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for a wonder； carried the day； and a receipt was drawn up to the
effect that the undersigned acknowledged to have received from
Professors Hanky and Panky the sum of 4 pounds； 10s。 （I translate
the amount）； as joint purchasers of certain pieces of yellow ore； a
blanket； and sundry articles found without an owner in the King's
preserves。 This paper was dated； as the permit had been； XIX。
xii。 29。
My father； generally so ready； was at his wits' end for a name； and
could think of none but Mr。 Nosnibor's。 Happily； remembering that
this gentleman had also been called Senoja name common enough in
Erewhonhe signed himself Senoj； Under…ranger。〃
Panky was now satisfied。 〃We will put it in the bag；〃 he said；
〃with the pieces of yellow ore。〃
〃Put it where you like；〃 said Hanky contemptuously； and into the
bag it was put。
When all was now concluded； my father laughingly said； 〃If you have
dealt unfairly by me； I forgive you。 My motto is； 'Forgive us our
trespasses； as we forgive them that trespass against us。'〃
〃Repeat those last words；〃 said Panky eagerly。 My father was
alarmed at his manner； but thought it safer to repeat them。
〃You hear that； Hanky？ I am convinced； I have not another word to
say。 The man is a true Erewhonian； he has our corrupt reading of
the Sunchild's prayer。〃
〃Please explain。〃
〃Why； can you not see？〃 said Panky； who was by way of being great
at conjectural emendations。 〃Can you not see how impossible it is
for the Sunchild； or any of the people to whom he declared （as we
now know provisionally） that he belonged； could have made the
forgiveness of his own sins depend on the readiness with which he
forgave other people？ No man in his senses would dream of such a
thing。 It would be asking a supposed all…powerful being not to
forgive his sins at all； or at best to forgive them imperfectly。
No； Yram got it wrong。 She mistook 'but do not' for 'as we。' The
sound of the words is very much alike； the correct reading should
obviously be； 'Forgive us our trespasses； but do not forgive them
that trespass against us。' This makes sense； and turns an
impossible prayer into one that goes straight to the heart of every
one of us。〃 Then； turning to my father； he said； 〃You can see
this； my man； can you not； as soon as it is pointed out to you？〃
My father said that he saw it now； but had always heard the words
as he had himself spoken them。
〃Of course you have； my good fellow； and it is because of this that
I know they never can have reached you except from an Erewhonian
source。〃
Hanky smiled；snorted； and muttered in an undertone； 〃I shall
begin to think that this fellow is a foreign devil after all。〃
〃And now； gentlemen；〃 said my father； 〃the moon is risen。 I must
be after the quails at day…break； I will therefore go to the
ranger's shelter〃 （a shelter； by the way； which existed only in my
father's invention）； 〃and get a couple of hours' sleep； so as to be
both close to the quail…ground； and fresh for running。 You are so
near the boundary of the preserves that you will not want your
permit further； no one will meet you； and should any one do so； you
need only give your names and say that you have made a mistake。
You will have to give it up to…morrow at the Ranger's office； it
will save you trouble if I collect it now； and give it up when I
deliver my quails。
〃As regards the curiosities； hide them as you best can outside the
limits。 I recommend you to carry them at once out of the forest；
and rest beyond the limits rather than here。 You can then recover
them whenever； and in whatever way； you may find convenient。 But I
hope you will say nothing about any foreign devil's having come
over on to this side。 Any whisper to this effect unsettles
people's minds； and they are too much unsettled already； hence our
orders to kill any one from over there at once； and to tell no one
but the Head Ranger。 I was forced by you； gentlemen； to disobey
these orders in self…defence； I must trust your generosity to keep
what I have told you secret。 I shall； of course； report it to the
Head Ranger。 And now； if you think proper； you can give me up your
permit。〃
All this was so plausible that the Professors gave up their permit
without a word but thanks。 They bundled their curiosities
hurriedly into 〃the poor foreign devil's〃 blanket； reserving a more
careful packing till they were out of the preserves。 They wished
my father a very good night； and all success with his quails in the
morning； they thanked him again for the care he had taken of them
