John Norman - Savages of Gor

"Winyela," said Canka.

She lifted her eyes to his.

"Winyela," said Canka, again. In this context he was not saying her name so muchas reminding her of what she was.

"Say, "Ho, Itancanka, " said Pimples.

"Ho, Itancanka," said Winyela.

"Good," said Pimples.

Canka, then, in good humor, set his heels to the flanks of his kaiila and,slowly, the beast walking, took his way from the place. The girl, stripped andbarefoot in the grass, her throat tied in his beaded collar, hurried alongbeside him, taking care to remain exactly in her place.

"I am ruined," said Grunt.

"You are ruined?" I asked. "I am a disarmed slave."

"There is something strange about that," said Grunt. "You have not beenstripped, or tied. I do not understand it."

"Winyela, too," I said, using her new name, "has not been tied." We looked afterthe retreating warriors. Winyela was hurrying along at the left flank of Canka'skaiila, a girl's running place by the beast of her master.

"Have no fear," said Grunt. "In the collar of Canka the red-haired beauty willlearn her slavery well."

"You still have most of your trade goods," I said.

"And I am among them, Master," said Pimples. "Surely I am worth something."

"Lie on your belly," said Grunt.

"Yes, Master," she said, immediately complying. She had spoken withoutpermission.

"The red-haired girl," said Grunt, looking after the warriors, "was forMahpiyasapa, civil chief of the Isbu. Last year when I was in the country of theKaiila, he put in an order for such a woman. Such a woman was on his want list,so to speak."

"Doubtless when Canka returns to the main camp he will surrender her toMahpiyasapa," I said.

"Do you think so?" asked Grunt.

"No," I said.

"I am thirsty," said Cuwignaka, sitting down in the grass. "And I am faint withhunger."

These were the first signs of weakness which he had showed. How shamed andfoolish I suddenly felt. How little consideration, how little attention, we hadgiven him.

I hurried to the pack kaiila and fetched from it the water bag. Grunt, from hisown stores, brought forth some dried, pressed biscuits, baked in Kailiauk fromSa-Tarna flour. We watched him eat and drink. We did not feel that his stomachwould be ready yet for the meat of kailiauk. We had some from the Dust Legs. Itwas in sheets, cut almost as thin as paper, dried in the prairie sun, layered ina flat, leather envelope, a parfleche, originally scaled with a seam of hardenedfat. By confessing his need for drink and food before us Cuwignaka had, in hisway, honored us. This was the sort of thing that a Kaiila warrior would belikely to do only among those whom he considered his friends and comrades.

"Meat," said Cuwignaka.

Grunt and I exchanged glances but, in the end, we fetched Cuwignaka some of thestrips of dried kailiauk meat.

He sat, cross-legged, in the grass, and ate some. "It is enough," he said. Hethrust back the remainder to Grunt, who inserted it in the opened parfleche.

"I am now ready to go to the camp," said Cuwignaka.

"You are in no condition to travel," I said.

"I am ready," he said.

"You will ride," I said.

"I can walk," he said, rising unsteadily to his feet. He picked up the lance,using it as a staff to maintain his balance.

I began to remove my things from my kaiila, with the exception of the bridle,the saddle and saddle blanket.

"What are you doing?" asked Grunt.

"I am preparing the mount for Cuwignaka," I said.

"Do not be foolish," said Grunt. "This is your opportunity to escape. Ridewestward, like the wind. Flee."

"I do not understand," I said.

"Do you not see, my friend?" asked Cuwignaka. "They have given you this chanceto escape."

"They could doubtless follow me, tracking me, with strings of kaiila, until myown beast played out," I said.

"Doubtless," said Cuwignaka, "but I do not think they will do so."

"They are letting you go," said Grunt.

Go now," said Cuwignaka, "for, later, in the main camp, others may not be solenient."

"Go," said Grunt. "You would then have a fine lead on others, in the main camp,days from here, who might wish to follow you. Make good your escape now. It isdoubtless their intention."

"But why should they permit me this?" I asked.

"I do not know," said Grunt.

"I was told to follow," I said, "and I said that I would do so.»

"It was necessary that such a command be given," said Grunt. "None expects youto follow."

"I said that I would," I said.

"They will not expect a white man to keep his word," said Grunt.

"Your word is respected in the Barren, is it not?" I asked.

"I think so," said Grunt.

"Then so, too, will be mine," I said.

"Run," said Grunt. "Do not be a fool"

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I am going to the main camp of the Kaiila," he said. "I come to this country totrade."

"You have business in this place?" I asked.

"Yes," said Grunt "I too, have business in this place," I said.

"You are mad," said Grunt.

"Perhaps," I said. But I had not come to the Barrens to back now.

"Get up," said Grunt, kicking Pimples lightly in the side the side of his foot.

"We have work to do."

"Yes, Master," she said, rising, and smoothing down the skirt of the tiny slavetunic with the palms of her hands. She was the only one of the girls whoseclothing had not been by the red savages. The red-haired girl, Lois, Corinne,Inez, Priscilla, the others, had all been stripped. Canka had permitted her tokeep the garment, such as it was, to draw a distinction between her, who couldspeak Kaiila, and the other who could not.

To be sure, there is a controversy as to whether or not it is humiliating for awoman to be put before masters in garment or merely stark naked, save, perhaps,for a collar. Surely slave tunics leave little to the imagination. Among thegirls, of course, there is little disagreement in practice, though some intheory. The girls, only, treasure even the tiniest rag which can afford themsome shielding, however pathetic, from the imperious gaze of masters. Too, fromthe point of view of the masters, the little that might be left to theimagination, small as it is, by such a garment, is often found to be intriguingand stimulating. It encourages them to her stripping. Too, giving a girl a bitof clothing, tends to give one more control over her. For example, will she betold to remove the garment, or will it be taken from her, and if so, publicly orprivately? It must be understood, of course, that a slave, having no rights,does not have the right even to clothing. That a girl is wearing even a rag isusually a sign that she has pleased her master, and quite significantly, too.

Often the garment of a slave girl does not come easily to her. In private, ofcourse, even rags are often dispensed with. The slave is the property of themaster, and, in the privacy of his quarters, she is done with, totally, as hepleases.

"Take care of the things which were mine," I said, "If you would."

"I shall," said Grunt. Slaves, of course, own nothing. It is they who are owned.

"I think it is time to follow Canka," I said to Cuwignaka.

"Ride from here. Escape," said Grunt "Mount up," I said to Cuwignaka. He stood, unsteadily, clinging to the lance, asthough to a staff.

"I will walk," said Cuwignaka.

"You are weak," I said.

"I am Kaiila," said Cuwignaka. "I will walk."

He took two or three faltering steps, supporting himself with the lance. Butthen, suddenly, his legs buckled. For a moment he held himself up with thelance, but then, heavily, fell to the side. Painfully, with the lance, hand overhand; he pulled himself again to his feet. He took another two or threefaltering steps, supporting himself with the lance, after Canka and the others,but then, again, fell heavily in the grass. I moved to go to him, but Grunt'shand on my arm stopped me. "No," he said. "Do not demean him. He is Kaiila."