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The night passes amicably enough, and they open the next day at breakfast. They are planning the day of exploration when a man dressed in furs, escorted by ten soldiers, walks down the street. Two of the soldiers are playing a special flute-type instrument called a tutek, and a third a frame drum called a daf, the three are used together on special and formal occasions. As everyone pauses, the man in the middle grabs a large scroll, unfurls it, and begins to read:
“Whereas the scheming, greedy and cunning nature of centaurfolk is known to all,
Whereas their horse-stature and human appearances are an affront to the sensibilities of decent humans,
And whereas, the citizens of Ber-Gathy have already borne the insulting presence of these creatures for too long,
It is thereby decreed that a state of war exists between the foul and corrupt domain of the desert centaurs and the virtuous and principled Kasbah of Ber-Gathy,
Furthermore, any centaur found to be within the limits of said Kasbah within one hour of the reading of these decree shall be considered a dangerous criminal, subject to arrest. Its punishment shall be a public shaving of the horse part, and a sawing in half, separating the human half from the horse half, in order to attain a more human complexion.
Such is the word of the Sheikh of Ber-Gathy.”
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