in the matter of the landrails； and Panky even went so far as to
give him a few Musical Bank coins； which he gratefully accepted。
They then started off in the direction of Sunch'ston。
My father gathered up the remaining quails； some of which he meant
to eat in the morning； while the others he would throw away as soon
as he could find a safe place。 He turned towards the mountains；
but before he had gone a dozen yards he heard a voice； which he
recognised as Panky's； shouting after him； and saying …
〃Mind you do not forget the true reading of the Sunchild's prayer。〃
〃You are an old fool；〃 shouted my father in English； knowing that
he could hardly be heard； still less understood； and thankful to
relieve his feelings。
CHAPTER V： MY FATHER MEETS A SON； OF WHOSE EXISTENCE HE WAS
IGNORANT； AND STRIKES A BARGAIN WITH HIM
The incidents recorded in the two last chapters had occupied about
two hours； so that it was nearly midnight before my father could
begin to retrace his steps and make towards the camp that he had
left that morning。 This was necessary； for he could not go any
further in a costume that he now knew to be forbidden。 At this
hour no ranger was likely to meet him before he reached the
statues； and by making a push for it he could return in time to
cross the limits of the preserves before the Professors' permit had
expired。 If challenged； he must brazen it out that he was one or
other of the persons therein named。
Fatigued though he was； he reached the statues as near as he could
guess； at about three in the morning。 What little wind there had
been was warm； so that the tracks； which the Professors must have
seen shortly after he had made them； had disappeared。 The statues
looked very weird in the moonlight but they were not chanting。
While ascending； he pieced together the information he had picked
up from the Professors。 Plainly； the Sunchild； or child of the
sun； was none other than himself； and the new name of Coldharbour
was doubtless intended to commemorate the fact that this was the
first town he had reached in Erewhon。 Plainly； also； he was
supposed to be of superhuman originhis flight in the balloon
having been not unnaturally believed to be miraculous。 The
Erewhonians had for centuries been effacing all knowledge of their
former culture； archaeologists； indeed； could still glean a little
from museums； and from volumes hard to come by； and still harder to
understand； but archaeologists were few； and even though they had
made researches （which they may or may not have done）； their
labours had never reached the masses。 What wonder； then； that the
mushroom spawn of myth； ever present in an atmosphere highly
charged with ignorance； had germinated in a soil so favourably
prepared for its reception？
He saw it all now。 It was twenty years next Sunday since he and my
mother had eloped。 That was the meaning of XIX。 xii。 29。 They had
made a new era； dating from the day of his return to the palace of
the sun with a bride who was doubtless to unite the Erewhonian
nature with that of the sun。 The New Year； then； would date from
Sunday； December 7； which would therefore become XX。 i。 1。 The
Thursday； now nearly if not quite over； being only two days distant
from the end of a month of thirty…one days； which was also the last
of the year； would be XIX。 xii。 29； as on the Professors' permit。
I should like to explain here what will appear more clearly on a
later pageI mean； that the Erewhonians； according to their new
system； do not believe the sun to be a god except as regards this
world and his other planets。 My father had told them a little
about astronomy； and had assured them that all the fixed stars were
suns like our own； with planets revolving round them； which were
probably tenanted by intelligent living beings； however unlike they
might be to ourselves。 From this they evolved the theory that the
sun was the ruler of this planetary system； and that he must be
personified； as they had personified the air…god； the gods of time
and space； hope； justice； and the other deities mentioned in my
father's book。 They retain their old belief in the actual
existence of these gods； but they now make them all subordinate to
the sun。 The nearest approach they make to our own conception of
God is to say that He is the ruler over all the suns throughout the
universethe suns being to Him much as our planets and their
denizens are to our own sun。 They deny that He takes more interest
in one sun and its system than in another。 All the suns with their
attendant planets are supposed to be equally His