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. You are well curved, he said to Tela. Thank you, Master, she said.Instantly I hated Tela.Then he came to stand before me. You, too, are wellcurved, he said. Thank you, Master! I said.I cast a glance at Tela. Andyou look well, tied so helplessly, he said. Thank you, Master! I said.Icast another glance at Tela.He had said two things to me, and only one toher!But when I looked back he had turned away for me! I squirmed in my bonds.Iwanted to cry out master! to him, but I did not dare.Idid not want to be whipped.Did he think I could not recognize him in hismask? Did he not remember me?We remained bound for several Ahn, until well after dark.In this time he hadwalked Callisthenes and Sempronius before him, back toward the trees, in whichdirection, it seemed, lay the slave wagon.There they had apparently buried three bodies, those of Licinius, who had beenslain by Hendow, and Alcinous and Portus, victims, it seems, of his own blade.Too, from the wagon, or its vicinity, they retrieved supplies.These, however,426were not immediately fed to us.Sempronius and Callisthenes first busiedthemselves, under the stranger s supervision, with burying what humans layabout.The strange beasts were left for jards.Borko, however, was buried beside Hendow.The graves of the men had swordsthrust in the earth, that they might thus be marked.Mirus scratched a board, taken from the ruins of the building about, which hefixed on the common grave of Borko and Hendow.Icannot read Gorean.Mirus told Tupita it said, Borko and Hendow, Hendow wasof Brundisium.He was my friend. Most Gorean graves, incidentally, are notmarked even in so simple a fashion.Most Goreans do not care for such things.They believe that it is a man sdeeds which truly live after him, and that the difference, great or small,which they make in the world, the difference which he made, for having beenthere, is what is important.No matter how insignificant or tiny one is, in teGorean belief, one is an incredible part of history.That can never be takenfrom anyone.That is better, they believe, than scratched wood or markedstone.There would be no pyres.Such might attract the attention of men about,Page 293 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlor perhaps of tarnsmen aflight, even as far away as Venna. Shall we now dig two more? asked Sempronius. For whom? asked the stranger. For ourselves, said Sempronius, indicating himself andCallisthenes. No, said the stranger. Wash.Perform the customary purifications. Sempronius and Callisthenes looked at one another. Very well, said Sempronius.After they had washed and performed the rites we were fed.Of slaves onlyTupita was permitted to feed herself.She also fed Mina and Cara.I was fed bySempronius.Tela by Callisthenes.The stranger did this perhaps to torturethem, I supposed, that they might be so close to half-naked female slaves andyet be forbidden to so much as touch them.After we had been fed, and Callisthenes and Sempronius, too, had partaken offood, the stranger directed them to put us in coffle, with the exception ofTupita.He also specified the exact positions we would occupy in this coffle.Accordingly, in a given order, we were roped together by the neck.Mina, Caraand Tela were freed of the rail, and all our ankles were untied.Mina andCara, of course, still wore their shackles.Thought it was with joyful reliefthat I fel my ankles at last freed from my wrists and could get up, though inpain, and stretch my legs, my hands still bound behind me, it was with chagrinthat I427considered my position on the coffle.I was last! Last! Did he think Idid not recognize him in the mask? Did he not remember Tela was before me, andshe had led a much larger coffle entering the work camp of Ionicus near Venna,that of the black chain.Mina and Cara were ahead of us.And Mina was first onthe coffle! How proud she seemed! Look at her, so beautiful, so proud to befirst!Callisthenes and Sempronius supported Mirus between them, and helped himtoward the woods.Tupita followed, closely.After them came the stranger.Hepaused, on his way, to pick up the swords ofCallisthenes and Sempronius.He had also taken the blanket and the silver, andpurses, which had been on it.The bodies, too, I gathered, of those who hadbeen about had been relieved of what coins or valuables they might havecarried.The coins of Hendow the stranger had given to Mirus.He was, then,truly a brigand! Amasked brigand! But how he could handle a sword! How he had fought!The group now made its way toward the woods.We, Mina, Cara, Tela and I, incoffle, followed it.Ti did not even seem that they were paying any attention,to see if we came or not.We followed them, of course, docilely, like tetheredanimals! But, of course, we were tethered animals.We were slaves.I looked back in the moonlight once, at the grave of Borko andHendow.I could see the hilt of Hendow s sword there, and, behind it, thenarrow board fixed in the earth by Mirus, that simple, crude marker, notbearing much of a message, really, little more than the data that Hendow hadbeen of Brundisium, and had had a friend.I cried on the way to the woods.CHAPTER 30THE SLAVE WAGONPage 294 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlI sat up.I could not believe what he apparently intended to do to me.Yet Isuppose it was not anything that unusual for a slave.The three moons were full.It was late.We were now in the428woods.The slave wagon was not far away.The tharlarion, unhitched, buttethered, browsed among the trees, pulling at herbs in the grass, lifting itsneck to nibble at wide leaves.Cords encircled my ankles.I could not bring my legs together.My ankles were tied at the insides of two saplings, about a yard apart.Myhands were no longer tied behind me.They were braceleted there.This was farmore comfortable.On the other hand whereas before I had had only to contendhelplessly with simple binding fiber I was now the prisoner of clasping steel [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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. You are well curved, he said to Tela. Thank you, Master, she said.Instantly I hated Tela.Then he came to stand before me. You, too, are wellcurved, he said. Thank you, Master! I said.I cast a glance at Tela. Andyou look well, tied so helplessly, he said. Thank you, Master! I said.Icast another glance at Tela.He had said two things to me, and only one toher!But when I looked back he had turned away for me! I squirmed in my bonds.Iwanted to cry out master! to him, but I did not dare.Idid not want to be whipped.Did he think I could not recognize him in hismask? Did he not remember me?We remained bound for several Ahn, until well after dark.In this time he hadwalked Callisthenes and Sempronius before him, back toward the trees, in whichdirection, it seemed, lay the slave wagon.There they had apparently buried three bodies, those of Licinius, who had beenslain by Hendow, and Alcinous and Portus, victims, it seems, of his own blade.Too, from the wagon, or its vicinity, they retrieved supplies.These, however,426were not immediately fed to us.Sempronius and Callisthenes first busiedthemselves, under the stranger s supervision, with burying what humans layabout.The strange beasts were left for jards.Borko, however, was buried beside Hendow.The graves of the men had swordsthrust in the earth, that they might thus be marked.Mirus scratched a board, taken from the ruins of the building about, which hefixed on the common grave of Borko and Hendow.Icannot read Gorean.Mirus told Tupita it said, Borko and Hendow, Hendow wasof Brundisium.He was my friend. Most Gorean graves, incidentally, are notmarked even in so simple a fashion.Most Goreans do not care for such things.They believe that it is a man sdeeds which truly live after him, and that the difference, great or small,which they make in the world, the difference which he made, for having beenthere, is what is important.No matter how insignificant or tiny one is, in teGorean belief, one is an incredible part of history.That can never be takenfrom anyone.That is better, they believe, than scratched wood or markedstone.There would be no pyres.Such might attract the attention of men about,Page 293 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlor perhaps of tarnsmen aflight, even as far away as Venna. Shall we now dig two more? asked Sempronius. For whom? asked the stranger. For ourselves, said Sempronius, indicating himself andCallisthenes. No, said the stranger. Wash.Perform the customary purifications. Sempronius and Callisthenes looked at one another. Very well, said Sempronius.After they had washed and performed the rites we were fed.Of slaves onlyTupita was permitted to feed herself.She also fed Mina and Cara.I was fed bySempronius.Tela by Callisthenes.The stranger did this perhaps to torturethem, I supposed, that they might be so close to half-naked female slaves andyet be forbidden to so much as touch them.After we had been fed, and Callisthenes and Sempronius, too, had partaken offood, the stranger directed them to put us in coffle, with the exception ofTupita.He also specified the exact positions we would occupy in this coffle.Accordingly, in a given order, we were roped together by the neck.Mina, Caraand Tela were freed of the rail, and all our ankles were untied.Mina andCara, of course, still wore their shackles.Thought it was with joyful reliefthat I fel my ankles at last freed from my wrists and could get up, though inpain, and stretch my legs, my hands still bound behind me, it was with chagrinthat I427considered my position on the coffle.I was last! Last! Did he think Idid not recognize him in the mask? Did he not remember Tela was before me, andshe had led a much larger coffle entering the work camp of Ionicus near Venna,that of the black chain.Mina and Cara were ahead of us.And Mina was first onthe coffle! How proud she seemed! Look at her, so beautiful, so proud to befirst!Callisthenes and Sempronius supported Mirus between them, and helped himtoward the woods.Tupita followed, closely.After them came the stranger.Hepaused, on his way, to pick up the swords ofCallisthenes and Sempronius.He had also taken the blanket and the silver, andpurses, which had been on it.The bodies, too, I gathered, of those who hadbeen about had been relieved of what coins or valuables they might havecarried.The coins of Hendow the stranger had given to Mirus.He was, then,truly a brigand! Amasked brigand! But how he could handle a sword! How he had fought!The group now made its way toward the woods.We, Mina, Cara, Tela and I, incoffle, followed it.Ti did not even seem that they were paying any attention,to see if we came or not.We followed them, of course, docilely, like tetheredanimals! But, of course, we were tethered animals.We were slaves.I looked back in the moonlight once, at the grave of Borko andHendow.I could see the hilt of Hendow s sword there, and, behind it, thenarrow board fixed in the earth by Mirus, that simple, crude marker, notbearing much of a message, really, little more than the data that Hendow hadbeen of Brundisium, and had had a friend.I cried on the way to the woods.CHAPTER 30THE SLAVE WAGONPage 294 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlI sat up.I could not believe what he apparently intended to do to me.Yet Isuppose it was not anything that unusual for a slave.The three moons were full.It was late.We were now in the428woods.The slave wagon was not far away.The tharlarion, unhitched, buttethered, browsed among the trees, pulling at herbs in the grass, lifting itsneck to nibble at wide leaves.Cords encircled my ankles.I could not bring my legs together.My ankles were tied at the insides of two saplings, about a yard apart.Myhands were no longer tied behind me.They were braceleted there.This was farmore comfortable.On the other hand whereas before I had had only to contendhelplessly with simple binding fiber I was now the prisoner of clasping steel [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]