A Treaty of Peace

by Ambrose Bierce

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Setting: America, Fantasy
Format of Original Source: Fable
Recommended Adaptation Length: 10 Minutes

Candidate for Adaptation? Promising

EXCERPT:

Through massacres of each other’s citizens China and the United States had been four times plunged into devastating wars, when, in the year 1994, arose a Philosopher in Madagascar, who laid before the Governments of the two distracted countries the following modus vivendi:

“Massacres are to be sternly forbidden as heretofore; but any citizen or subject of either country disobeying the injunction is to detach the scalps of all persons massacred and deposit them with a local officer designated to receive and preserve them and sworn to keep and render a true account thereof. At the conclusion of each massacre in either country, or as soon thereafter as practicable, or at stated regular periods, as may be provided by treaty, there shall be an exchange of scalps between the two Governments, scalp for scalp, without regard to sex or age; the Government having the greatest number is to be taxed on the excess at the rate of $1000 a scalp, and the other Government credited with the amount.

COMMENTS:

Sardonic. Cynical. Fun.

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