'There must be a few such in the rence,' he said.
'It would seem so,' I said.
'One,' said he, 'was captured not far from my village, in a purple barge. Her retainers fled.'
'Did you see her?' I asked.
'No,' he said. 'My mother would not let me look upon her, naked in her bonds.'
'Why not?' I asked.
'Perhaps she was afraid I would want her,' he said. 'Perhaps she was afraid you might become a man,' I said.
'Perhaps,' he said.
'Do you think she was much like that one?' I asked, indicating Ina, who had now filled the bowl.
'No,' said the youth, 'for that one was a haughty, frigid woman, adjudged unworthy even to be a slave.'
'A woman who is haughty and frigid,' I said, 'need not remain that way. Indeed, it is amusing to take such a woman and turn her into a panting, begging slave.'
'This one,' said he, 'was adjudged unworthy of being a slave.'
'On what grounds?' I asked.
'On the basis of her character,' he said.
'But in slavery,' I said, 'it is easy to reform a woman's character. The whip may be used, if necessary.'
'Perhaps,' he said.
'What was done to her?' I asked.
'She was put out for tharlarion,' he said.
'And what happened to her?' I asked.
'I would suppose she was devoured,' he said. 'Even the pole to which she was tied was uprooted.'
'What of that one?' I asked, indicating Ina, now approaching us, holding the bowl, carefully.
'She is much different,' he said.
'How?' I asked.
'She is warm, and soft, and exciting and obedient,' he said.
'Does she seem to you worthy to be a slave?' I asked.
'Yes,' he said.
'How would you know?' I asked.
'I can tell,' he said.
'How?' I asked.
'I have seen slaves,' he said.
'There are slaves in your village?' I asked.
'No,' he said, 'but I was once taken to Ven by my father. There I saw slaves.'
'Did you like them?' I asked.
'Yes!' he said.
'And you had one?' I asked.
'Yes,' he said.
Ina now came before us and knelt, before us, close to us, with the bowl of water.
'There are some slaves in the delta,' he said, 'here and there, but I have not seen them.'
'Your mother would not approve?' I asked.
'No,' he said.
'Perhaps there are some in the village of Tamrun?' I suggested.
'The women there,' he said, 'are all kept as slaves. It was done to them two years ago.'
'I see,' I said.
'My mother will not let me go to that village,' he said, 'but the older men from my village go.'
'I see,' I said.
'It is said that five women there wear the disk of Tamrun.'
'He must be quite a man,' I said.
'In his hut,' said he, 'he is well served.'
'I can imagine,' I said.
'It was shortly after that time,' said the lad, 'that he became one of the great leaders in the rence.'
'Interesting,' I said. I glanced at Ina. 'My captor?' she inquired.
'You may serve our guest,' I said.
'In the manner in which I have been taught?' she asked.
'Yes,' I said.
She made certain her knees were widely spread in the sand, and then she extended her arms, her head down, between them, the bowl held out to our young guest. 'Water, captor?' she inquired.
He took the bowl from her and, not taking his eyes off her, drank.
'Unfortunately we have no wine,' I said, 'and, of course, she is not a slave.'
'Oh?' he said.
'I refer to the «Wine-Master» presentation,' I said, 'in which the slave offers not only wine to the master, but herself, and her beauty, for his consideration.'
'Once in Ven I was proffered wine by a slave.'
'Then you understand the matter,' I said.
'Yes,' he said.
'Excellent,' I said.
'You are very generous,' he said.
'Not at all,' I said.
Ina shrank back.
'As you are still a free woman, Ina,' I said, 'and not a slave, an animal, you still have a permissible interest in political matters.'
'My captor?' she said.
'Doubtless you are eager to do your bit to improve relations between the rence and Ar,' I said.
'Of course,' she said, frightened.
'And in any event,' I said, 'as you are a captive, you have no say in such matters.'
'Of course not,' she said.
'You will give me what I wish?' the youth asked Ina. She was, after all, a free woman.
'You are a male and I am a captive so I must give you whatever you wish,' she said.
'And you will try to do very well, won't you, Ina?' I inquired.
'Yes, my captor!' she said, frightened.
'I do not think my mother would approve of this,' he said.
'I doubt that your father would mind,' I said.
'I do not think so,' he said.
'What do you think he would do, if he were you, and here in this situation?' I asked.
'True!' he said.
Ina shrank back, again, in the sand, frightened.
He could not take his eyes from her. She was the sort of woman that it is very difficult not to look at and, indeed, to feast one's eyes upon. In the last several days, bit by bit, she had become in effect slave soft, and slave beautiful. There are dangers, of course, in a woman becoming so soft and beautiful. Men become restless and eager in their presence, and often find it difficult to control themselves.
'I have had only one woman before, in Ven,' he said to me.
'Do not worry about it,' I said.
'I did have her seven times,' he said.
'There you are,' I said.
'But she was a slave,' he said.
'That is all right,' I said.
'My point,' said he, 'is that I have never made love to a free woman.'
'That is all right,' I said.
