Savages of Gor

11 Slave Instruction; It Seems We Are No Longer Being Followed

"You seem apprehensive," said Grunt.

"They should have caught up to us by now," I said.

I stood at the edge of our small camp, in a few trees, nestled beside a smallstream. It was the late afternoon.

"No," said Grunt. "Put it from your mind."

I turned back to the camp.

Ginger and Evelyn had been freed from the coffle, to gather wood and cook, andattend to the chores of the camp. The collars and chains had been rearranged onthe other girls, in such a way that, by an alternation of the position of snaplocks and chain segments, a free collar was now at each end of the coffle. Thesecollars had then been fastened about two small trees, thus confining the girls,other than Ginger and Evelyn, to the line between the two trees. Last night thecoffle had been taken four times about a small, sturdy tree and then the collarof the first girl had been fastened to the collar of the last girl. That, too,would be, I supposed, the procedure tonight. There are many ways to keep a lineof girls in place overnight, of course. A common way is to bind their wristsbehind their backs and then place them on the ground, supine, the head of one tothe feet of the other. A given girl, then, by thongs on her collar, is tied tothe left ankle of the girl on her left, and to the right ankle of the girl onher right; similarly, the girl on her left is thonged, by thongs passing abouther collar, to the given girl's left ankle, and the girl on the given girl'sright is thonged, by thongs passing about her collar, to the right ankle of thegiven girl.

"I am first girl," said Ginger, walking back and forth before the line of girls,kneeling before her, a switch in her small hand, "and Evelyn is second girl."

She indicated Evelyn. She spoke in English, a language held in common by the newbarbarian slaves. Five spoke English natively; three were American, includingthe red-haired girl, and two were British; two of the other girls were Swedish,and the last girl, with the short, dark hair, was French. "You will addressmyself, and Evelyn, as Mistress," she said. "You will learn your lessons well,both those of the language and of service."

The girls looked at one another.

"This is a switch," said Ginger, lifting the supple switch. She then struck oneof the girls, one of the Swedish girls, with a stinging, slashing blow at theside of the neck.

"This is a switch," repeated Ginger.

"Yes, Mistress," said the red-haired girl, swiftly. I was pleased to see thatshe was quite intelligent. "Yes, Mistress," said the other girls. "Yes,Mistress!" said the Swedish girl, tears in her eyes.

"Evelyn and I," said Ginger, "do not intend to do all the work of the campalone. In time, some of you, at least, will be freed to assist in our labors.

The girls, quickly, glanced at one another.

"Little fools!" laughed Ginger. "You are all little fools! Kneel straighter,little fools!"

Quickly the girls complied.

"Do not think of escape," she said. "There is no escape for you."

Several of the girls reddened.

"Consider your garb," said Ginger. "It is distinctive. It is that of a slave."

Several of the girls looked down at the scanty, revealing cloth in which theybad been placed.

"Similarly, you are barbarians," said Ginger. "Even as you learn the language ofmasters, your accent will continue to betray you. Similarly, even should youlearn to speak flawlessly such things as the fillings in your teeth and thevaccination marks on your arms will continue to mark you as barbarian. So, too,will such things as the fact that you have no Home Stone and no caste, and willbe ignorant of a thousand things known to any Gorean. No, do not think that youcan easily shed your barbarian origin."

Some of the girls looked at her, angrily.

"Too," said Ginger, "thrust up your tunics. Examine your left thighs!

The girls did so.

"You are marked," said Ginger. "You are branded."

The girls smoothed down their tunics, some of them with tears in their eyes.

"So," said Ginger, "put all hopes of escape from your mind. It is a meaningless,foolish dream, inappropriate in a Gorean slave girl. There is no one here tosave you. There is no place to go, nowhere to run. If you should seem to escape,you will be picked up by the first man who finds you, who will then return youto your master, for punishment, or keep you for his own slave. You, there! Onyour belly!"

