John Norman - Savages of Gor

The Yellow-Knife warrior now tied Inez's hands behind her back.

The coffle chains and the manacles, which had bound the Hobarts, lay discardedin the grass.

The red-haired girl was on her hands and knees in the grass, naked, warriors,some on foot, some astride kaiila, Yellow Knives and Kaiila, gathered about her.

Lois's hands were tied behind her back.

"Hopa," said one of the Kaiila warriors, one mounted tall, broad-shoulderedfellow, with long braids, tied with red cloth, looking down on the red-hairedgirl. He touched her on the left arm with his long-bladed lance, the blade oftapering, bluish, chipped flint. She looked up at him, frightened, and then,unable to meet his eyes, quickly lowered her head. "Wihopawin," commented thewarrior.

A Yellow Knife crouched near the girl.

The mounted Kaiila warrior said something to Pimples, whom, it had been quicklyestablished, in the interchanges, was conversant in Kaiila. "Ho, Itancanka," said Pimples. She then quickly went to the red-haired girl and knelt her, withher hands behind the back of her head and her head back. "Breasts out," she toldher in Gorean. The red-haired girl then knelt in this fashion, with her elbowsback and her breasts thrust forward. Tears came to her eyes. It is a commonposition for slave assessment.

Corinne's hands were tied behind her back.

"Hopa," said more than one Kaiila, looking at the red-haired girl.

I wondered if the former debutante from Pennsylvania had ever dreamed, in thebed in her mansion, that she would one day kneel in the grass of a distantworld, a helpless slave brazenly posed for the assessment of masters.

Tethers were now being tied on the necks of Corinne, Lois Inez and Priscilla.

"Hopa," said a Kaiila, looking at the red-haired girl. "Waste," said another.

"Hopa," said the mounted Kaiila warrior, approvingly. "Hopa, Wihopawin!"

"Howe," said another.

One of the Yellow Knives standing about put his hand or the hair of the kneelinggirl.

Then the lance blade of bluish, chipped flint was at the Yellow Knife's neck. Hestood up, quickly, angrily, brushing the lance away, his hand at the handle ofhis knife, in the beaded sheath at his hip. The lance point, brushed away, returned to threaten him, as easily as a branch, shifted by the wind, might returnto its original position. The Kaiila warrior's legs tensed. At a kick backwardthe kaiila would boll forward, driving the lance into the Yellow Knife. YellowKnives and Kaiila, hereditary enemies, tensed.

Corinne, Lois, Inez and Priscilla were pulled by their neck tethers to theirfeet.

One of the Yellow Knives near the fellow threatened with the lance saidsomething to him. The Yellow Knife at whose chest the lance point was poisedthen stepped angrily backward. He glanced to the four girls now pulled to theirfeet. Their tethers were being handed to another Yellow Knife, one mounted. Theleader of the Yellow-Knife party said something to the fellow. The fellow thenturned away, angrily, and mounted his own kaiila. The Yellow Knives had theirshare of the loot. Too, because of the recent battle, this area would be, for atime, truce ground.

Urt, or Cuwignaka, Woman's Dress, as he seemed to wish to be called, had beensitting in the grass, breathing deeply and rubbing his wrists and ankles. Igathered that it must be very difficult and painful for him to move his body. Henow struggled to his feet and went to the lance, fixed butt down in turf. Heheld momentarily to the lance, his head down keeping his balance. He thenunwound the dress from the lance shaft and pulled it on, over his head. He thenripped away the lower portion of the dress, until it hung somewhat above hisknees. Too, he ripped it at the left side, to allow himself more freedom ofmovement. He then uprooted the lance and then, unsteady for a moment, shaken bythese exertions supporting himself with it" Sleen, tarsks, all of them," said Grunt, in Gorean, looking after theretreating Yellow Knives.

"What were the yellow lances on the flanks of the kaiila of the Sleen?" I asked.

"The Sun Lances," said Grunt, "a warrior society of the Sleen."

"The painted prints on the flanks of the kaiila of the Yellow Knives?" I asked.

"The sign of the Urt Soldiers," said Grunt, "a society of the Yellow Knives."

I nodded. It was common for the members of a given society to take the warpathtogether.

"Two societies are represented among the Kaiila here," said Grunt. "Most belongto the All Comrades, and one belongs to the Yellow-Kaiila Riders. The fellow inthe background, with his war shield in its case, is a member of theYellow-Kaiila Riders. That may be told by the stylized yellow kaiila print,outlined in red, on the flanks of his beast, over the red horizontal bars."

I nodded. The red horizontal bar, or bars, as the case is, is commonlyassociated with the Kaiila, the Cutthroat tribe. There were many coup marks, Inoted, on the snout and forequarters of the fellow's kaiila.

"That is a prestigious society," said Grunt. "Only tried and proven warriors,with many coups, and many expeditions of war and kaiila stealing, are admittedto it."

"The sign for the All Comrades," I said, "is the heart and lance."

"Yes," said Grunt. "They are sometimes known, too, from the sign, as theFighting Hearts. The society name, however, more strictly, translates as the AllComrades. "I see," I said. The weapon ingredient in the insignia left little doubt in mymind as to the sort of enterprise in which such fellows were most likely to becomrades.

"Cheerfulness is indicated by the height of the heart, alongside the lance," said Grant.

"I see," I said. A heart placed on a horizontal base line, of course, suggesteda heart on the ground, or sadness. Grunt had taught me much in the last fewdays. I could even, now, pick up a little of what was said in Kaiila.

"Let them alone," said Grunt to me, quickly, putting his hand on my arm. Two ofthe Kaiila were beginning to rummage through our trade goods.

"Very well," I said.

"The Yellow-Kaiila Rider," said Grant, "is Kahintokapa, One-Who-Walks-Before, ofthe Casmu, or Sand, Band."

"He is the leader?" I asked.

"It is not likely," he said, "not of a group of All Comrades like this. I thinkhe is more in the nature of an observer, probably sent along to advise and tutorthe younger men."

I nodded.

"He is not in the forefront, as you note," said Grunt "The leader is the young man, he regarding the red-haired girl?" I asked.

"That, I gather, is the case," said Grunt. "I do not know him. He is of the IsbuBand, the Little Stones"

"You knew the other fellow," I said.

"Yes," said Grunt, "when last I was in the land of the Kaiila, I met him ingeneral council, with Black Clouds, Mahpiyasapa, civil chief of the Isbu."

"You do not anticipate great difficulty with the Kaiila, then, ' I asked.

"I do not think so," said Grunt. "It is for Black Clouds, Mahpiyasapa, that Ihave brought the red-haired girl into the Barrens. For such a woman,sufficiently pleasing to him, he has promised me five hides of the yellowkailiauk."

"I had wondered what disposition you had in mind for her," I said.

"That is it," he said.

"She is to be sold to a chieftain," I said.

"Yes," he said.

Did you make that clear to our young friend?" I asked.

"Yes," said Grunt.

"Why, then, is she at the paws of his kaiila?" I asked.

"No!" cried Grunt. He then hurried toward the young mounted savage, and theother Kaiila gathered about. Two of them, seeing his angered approach, seizedhim. Grunt struggled futilely in their grasp. The girl, frightened, on herbelly, continued her work, with her lips, her teeth and tongue, biting, andlicking and sucking, at the paws and nails of the kaiila.

Words, heated and proud, were exchanged between the two men. Grunt's resolve toconciliate and pacify the savages seemed, in the heat of the moment, to havebeen abandoned. Then he was thrown backward. Two of the Kaiila drew theirknives. I tensed. Grunt, however, had the good sense not to charge them.