Tower of Zanid by L. Sprague de Camp

“Good for him! Crazy fools like that, who want to blow up a monument, should be boiled in oil.” He clenched his fists. “When I think of such crazy fools, I—I…” He ground his teeth audibly as his limited English failed him.
    Fallon pulled up to the curb, stopped the shaihans, and set the brake. “Best leave this here.”
    “Why not ride it to your house?” asked Fredro.
    “Haven’t you ever heard that American expression, ‘Don’t steal chickens close to home’?”
    “No. What does it mean, please?”
    Fallon, wondering how so educated a man could be such a fool, explained why he would not park the vehicle right in front of his own domicile, to be found by the prefect’s men when they scoured the Juru for it. As he explained, he climbed down from the water-wagon and donned his sufkir.
    “Care to drop in on us for a spot of kvad, Fredro? I could do with one after this afternoon’s events.”
    “Thank you, no. I must get back to my hotel to develop my photos. And I am—ah—dining with Mr. Consul Mjipa tonight.”
    “Well, give Percy Pickle-face my love. You might suggest he find an excuse for cancelling the Reverend Wagner’s passport. That bloke damages Balhibo-Terran relations more with one sermon than Percy can .make up for by a hundred good-will gestures.”
    “That wretched obscurantist! I will do. Is funny. I know some Ecumenical Monotheists on Earth. While I don’t believe their teachings, or approve of their movement, none is like this Wagner. He is a class of himself.”
    “Well,” said Fallon, “I suppose at this distance they don’t feel they can import missionaries specially, so they grab anybody here who shows willingness and send him out after souls. And speaking of souls, don’t try to photograph a naked Balhibu. At least not without his or her permission. That’s as bad as the sort of thing Wagner does.”
    Fredro’s face took on the look of a puppy surprised in a heinous deed. “I was stupid, yes? Will you excuse, please? I will not do it again. A burnt child is twice shy.”
    “Eh? Oh, surely. Or if you must photograph them, use one of those little Hayashi ring-cameras.”
    “They do not take a very clear picture, but… And thank you again. I—I am sorry to be such a trouble.” Fredro glanced back along the street by which they had driven, and a look of horror came over his face. “Oh, look who is coming! Dubranec !”
    He turned and walked off rapidly. Fallon said: “ Nasuk genda” in Balhibou, then looked in the direction indicated. To his astonishment, he saw Welcome Wagner running toward him, his muddy turban still on his head.
    “Hey, Mr. Fallon!” said Wagner. “Looky, I’m sorry we had. this here little trouble. I get so riled up when something goes against my principles that I don’t hardly know what I’m doing.”
    “Well?” said Fallon, looking at Wagner as if the latter had crawled out from under a garbage pile.
    “Well, what I mean is, do you mind if I walk home with you? And pay a visit to your place for a little while? Please?”
    “Everybody’s apologizing to me today,” said Fallon. “Why should you wish to call on me, of all people?”
    “Well, you see, when I was sitting there in the street after you threw me off, I heard a crowd of people—and sure enough there came all that mob of naked Krishnans some of ‘em with clubs even. They musta trailed us by asking which way the wagon went. So I thought it might be safer if I could get indoors for a while, until they give up looking. Them heathens looked like they was stirred up real mean.”
    “By all means, let’s move,” said Fallon, setting out at a brisk walk and dragging Gazi after him. “Come along, Wagner. You caused most of this trouble, but I wouldn’t leave you to the mob. Krishnan mobs can do worse things even than Terran ones.”
    They walked as fast as they could without breaking into a run the few blocks to Fallon’s house. Here Fallon shepherded the other two in and