The Swedish girl, frightened, she who had been struck previously, twisted in thecoffle chain and put herself on her belly. The girls on her left and rightknelt, frightened, heads low, collar chains taut, looking at her.

Ginger went to the girl and thrust up the tunic. "See these tendons," she asked,"at the back of each knee?"

"Yes, Mistress," said more than one, girl.

She laid the switch, cool and green, across the tendons. The Swedish girlshuddered.

"It is a common punishment for a runaway girl," said Ginger, "that these tendonsare severed. The girl, then, can never stand again, but must, if she ispermitted to live, drag herself about by her hands. Sometimes such girls aregathered up by masters and used as beggars, on street corners."

Several of the girls cried out with fear.

Ginger then rose to her feet and stepped away from the Swedish girl, who then,frightened, smoothing down her tunic, together with the girls on her left andright, resumed her original kneeling position.

"You are barbarians," said Ginger. "You have been brought to Gor to be slaves,and that is what you are, and it is all that you are. Do not forget it!"

"No, Mistress," said more than one girl.

"In most cities and towns," said Ginger, "you would even find your pretty necksfastened in locked, steel collars."

"Like animals! ' protested a girl.

"You are animals," said Ginger, "and the sooner you understand that, the easierit will be for you. You are beautiful, owned animals."

Several of the girls shuddered.

"And he who owns you," said Ginger, "he to whom you belong, is your master."

"Would he be our total master?" asked the red-haired girl, looking at me.

"Yes, your absolute and total master," said Ginger.

I gave no sign that I had understood the red-haired girls question.

"But how can we be slaves?" asked a girl.

"Your question is stupid and foolish," said Ginger. "You are slaves. It is assimple as that. Do not be misled by the myths and rhetorics of your formerworld. Indeed, even on that world slavery exists. Slavery, as you will learn, isa very real institution, and, further, it is one in which you are profoundlyimplicated. You are totally and legally, as well as in practical fact, theproperty of your master."

The girl shrank back, in horror.

"My lessons for you today," said Ginger, "are basically quite simple. I thinkthey may be grasped even by intellects such as yours, those of slave girls.

First, you are slaves, and that is all you are, nothing more, only slaves.

Second, do not even think of escape. There is no escape for you. Slaves you are,my dears, and slaves you will remain.

More than one of the girls, her head in her hands, shrank back, weeping.

It seemed to me that Ginger had certainly spoken bluntly to the new barbarianslaves, but, still, I felt, on the whole, it had been appropriate for her to doso. It is kindest, I think, in the long run, to proceed rather along the linesthat she had. The sooner a new slave's delusions are dispelled the better it is,normally, for all concerned.

"Come now, my pretty slaves," said Ginger, "kneel straight. Back straight, headsup. Back on your heels there! Spread those pretty knees. Yes, that is the waymen like it. Put your hands, palms down, on your thighs. Good. Good Excellent!

The girls now knelt in the coffle as pleasure slaves.

"Mistress," said a girl.

"Yes, pretty slave," said Ginger.

"You speak of men," said the girl.

"Yes," said Ginger. "You are female slaves. You now, in a general sense, belongto men."

Several of the girls looked at her, frightened.

"Doubtless you were taught many idiotic things about both yourselves and men onyour old world. Doubtless, in your hearts, perhaps late at night, in bed, or inthe morning, or at odd, lonely moments, in spite of your educations andconditionings, your trainings, you recognized the falseness of these teachings."

I saw that several of the girls looked very frightened. I saw that theyunderstood, only too well, what Ginger was saying.

"You would understand, or sense, at such times," said Ginger, "the meaning ofyour slightness, your beauty and your needs. You would have understood that youwere yearning women, in effect without men. You would have understood thensomething of the grand themes of nature, of dominance and submission, and yourown obvious, natural place in such an organic scheme. At such times, perhaps, ifyou dared, you might have longed for the hands of a master on you, amagnificent, ruthless male who could fulfill you, who would put you to his feetand own you, who would answer your deepest needs, who would command you, whowould dominate you, absolutely, and ravish you for his merest pleasure, and athis least whim, who would force from you, to your joy, the totality of love andservice you were born to bestow."

