“It must be very loud,” said Astubux.
“You understand, of course,” said the ensign, “that I will attempt to contact an imperial ship.”
“I am counting on it,” said Otto, grinning.
“You do not fear that?”
“It is part of my plan,” he said.
“But the Drisriaks will surely intercept such a signal,” said the ensign.
“Yes,” said Otto, “and they are likely to be much closer than any imperial ship.”
“You are devious,” said Julian.
“The chieftain has long thoughts,” said Axel.
“Enough of that,” said Otto.
“What weapons do you have?” asked the ensign.
“From the
“There is the pistol taken from me in the forest,” said the ensign.
“It contains only one charge,” grinned Otto.
“I know,” said the ensign.
“Slave!” snapped Otto.
Quickly the brunette hastened to him.
“Turn about,” he said.
The slave complied.
“You do not mind?” he asked the ensign.
“No, of course not,” said the ensign.
The chieftain removed the
“Turn about,” he said.
The slave turned to face him.
Otto then lifted his drinking horn. “Drink,” he said.
“Yes, Master,” said the slave.
“I, too, would have drink,” said the ensign.
“Yes, Master,” she said, and filled, too, the drinking horn of the ensign.
“She is a pretty slave,” said the chieftain. “Do you not think so?”
“Yes,” said the ensign.
“Would you like to have her tonight?” asked the chieftain. “I could send her crawling to your hut, with a whip in her teeth.”
The girl, in consternation, in mute, frightened, helpless protest, viewed the chieftain.
She trembled.
She knew, of course, that she could be assigned to whomever, and whenever and however, her master might please.
“Perhaps, sometime,” said the ensign. “But tomorrow I must be up early, for I have a long day in the fields.”
“I hear you work well,” said Otto.
“You have seen to it,” said the ensign.
“My chieftain!” called a voice.
“Enter,” said Otto.
One of the Wolfungs entered, carrying a small bird. He brought the bird to the table, where Astubux removed a tiny message, a single sign, inscribed on a bit of leather, bound to the bird’s left leg.
“What is its meaning?” asked Otto.
“The Ortungs will be here tomorrow,” said Astubux.
CHAPTER 21
“You have fed us well,” said Hendrix, envoy of the Ortungs.
Otto nodded, accepting the compliment.
“The metal, the furs, the pelts piled here,” said Gundlicht, second envoy of the Ortungs, “the grain, the vegetables heaped outside, are better than we expected to find.”
“But we have brought chains, too,” said Hendrix. “We would not care to return with them empty.”
“How many women do you want?” asked Otto.
“Assemble your women naked within the palisade, all of them,” said Hendrix, “and we will pick fifty.”
“‘Fifty’!” cried Astubux.
“You hid in the forest,” said Hendrix. “Too, the markets are depressed now, with the wars, many women falling to the collar. We need more, to make up the difference. Too, it is a long way to take them to a world where they will fetch a good price.”
“Fifty is too many,” said Astubux.
“We will leave you enough to produce more,” said Hendrix.
“The Wolfungs are good breeders,” said Gundlicht.
Astubux sprang to his feet.
But a pistol, suddenly produced from the holster of Gundlicht, the Ortung, was aimed at his heart.
“How is it,” asked Otto, “that you speak to Astubux, and not to me?”
Astubux sat down.
Gundlicht holstered the pistol.
“He is spokesman for the Wolfungs,” said Hendrix.
“I am chieftain of the Wolfungs,” said Otto.
“They have no chieftain,” said Gundlicht.
“I am he,” said Otto.
“You have prepared, so far, excellent tribute, and you have fed us well, and your beer is good,” said Hendrix. “So we are prepared to ignore the fact that you have, for a little while, pretended to be a chieftain.”
“I am chieftain,” said Otto.
“Give up the chieftainship,” said Hendrix.
“No,” said Otto.
“We do not permit the Wolfungs to have a chieftain,” said Hendrix, menacingly.
“Perhaps you would care to see a sample of the women in our village?” asked Otto.
Hendrix grinned. “Why not?” he asked. The proposal seemed clearly to be a conciliatory one, a concessionary, disarming one, one offered to ease a tense moment.
What was there to be feared, then, from the Wolfungs?
“Ho!” cried Otto, to men outside.
Some men entered, and spread pelts over the rushes on the floor of the chieftain’s hut.
Hendrix and Gundlicht watched with interest.
The men then remained within the hut.
“Ho!” called Otto, and then there entered the chieftain’s hut a slim blond woman. She stood upon the pelts. She stood before the men. She wore a long wraparound garment fashioned from the cloth used for dresses and cloaks by the Wolfung women.
Hendrix and Gundlicht leaned forward.
She slipped the garment down to her hips, and turned away. Then she let it fall.
“Ai!” said Hendrix, softly.
“Ah!” said Gundlicht.
Then she lay on the pelts, to the left of the men, as one would face them.
“Ho!” called Otto, and a second woman, an exquisite brunette, entered, and turned before the men, and disrobed gracefully, similarly.
