slightly extended, palms back. When near him she lifted her head slightly,
hardly daring to meet his eyes, and then she knelt before him, as before a
master, doing obeisance onto him, her head down to the stones before his golden
sandals, the palms of her hands, too, on the stones. This (pg. 390) was not
appropriate, of course, even though both were slaves, as she was female and he
male, and the obeisance thus, manifested in this instance in the persons of
slaves, might be regarded simply as that of that of femaleness to maleness. The
perfect obeisance, of course, the natural obeisance was that it seemed so
perfectly to exemplify that of the female slave, literally that of the slave to
her master, though it was performed before a male who was not only not her
master, but himself a slave. That I found of interest. Did she think he owned
her? Too, she did not have to perform such an obeisance in this context. It was
not, for example, required by custom or prescribed by ordinance. Too, as he did
not own her nor expect to encounter her he would not have had an opportunity to
specify certain details of her relationship with him, for example, his
preferences with respect to her manner of presenting herself before him, the
nature of the rituals of deference or submission to be expected of her, and
such. He was, after all, only a slave, too. Indeed, sometimes female slaves are
quite cruel to male slaves, taunting or mocking them, and such. Let the female
slave hope, in such a case, that she does not find herself braceleted and put to
him in his cell, a whip tied about her neck. In such a case he is as master to
her.
Lavinia looked up at him, tears in her eyes. He then, I think, from his
reaction, clearly recognized her, well recollecting her once a free female, whom
he, as a seduction slave, had entrapped for his master, Appanius. He seemed
stunned. I did not know if this were merely his surprise at seeing her here,
again, from so long ago, so unexpectedly, she now in her collar, or if the
startled response to her might be more the result of recognizing the incredible
transformation which had taken place in her, that the mere free woman he had
entrapped had now become, in her bondage, so astoundingly fascinating and
beautiful. Perhaps it was both. Lavinia then, seemingly overcome, trembling, put
herself to her belly before him, her lips and hair over his sandals, and
beggingly, timidly, as though she feared she might be struck or kicked, began to
kiss and lick his feet. I myself, I am sure, was little less startled than the
fellow to whom these attentions were addressed. I had expected Lavinia to kneel
before him and give him the message, little more. Indeed, I was not certain that
she would have been permitted to do even this. I had thought it possible that
she might be kicked back or cuffed away from him, if not by him, then by (pg.
391) the fellows with him. She was, after all, a slave. If this sort of thing
occurred, I would not be likely to interfere, of course, for that might reveal,
or suggest, my connection with her, a relationship which I was eager, at this
point, to conceal. I did not anticipate, of course, that she would be subjected
to much more abuse than is natural to, or fitting for, a female slave. I was
prepared, of course, to interfere if it seemed likely she might be in danger of
disfigurement or serious injury. After all, she was not without value in a
market, and one would not wish anything to happen to her which might lower her
price.
She slowly moved to her knees again, her head down, licking and kissing, and
then, her knees under her, she began to raise her ministrations to his shins and
calves. She looked up at him, again. It seemed he could not move, so stunned, so
startled, he was. Tears were in her eyes. Then she put her hands on his legs,
and began to kiss him about the knees, and then above the knees. She now,
kneeling before him, close to him, had her arms lovingly about his legs, her
head down, shaking as though with sobs. She then looked up at him again. It
seemed there was no other place that she would rather be. She then, again,
lowered her head, and was kissing and licking delicately at the sides of his
legs. To serve him and give him pleasure seemed as though it might be her
desire, her happiness, her meaning and destiny in life. Did she think she was
his slave? Again she looked up, this time pleadingly. I saw the two fellows in
the background exchange alarmed glances. Was the handsome fellow in some sort of
danger? Were there risks involved which might be clear to them, if not to
others? She then put her head to the side, brushing up the purple tunic with the
side of her head, kissing and licking at his thigh beneath the tunic. At this
point one of the fellows rushed forward with an angry cry and seized her by the
hair. “Lewd slave!†he cried. He hurled her, she crying out with pain, to her
side on the stones of the street. He then rushed to her, and she curled up,
making herself small, and kicked her, twice, to which blows she reacted. She was
then on her right thigh, and the palms of her hands, half-sitting, half lying,
on the street. She looked at them. The handsome fellow had not moved. He stayed
where he was, as though rooted to the spot. “Away, lewd slave!†snarled one of
the men with the fellow. “Begone!†said the other.
At this point Lavinia swiftly knelt, her knees in proper position, that of the
female slave who is used also for the pleasure of men, reach to her tunic, and
from within it, from where she had concealed it, from where it rested, at her
bosom, withdrew the note which she then held, her arm extended, to the handsome
(pg. 392) fellow. One of the other two strode forward to seize the not but
Lavinia drew it back, clutched in her tiny fist, held it to her body, and shook
her head vigorously, negatively. This note, it seemed, was to be delivered to
the slave alone. The fellow reached for it again and she put down her head to
the stones, rather as in common obeisance or in kneeling to the whip, holding
the note beneath her. “No, Master!†she said. “Forgive me, Master!â€
“Slut!†he cried, and kicked her, again.
“Hold,†said his fellow. “You are under orders?†he asked the slave.
“Yes, Master!†said the girl. “The note may be given to one, and one alone!â€
“Very well,†said the second fellow.