The girls looked at her, terrified.

"On this world," said Ginger, "there is no dearth of such men and you, my dears,are female slaves."

"Are we not permitted resistance?" asked a girl.

"No resistance is permitted," said Ginger, "unless it be the master's will. Thatis a subtle point. You will have to learn to tell when the master desiresresistance, that he may crush it mercilessly, and when he does not."

Several of the girls swallowed, hard.

"As female slaves," said Ginger, "you will be, as a general rule, a rule onwhich your very life may depend, absolutely docile, totally obedient, and fullypleasing."

"We would have to be anything, and do anything, then, fully," said a girl, "thatwe are commanded."

"Yes," said Ginger, "and with the utmost talent, skill and perfection that youcan muster."

"Mistress," said the red-haired girl.

"Yes," Red-haired- Slave," said Ginger.

"Is the slave girl also," asked the red-haired girl, "at the sexual mercy of hermaster?"

"Absolutely, and fully, and in every way," said Ginger.

Several of the girls gasped, shrinking back in their chains.

"You will learn," said Ginger.

"Yes, Mistress. Thank you, Mistress," said the red-haired girl. She looked atme, and then, quickly, shyly, put her head down. In the brown slave tunic, withthe chain on her neck, she looked almost demure.

"Feed them," said Ginger.

Evelyn then threw each of the girls a piece of meat, throwing it to the grassbefore them. She removed these pieces of meat from the slender greenwood spit onwhich they had been roasted.

"Do not use your hands," warned Ginger, slapping the switch in her left palm.

"Yes, Mistress," said more than one of the girls.

I watched them, kneeling, leaning forward, palms down on the grass, heads down,eating at the meat.

"A pretty lot," said Grunt, behind me.

"Yes," I said.

The red-haired girl, eating at the meat, looked up at me, and then, shyly, againlowered her head.

"See that girl," asked Grunt, "the one with red hair?"

"Yes," I said.

"She is a virgin," he said.

"Oh?" I said.

"Yes," he said, "I tested her body this morning."

"I see," I said. I recalled that the girl, in the sales barn, had proclaimed hervirginity. It had been done in the throes of the misery of her sale, when shehad pleaded not to be brazenly exposed to the buyers. Her pleas, of course, hadnot been heeded.

"It is unfortunate," I said, "that she is a virgin."

"Why?" asked Grunt.

"Because she is quite pretty," I said.

"I do not understand," he said.

"Her virginity will doubtless improve her price," I said.

"Not in the Barrens," he said.

"No?" I asked.

"No," said Grunt. "They take virginity seriously only in their own women."

"I see," I said.

"If you were going to buy a she-tarsk," asked Grunt, "would its virginity matterto you?"

"No," I said, "of course not."

"If she pleases you," he said, "you may have her, or any of the others, if youwish."

"Thank you," I said.

"What are slaves for?" he asked.

"True," I grinned.

"If you take her, however," he said, "take her, the first time, withgentleness."

"Very well," I said.

"It will be time enough later for her to learn what it is to be a true slave," he said.

"I understand," I said.

Grunt then turned away.

"Grunt," I said. He turned about. He still wore the broad brimmed hat. I hadnever seen him without it.

"Yes," he said.

"The Hobarts," I said, "the men who were following, what of them?"

"If they were still following us," he said, "they would have arrived by now."

"Yes," I said.

"So they are no longer following," he said.

"I am prepared to believe that," I said.

"So put the matter from your mind," he said.

"What became of them?" I asked.

"It is time to sleep now," he said.

"What became of them?" I asked.

"We shall make a determination on that matter in the morning," he said. "In themeantime, let us sleep."

"Very well," I said.