The Brave New World - 160 When Good Is Bad and Bad Is Good

There was a sail out there. A single triangular sail, barely visible above the horizon. It was very far away, but after watching it for a while Samir ascertained that it was moving north, together with the wind.

Who could it be?

It was Trouble, that’s what it was.

When the spear was clean, he waded back to the shore and tossed it onto the sand and then turned around and ran into the ocean, diving into the water headfirst as soon as it was deep enough. He took a mouthful of seawater on purpose and spat it out when he surfaced. It left a bad taste in his mouth. That was good. It was proof that something very, very necessary – didn’t life as such begin in the ocean? – could taste bad, very bad.

He hadn’t killed anyone ever before. The man he’d pierced with his spear was his first victim. It was good that he was young and strong and most importantly, that he’d attacked first. Whatever was done was done in self-defense.

My first kill, thought Samir. My very first kill. How lucky! Many first kills consisted of killing a cowering child or a whimpering old woman. Or someone equally defenseless and helpless. But he had killed a man much stronger and more dangerous than he was, himself. It was more than okay, more than all right. It was a triumph!

He stood still, the water reaching to his neck, and threw his head back and roared at the sky:

“Aaaarrrgh!”

His cry dissolved instantly in the hissing ocean. Almost as quickly, he had the thought he might have been heard by the strangers in the boat. The wind was offshore – no, that was absurd, the sail was at least a thousand paces away.

But still, he turned around and started half-swimming, half-walking back to the shore. He was about halfway there when he saw Neil running down to the beach. He waved to Neil, and Neil stopped. He stood and stared as Samir finally got out of the water and approached him, shaking water out of his ears.

“What is it?” demanded Samir, He twirled a finger inside his ear hole, bent his head, and unplugged his ear. He turned the freshly tuned ear towards Neil and gave him a dangerous, slanted look and repeated:

“Come on. What is it?”

“I heard you shout,” said Neil. “So I came and saw, and saw this.”

He raised his arm and pointed at the sail and squinted at Samir, as if it was his fault the sail was there.

“I saw that sail too,” Samir said. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s deal with those bodies first. It’s going to be a lot of work.”

“Can’t we just throw them into the ocean?”

“They might wash upon the beach.”

“Exactly. And when the high tide comes – ”

Samir broke off. He stared into the distance with unseeing eyes.

Giving people a good scare was the perfect way to secure their obedience. As a wise man called Machiavelli had put it: it was better be feared than to be loved.

“We leave everything as it is,” he said. He gave Neil a critical glance, and added:

“You need a wash. Have a swim. I’m going back to the village to take a look at things. Join me there when you’re ready.”

“What about the bodies?”

“I said we leave everything the way it is. We’ll tell the others the truth. That someone tried to take over my settlement, and that we killed them.”

Neil was silent for a while. Then he said:

“I understand.” He sounded like he really did. Samir nodded, and said:

“I’ll see you later.”

He was done quickly with taking inventory of everything in the abandoned settlement: the list was short. Madan had taken all the good stuff when he moved to Kulaba. But what had been left behind was still more than enough to give the new colonists a good start.

Of course, it might not appear that way to someone who was new in the New World. A few huts built of wattle, cracked pots, holed baskets, and shredded nets could look disappointing to newcomers. Samir was aware of that, and when he and Neil got back to the group resting in the palm grove he said:

“Forgive me for being away for so long. We came across intruders who were trying to take over my settlement, and we had to fight them. We killed them.”

He paused and savored the silence that followed his words. Then he added:

“The settlement I am about to give to you is a precious prize. But you don’t have to worry about anything now. You’re safe. You’re under my protection. Come on, let’s go, and don’t forget to take… You ate all the coconuts?”

“There were just eight or nine,” said the caretaker. “And you were gone for a long time.”

“A very long time,” said his wife.

“We thought you were dead,” said her brother.

Samir looked at them and once again congratulated himself on his wise decision. He wouldn’t have been able to stand them in Kulaba. Dealing with them on a daily basis could end with bloodshed.

He frowned.

“Where are the youngsters?” he asked.

“They went to look for more food. They should be back soon.”

“We can’t wait for them. I’ll send Neil to fetch them later. Let’s go.”

It was a while before they reached the settlement. It was another while before the new colonists got used to the idea of living there. There were no complaints, no moaning. Just a stunned silence while they examined their new abode.

The silence got very heavy indeed when Samir showed them the two bodies and gave orders to bury them. Luckily, Madan had left behind a crude shovel: a cracked turtle shell inserted into a split branch.

“You can also just throw them in the ocean,” Samir told his new subjects. “Of course that means you’ll see them again before the tide and fish make them go for good. It’s up to you. It’s your village. By the way, I should appoint a leader. I appoint you.”

He put his hand on the caretaker’s arm. The former leader of the group had looked shaky when he was shown the corpses. However, now he recovered so swiftly it was nothing short of a miracle.

“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you. You made the right decision. I shall not disappoint you. What about, what about… Food?”

“I’ll bring some fish by the time it gets dark,” said Samir. “In the meantime, send someone down the shore. There are a couple of salt pans a few hundred paces from here, they can’t be missed. And you – ”

He turned to the not-quite-a-full-electrician with a morbid outlook on life.

“You’ll start a fire,” he told him. “Here’s a flint and some kindling. It’s up to you to collect enough firewood. Me and Neil are going to find the youngsters, and take care of food. We’ll be bringing fish, so make sure the fire is ready.”

“When are you going to be back?” asked the newly appointed mayor.

“Around nightfall. Make sure everything is nice and tidy and there’s a fire going when we return.”

“Of course.”

Samir collected Madan’s old net, and set out on the trip to the palm grove together with Neil. On the way, Neil said:

“That sail. Who do you think that was?”

Samir shrugged.

“It had to be government boat,” he said. “They got started here early. With craftsmen and experts and full support.”

“Full support? From where?”

“Full support,” Samir repeated. He wasn’t quite sure what it meant. But that was what he wanted himself, and it was becoming his favorite phrase.

The youngsters were waiting for them at the palm grove, properly scared because for a while they’d thought they’d been abandoned. It pleased Samir to see them scared. He took charge in a very confident and effective manner and by the time the sun was sliding into the ocean, they’d caught plenty of fish. The youngsters had also found some wild spinach and other greens in the meantime, so when they returned to the village they were carrying plenty of food.

The teacher had found some wild herbs and brought a handful of salt, and her brother had built a fire. It burnt merrily under and around a clay pot full of water and air potatoes. It turned out the caretaker-turned-mayor had found a small stash that Samir, as well as the invaders, had overlooked.

“They were in a hole covered by rocks,” he explained. “I saw a lizard trying to get in and I took a closer look.”

“You saw a lizard?”

“Yes.”

“What did it do?”

The caretaker shrugged.

“When I got closer, it ran away,” he said.

A lizard! That was another first. The New World was rapidly becoming populated by many diverse species, not just humans.

“Hmm,” Samir said. “All right. Here’s a knife. Get going with the fish.”

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