Terry looked immensely disgusted, but it struck me as extremely funny.
Here we had been risking our lives, hiding and prowling like outlaws,
living on nuts and fruit, getting wet and cold at night, and dry and hot
by day, and all the while these estimable women had just been waiting
for us to come out.

Now they began to explain, carefully using such words as we could
understand. It appeared that we were considered as guests of the
country--sort of public wards. Our first violence had made it necessary
to keep us safeguarded for a while, but as soon as we learned the
language--and would agree to do no harm--they would show us all about
the land.

Jeff was eager to reassure them. Of course he did not tell on Terry, but
he made it clear that he was ashamed of himself, and that he would now
conform. As to the language--we all fell upon it with redoubled energy.
They brought us books, in greater numbers, and I began to study them
seriously.

"Pretty punk literature," Terry burst forth one day, when we were in
the privacy of our own room. "Of course one expects to begin on
child-stories, but I would like something more interesting now."

"Can't expect stirring romance and wild adventure without men, can you?"
I asked. Nothing irritated Terry more than to have us assume that there
were no men; but there were no signs of them in the books they gave us,
or the pictures.

"Shut up!" he growled. "What infernal nonsense you talk! I'm going to
ask 'em outright--we know enough now."

In truth we had been using our best efforts to master the language, and
were able to read fluently and to discuss what we read with considerable
ease.

That afternoon we were all sitting together on the roof--we three and
the tutors gathered about a table, no guards about. We had been made to
understand some time earlier that if we would agree to do no violence
they would withdraw their constant attendance, and we promised most
willingly.

So there we sat, at ease; all in similar dress; our hair, by now, as
long as theirs, only our beards to distinguish us. We did not want those
beards, but had so far been unable to induce them to give us any cutting
instruments.

"Ladies," Terry began, out of a clear sky, as it were, "are there no men
in this country?"

"Men?" Somel answered. "Like you?"

"Yes, men," Terry indicated his beard, and threw back his broad
shoulders. "Men, real men."

"No," she answered quietly. "There are no men in this