sphere can have neither end nor rim ..."
Mjipa rose and left the courtroom, mopping sweat from his shiny black forehead. Although it was too late in the day to set out for Zhamanak, he did not wish to remain in the chamber for more of this medieval heresy trial. Although he had successfully parried the defending lawyer's questions, he felt ashamed for doing so. He could not bear to linger at the scene where he had been forced into hypocritically proclaiming lies as his true beliefs.