'Are you looking for something?' I asked.
'No,' she said, quickly, 'no!' She looked back at me.
'Oh,' I said.
I then, turning away from the ledge, not facing the west, began to coil some rope which was lying about, one of several such lengths which seemed, purposelessly, to be scattered near the edge of the escarpment. When I was behind Iwoso I looked at her again. As I had thought, she had returned to her scrutiny of the surrounding plains. I wondered how long it would take her to detect the dust. I had seen it when I had first come to the edge of the escaprment but, to be sure, from the scouts. I had known where to look. It was obvious, but not dramatically so.
Then I suddenly saw her body move. She had then, I was sure, registered the dust.
'Are you sure you don't see someting out there?' I asked her, coming up behind her.
'no,' she said, suddenly, 'no!'
'I thought you might have seen something,' I said.
'No!' she said.
'I wonder,' I said, musingly, and looked out over the rairie, to the west.
'Am I not beautiful, handsome warrior?' she asked.
I turned to face her. I scrutinized her frankly, as she shrank back, as one may scrutinize a captive female or a slave.
'Yes,' I said. I then made as though to turn back and again regard the prairie.
'Look upon me, handsome warrior,' she suddenly begged.
I turned then to again regard her.
'I am only a captive woman,' she said, poutingly, lowering her eyes, 'one striped and roped to a post, one whom you can uncompromisingly veiw, one who cannot protect herself, one who is absolutely helpless before you.'
'Yes,' I said.
'You can do anything with me you want,' she pouted.
'Yes,' I said.
'No!' she said. 'Please continue to look upon me!'
'Why?' I asked.
'Can you not tell?' she asked, smiling, as though chiding me with a gentle, embrassed reproach.
I shrugged.
'No!' she said. 'Please continue to look upon me!'
'Why?' I asked.
'Look,' she said. She thrust her body toward me, pressing it piteously, squirmingly, against the ropes that bound it to the post.
'What is wrong?' I asked.
'Do not make me speak!' she said.
'Speak,' I said.
'I am a woman,' she said, 'and I wish to be touched and loved.'
'Oh?' I said.
'Yes!' she said.
'Surely you can speak more clearly,' I said.
'I am a woman,' she said, 'and my body hunger cries out in my belly! My desire in much with me! My wants are much upon me!'
'Speak more clearly,' I said.
'I am a woman,' she said, 'and my feminine needs, irresistible, overwhelming, clamoring, pleading, making me helpless and yours, porstrate me before you!'
'You speak like a slave,' I said.
'And perhaps now,' she said, 'for the first time, I begin to understand something of the nature of those feelings which can so afflict those unfortunate women, making them so helpless, begging their masters for their touch.'
'Is it my understanding,' I asked, 'that you wish to serve at the post, as a slave might, licking and kissing?'
'Yes!' she said. She then closed her eyes and pursed her lips.
'I shall call Hci,' I said.
'Hci!' she cried, opening her eyes and regarding me wildly.
'Yes,' I said. 'He is your captor.'
'Never!' she cried.
'Oh,' I said, and turned again to the prairie.
'Yes!' she cried. 'Call Hci!'
'You wish to lick and kiss your captor, as a slave might?' I asked.
'Yes!' she said.
'Do you beg it?' I asked.
'Yes,' she said. 'Yes!'
'Very well,' I said. 'Hci!' I called.
Hci, interestingly, was not very far away and, in a moment or two, he was approaching Iwoso's post. I winked at Hci. 'This woman,' I said, 'has begged to like and kiss her captor, as a slave, at the post.'
'Well?' aske Hci. He stood quite close to Iwoso. She turned her head to the side, that her lips might not bursh his. She began to tremble. I think that, as a mature female, she had perhaps never been that close to a male, and certainly not in this fashion. Hci was stripped to the breechclout, and Iwoso shrank even further back as the handle of his knife, thrust in its sheath, touched her above the belly on the right.
'Well?' said Hci.
Timidly Iwoso turned her head to him and their lips, gently, touched. She then kissed him twice, timidly, on the check. He did not move. Iwoso, then, frightened, but more boldly, began to kiss him softly about the mouth and face.
These kisses, now, clearly, I saw, went beyond the feigned obedience ingredient in her strategem; some of these kisses were like quesitons, after which she would wait to see how he might react; others were like tiny explorations or experiments, testings or tastings, to satisfy her female curisoity; others were like small, tender placatory submissions; others were like gentle, moist offerings, hoping that he might be pleased. Iwoso, I saw, doubtless contrary to her origninal intentions, was actually kissing Hci.
'Lick, as well as kiss,' said Hci.
Iwoso, softly, then, complied.
I was reminded of the girls at the training stakes in the pens of slavers, in the cities. One of the first things a girl is taught to do is to like and kiss under duress. One of the next things she is taught to do, in her training chains in a furre alcove, is to make love instantly, at so little as the snapping of fingers or the barking of a command.
'Here,' said Hci, pointing to the hideous carring at the left side of his mouth.
Iwoso regarded him.
'A Yellow Knife did that,' said Hci. 'I killed him.'
Softly, then, Iwoso began to lick and kiss at the rugged, whitish tissue at the side of Hci's face.
Then Hci drew back his head. He looked deeply into Iwsos's eyes. He was disturbed, I think, at what he saw there. They were wide, and deep, and tender and moist.
'You pretend well,' said Hci, sneering.
Tears sprang into Iwoso's eyes.
'Slave lips,' said Hci, angrily.
Iwoso looked at him puzzled.
'Purse your lips, as a white female slave,' said Hci.
Iwoso did so.
'Now kiss,' said Hci, angrily.
Iwoso did so, fully upon the lips, as a slave girl.
