The King of the Dark Chamber: Scene 17

Scene 17

XVII

[A Band of CITIZENS]

FIRST CITIZEN. When so many Kings met together, we thought we
were going to have some big fun; but somehow everything took such
a turn that nobody knows what happened at all!

SECOND CITIZEN. Did you not see, they could not come to an
agreement among themselves?--every one distrusted every one else.

THIRD CITIZEN. None kept to their original plans; one wanted to
advance, another thought it better policy to recede; some went to
the right, others made a rush to the left: how can you call that
a fight?

FIRST CITIZEN. They had no eye to real fighting--each had his
eye on the others.

SECOND CITIZEN. Each was thinking, "Why should I die to enable
others to reap the harvest?"

THIRD CITIZEN. But you must all admit that Kanchi fought like a
real hero.

FIRST CITIZEN. He for a long time after his defeat seemed loth
to acknowledge himself beaten.

SECOND CITIZEN. He was at last fixed in the chest by a deadly
missile.

THIRD CITIZEN. But before that he did not seem to realise that
he had been losing ground at every step.

FIRST CITIZEN. As for the other Kings--well, nobody knows where
they fled, leaving poor Kanchi alone in the field.

SECOND CITIZEN. But I have heard that he is not dead yet.

THIRD CITIZEN. No, the physicians have saved him--but he will
carry the mark of his defeat on his breast till his dying day.

FIRST CITIZEN. None of the other Kings who fled has escaped;
they have all been taken prisoners. But what sort of justice is
this that was meted out to them?

SECOND CITIZEN. I heard that every one was punished except
Kanchi, whom the judge placed on his right on the throne of
justice, putting a crown on his head.

THIRD CITIZEN. This beats all mystery hollow.

SECOND CITIZEN. This sort of justice, to speak frankly, strikes
us as fantastic and capricious.

FIRST CITIZEN. Just so. The greatest offender is certainly the
King of Kanchi; as for the others, greed of gain now pressed them
to advance, now they drew back in fear.

THIRD CITIZEN. What kind of justice is this, I ask? It is as if
the tiger got scot-free, while his tail got cut off.

SECOND CITIZEN. If I were the judge, do you think Kanchi would
be whole and sound at this hour? There would be nothing left of
him altogether.

THIRD CITIZEN. They are great, high justices, my friends; their
brains are of a different stamp from ours.

FIRST CITIZEN. Have they got any brains at all, I wonder? They
simply indulge their sweet whims as there are none to say
anything to them from above.

SECOND CITIZEN. Whatever you may say, if we had the governing
power in our hands we should certainly have carried on the
government much better than this.

THIRD CITIZEN. Can there be any real doubts about that? That of
course goes without saying.

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