spent a few moments grooming and washing myself and preparing for the
day, and then rejoined him in the room. He was still sitting on his
chair and I took the other. The meal had been carried away.

He began the conversation by saying, "My dear Jehu, I must apologize for
keeping you in this position, but you must understand that the outcome
of this war is very serious, and I will not risk it to your
sensationalism."

"Sensationalism!" returned I, "Is that how you would describe a touch of
humanity?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned, apparently interested in what I said.


"Well," I began, regaining myself, my former indignation being exhausted
by the spirit of my opening comments, and my normal sober reasoning
returning, "I have been observing your society, which you suppose to be
enlightened, but I have seen some things, which, I am afraid, are
evidences of the opposite."

"Go on,"

"For one, your common folk engage in the most violent entertainment. I
saw a vicious game being played not far from here, in the plaza below.
There were two sides, and they rushed at each other in a rage and
clashed when they met until one side tackled the other. This went on for
some time, the evident point of the sport being to gain points by making
it so that one of the opposing players cannot get up at the end of a
round. It was so brutal that I was disgusted and could watch no more."