“Yes, Captain,” he said.
The crowd began to melt away, “Stay,” said to two of my men.
As Thurnock, by her arm, led the girl down the stairs of the wagon, the other slave girls, who had moved the wagon, struck at her, spitting and jeering. “Slave!” they cried. “Slave!” Thurnock led the girl before me. She looked at me, with glazed eyes. I turned to one of the seaman with me. “Take her and chain her in the first hold,” I said.
“Yes, Captain,” he said.
He began to lead her away, by the arm. Suddenly, she stopped, and looked back over her shoulder. “You?” she said. “This morning.” “Yes,” I said. I was pleased that she remembered.
Her head fell forward on her breast, her hair, too, forward. Then she was led away to her chains on the Tesephone.
I thought I would enjoy owning her.
“Now,” said I to Rim and Thurnock. “Shall we return to the tavern and enjoy our paga.
I was much pleased.
Rim lifted his key. It bore the number six.
“Tendite will be waiting for me,” mentioned,” mentioned Rim.
“I”, said Thurnock, “ wonder about that dancer. She is a juicy, fat little tabuk is she not?” “Indeed,” granted Rim.
“What do you think they would charge for her pelt for an hour?”
“Perhaps tow copper pieces,” I suggested. The other girls, the common slaves, like Tendite, went with the price of a cup of paga.
“let us go to the tavern,” said Thurnock, licking his lips.
Together, we went to the tavern. It was not long past noon, and there would be time, later, to begin the purchase of supplies.
I did not wish to deny Rim his lovely Tendite, nor Thurnock his Ahn with the luscious wench, chained, who had writhed before us on the sand.
I myself expected, at that time, to be content with a cup of paga.
But I found more in the tavern, which I did not expect to find.
4 An Acquaintance is Briefly Renewed
Rim went to Tendite, whom he had left in the paga tavern.
She looked at him, in her yellow silk, kneeling in the darkness by the low wall, her hands braceleted above and behind her head.
“Thank you for waiting, my little talender,” he said.
He unfastened her, and she preceded him across the floor, between the tables. As Rim passed the proprietor, in his apron behind the paga-stained counter, he tossed him the key. The girl climbed the narrow, iron ladder to the sixth alcove. Rim followed her.
Thurnock then began to negotiate with the proprietor. I had had Thurnock give me some coins, which I had placed in my tunic. I did not wish to be embarrassed by not having the price of a cup of paga. The coins were from the profit taken on Tana and Ela. The proprietor slopped out from behind the counter, and Thurnock, impatiently, stamped about. In a few moments, I saw the luscious, short-bodied dancer, in pleasure silk, hurry from the kitchen and climb to the eighth alcove. In a moment, Thurnock had leaped to the ladder, following her. I saw him draw tight the curtains of the alcove behind him.
I expect she would have more than she bargained for with great Thurnock, of the Peasants.
I looked about myself.
There were the men at the tables, the girls, in slave bells, and yellow silks, serving them.
The proprietor had now returned behind his counter, and was polishing paga goblets.
I smiled.
To one side, the Player and the fellow from Torvaldsland, with the ax, were still engaged in their game. Neither had left the board to investigate the commotion which had, shortly before, taken place outside. They, perhaps, had been oblivious of it.
I was served a cup of paga, and I drank it slowly, waiting for Rim and Thurnock. They would not hurry. Gorean men do not.
I looked down into the paga cup, and swirled the liquid slowly, and again drank. In the next few days, in Lydius, we would lay in supplies. We would then make our way upriver to Laura.
I was content. Things were going well.
It was then I saw her.
She came through the kitchen door, in the tiny slip of diaphanous yellow silk allotted to paga slaves, bells locked on her left ankle. She was doubtless returning to the floor after her rest, to freshen her for further service. I had not seen her before. She carried a vessel of paga. She was barefoot on the tiles.
She saw me, and gasped. Her hand fled before her mouth. She turned, and ran back into the kitchen.
I smiled.
I snapped my fingers for the proprietor to come to my table. He did so. “One of your slaves,’ I said, “just stepped from the kitchen, and then returned to it.” He looked at me.
“Send that slave to me,” I said.
“Yes, Master,” he said.
I waited.
In moments, the girl approached, carrying her vessel of paga.
She knelt before me.
“Paga,” I said.
Elizabeth Cardwell poured me paga.
We looked at one another. We did not speak.
I well remember Elizabeth Cardwell. Once we had cared for one another. Together, we had served Priest-Kings. I had brought her, in such service, into much danger. Then, in the Sardar, I had decided what was best for her. She would be returned to Earth. She would be freed of the perils of Gor. There she might contract a desirable marriage. There she might be safe. There she might own a large house, and have the convenience of labor-saving devices.
She had dared to protest.
What place was Gor for a woman?
I had made up my mind.
I knew what was in her best interest, and I would see to that interest. I knew what was best for her.
But that night she had fled the Sardar. Ubar of the Skies, my great war tarn, for some reason, though, he had slain men for this attempt, permitted her, only a girl, to saddle him and fly.
I had seen what was best for her. But she had refused to accept my will. Ubar of the Skies returned, four day later. In fury I had driven him from the Sardar.
I had not seen him since.
I had seen what was best for Elizabeth Caldwell. But she had not seen fit to accept my will.
“Tarl,” said the girl, now, whispering it.
“Go to the wall,” I said.
She put down her vessel of paga, and rose lightly, I saw the beauty of her body beneath the silk. She went to the wall, where Tendite had been chained. I went to the proprietor. “Key,” I said, handing him a copper tarn disk. It was number ten.
I went to the wall, and indicated that the girl should kneel before ring ten. It, like the others, had, strung through it, a short length of chain, some five inches, each end of the chain terminating in an opened slave bracelet. She put her hands above and behind her head, and I snapped her wrists into the slave bracelets.’ I sat down, cross-legged, across from her.
She smiles. “Tarl,” she whispered.
“I am Bosk,” I said.
She moved her wrists in the slave bracelets. She smiled. “It seems you have found me,” she said.
“Where did you go?” I asked.
“I sought the northern forests,” she said. “I knew that girls, sometimes are free in them.” She put down her head.
“So you arrived at the edge of the forests,” I said, “and released the tarn.” “Yes,” she said.
“And you entered the forests?”
“Yes,” he said.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I lived for some days in the forest, but poorly, on berries and nuts, I tried to make snares. I caught nothing. Then, one morning, when I was lying on my stomach beside a stream, drinking, I lifted my head to find myself surrounded by armed panther girls. There were eleven of them. How pleased I was to see them! They seemed so proud, and strong, and were armed,” “Did they permit you to join their band?” I asked.
“They had not been satisfied with me,” said the girl.
“What happened then?” I asked.
“They told me to remove my clothing. Then they tied my hands behind my back and put a leash to my throat. They took me to the banks of the Laurius, where they tied me to a pole set in the stones, my hands over my head, my neck, belly and ankles, too, bound to it. A river craft passed. I was sold for one hundred arrow points. I was purchased by Sarpedon, master of this tavern, who occasionally scouts the river, to pick up such girls.
I looked at her. “You were foolish,” I said.
