"John Norman - Telnarian histories 02 - The Captain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norman John)

"Excellent," said Julian.

"Kneel, with your head to the floor," said the connoisseur. "She will require attention, and
frequently," he said.

Julian looked down at her.

"I leave the matter then in your capable hands," said Julian. He then turned about and left.

CHAPTER 2

"Look!" cried a citizen.

Fellows about him laughed.

"It is a bumpkin from an ag world," cried the citizen.

"Where did you get those frocks!" cried another.

The giant raised his hand to his forehead, and, with the back of his hand, wiped away the
rage of sweat. This was not, of course, Telnaria, the home world, but was a summer
world.

Flies swarmed about his face.

It was different in the cool, dark forests of his tribe, taken to be that of the Wolfungs. It
was one of five related tribes, the others being the Darisi, the Basungs, the Haakons and
the Otungs. The Otungs was the largest and fiercest of these five tribes. It was also
considered the parent tribe of these five tribes. It had been muchly devastated, long ago,
as had its brethren tribes, in wars with the empire. We may think, collectively, of these
five tribes as constituting the nation. There were many such nations, composed of diverse
tribes. This particular nation, in which the Wolfungs, the Otungs, and such, figure, was a
nation not regarded, at that time, as one of great importance, particularly after its defeat
in various wars. This particular nation was that of the Vandals. Few people, at that time,
had heard of it. The etymology of the name has been elsewhere discussed. The expression
'nation' is here used advisedly, but not, I think, inappropriately. The expression 'folk' or
'people' would doubtless be more judicious but we are here dealing with political matters
and in such a case it seems more apt, for our readers, to speak of "nations." Too, there is
a tendency, perhaps now too ingrained to be ignored with impunity, to speak of "nations"
in these matters. There are some differences, however, which are not unimportant. In
particular, the relation a member of one of these tribes has to the tribe, or the people, or
folk, or nation, is not to be understood as being identical to that of a citizen to his state,
though there are doubtless similarities. The state, in a sense, is an artificial nation, a
contrived nation, a legal construction, relying upon conventions acknowledged, and
observed, a theoretically voluntary organization, though, to be sure, it may confront the
citizen with all the practical irrefutability and implacable solidity of a given datum, a
condition of being, a law of nature, a family or species. The relation of a citizen to a state
is usually construed, at least in theory, as a contractual one, either implicitly or
explicitly, as in uttering oaths of allegiance, and such. The relationship within the tribe,