THE NATIVES called themselves Patangis. The chief told me that in their culture, it was an honor if your parents weren’t married, if you were a bastard. Then he asked me if my parents had been married. The whole tribe seemed to lean forward for my response. “No,” I said, hoping to provide the right answer, “I’m a bastard.” They all broke into convulsive laughter. It was the oldest Patangi joke in the book, but it still worked.
