URM. They were angered with the master. He was bad, the master.

STEWARD. He is hard, but he gives much to those who have nothing.

SOKITI. He gave here, that he might receive hereafter.

NOURM. After his death.

SATNI. And now he gives no more?

NOURM. Nothing.

SATNI. Ah!

BITIOU. Nothing--and so, all stomachs empty, very much. [_He laughs_].

NOURM. He gives only blows of the stick now.

SOKITI [_with conviction_] One cannot live on that alone.

NOURM. And so his servants asked him for corn?

BITIOU. No good--only blows of the stick.

STEWARD. They _took_ the corn that was refused them?

BITIOU [_laughing_] Hunger! [_A gesture_].

SATNI. You knew they were going to do that?

SOKITI. Yes.

SATNI. It was for that you went to join them?

NOURM. Yes.

STEWARD. Why?

NOURM. It came into our heads like this: better not take corn from the
good master, but take it from the bad one.

SOKITI. Justice!

BITIOU [_to the Steward_] You content. You still got all your corn.

_He laughs, his comrades laugh with him._

NOURM. You, we like you.

BITIOU. You--good! We--good!

SOKITI. See!

BITIOU [_collecting two ideas_] Wait: neighboring master bad. They bad.
[_To the others_] Heh?--Heh?--you see--Heh? Heh? [_All three draw
themselves up proudly and laugh_] And the steward he bad, he dead--well
done!

SATNI. What would he say?

SOKITI [_laughing_] They took the steward and then--[_Chokes with
laughter_].

NOURM. They gave him back all the blows of the stick they had had from
him.

SATNI. You saw that?

NOURM. Yes.

SOKITI [_proudly_] Me too, me too--

BITIOU. I laugh very much--because--because--Steward, very big, strong,
and then when very much beaten, fell down--fell on the ground--like me!
like me! He, big, he fell down just the same--he like Bitiou--I very
glad. [_During what follows he plays with his foot_].

STEWARD. What they have done is bad.

NOURM. No. The steward had been happy all his life. He was old.

SOKITI. He was old. So 'tis not bad to have killed him--He had
finished--He was fat--and he had lost his appetite--

NOURM. Only just, he should leave his place to another.

SATNI. We must not kill.

SOKITI. What does that mean?

NOURM. Yes, kill a good one, that is bad. But kill a bad one, that is
good.

SATNI. And if you are mistaken?

SOKITI. No, he is bad, I kill him.

SATNI. What if he be not bad, and you think him so?

SOKITI. If he were not bad, I sho