Lavinia then, gratefully, rose to her feet, and went to kneel before the slave.
How well she knelt before him! how well she looked at his feet, though he were
only a slave. She then lifted the note to him, her head down between her
extended arms, holding the note in both hands, proffering it to him, much as in
the manner in which a slave offers wine, and herself, to a master. The fellow
gasped, and seemed shaken by this, the sight of the beauty so before him. I
almost feared he might fall, so beautiful she was. Never I suspect had he had a
woman so before him. In that instance I think he may have first begun to sense
the glories, the exultancies, the fittingness, the perfections and powers of the
m
astery. I watched Lavinia surrender the note to him. it was almost as though it
were her own note, offered pleadingly to him on her own behalf, and not
putatively the note of another, in whose transit and delivery she was merely
humble courier. To be sure, she had written the note herself. I was much puzzled
by her behavior. I was also much impressed by it. I had never hitherto realized
she was that beautiful.
“You have delivered your note, slut!†said one of the men, angrily. “Now, be off
with you!â€
“Yes, Master!†she said.
He drew back his hand, angrily, as though contemplating giving her a cuff.
“Yes, Master!†she said, and scrambled to her feet, not at all gracefully, in
her haste, and raced past me, going west on Tarn Court. Clearly she would not
have relished further attentions from the fellow. Already she was a bruised,
thrice-kicked slave. I do not think that he intended striking her that time,
incidentally, but was only threatening to do so. The threat, however, had been
sufficient to speed her on her way, and had she not (pg. 393) leaped up and
departed with suitable dispatch I did not doubt but what her lovely face in an
instant, flashing and burning scarlet, might have suffered the sting, and
perhaps more than once, of that ready, harsh masculine hand.
“She is pretty,†said one of the fellows, he who had questioned her, looking
after her.
“But she is only a female,†said the other, he who had threatened her.
“And a slave,†said he who had questioned her.
“Yet they are the prettiest and best, “ said he who had threatened her.
“Yes,†said he who had questioned her. “There is no comparison.â€
The handsome slave stood in the street, under the trellises, in the light and
shade, looking after the slave, wonderingly. In his hand, neglected, was the
note. It seemed he could not take his eyes off the retreating figure of Lavinia.
Could it be that he found her of interest, and in the most profoundly sexual way
in which a man may find a woman of interest, of slave interest? I had not
counted on that. I trusted that this would not disrupt my plans.
“Read the note,†ordered one of the fellows.
Absently, almost as though not aware of his surroundings, except for the now
tiny figure of the slave, hurrying away, he opened the note. He could,
apparently, read. I had counted on that. He was a high slave. Too, it would have
been difficult for him, I supposed, as he was a well-known actor, to have
learned parts without being able to read. To be sure, some actors do, having the
parts read to them, and they memorizing them from the hearing of the lines. This
is particularly the case with women, as most parts of women on the Gorean stage,
other than those in high theater, which tend to be acted by boys or men, are
acted by female slaves, many of whom cannot read. Also, of course, as is well
known, singers, scalds in the north, and such, transmit even epics orally.
Because there are many Goreans who cannot read, many stores , shops, and such,
will utilize various signs and devices to identify their place of business. For
example, a large, wooden image of a paga goblet may hang outside a tavern, a
representation of a hammer and anvil outside a metal-worker’s shop, one of a
needle and thread outside a cloth-worker’s shop, and so on. I have known
extremely intelligent men on Gor, incidentally, who could not read. Illiteracy,
or, more kindly, an inability to read and write, is not taken on Gor as a mark
of stupidity. These things tend rather, in many cases, to be associated with the
caste structure (pg. 394) and cultural traditions. Some warriors, as I have
indicated earlier, seem to feel it is somewhat undignified for them to know how
to read, or, at least, how to read well, perhaps because that sort of thing is
more in the line of, say, the scribes. One hires a warrior for one thing, one
hires a scribe for another. One does not expect a scribe to know the sword. Why,
then, should one expect the warrior to know the pen? An excellent example of
this sort of thing is the caste of musicians which has, as a whole, resisted
many attempts to develop and standardize a musical notation. Songs and melodies
tend to be handed down within the caste, from one generation to another. If
something is worth playing, is it worth remembering, they say. On the other
hand, I suspect that they fear too broad a dissemination of the caste knowledge.
Physicians, interestingly, perhaps for a similar reason, tend to keep records in
archaic Gorean, which is incomprehensible to most Goreans. Many craftsmen,
incidentally, keep such things as formulas for certain kinds of glass and
alloys, and manufacturing processes, generally, in cipher. Merchant law has been
unsuccessful, as yet, in introducing such things as patents and copyrights on
Gor. Such things do exist in municipal law on Gor but the jurisdictions involved
are, of course, local.
“What does it say?†asked the fellow.
The slave clutched it to him. “It is private,†he said, “and, I fear, personal.â€
“Let me see,†said one of the fellows.
“Better that only I and Appanius see this,†he said. He seemed white-faced,
shaken.
“Very well,†said the fellow who had spoken, stepping back. He had judged from
the slave’s response, it seemed, that the matter was not one for just anyone to
press.
“Is it important?†asked the other fellow.
“I am afraid,†said the slave.
“Let us return to the house,†said the first fellow.
They then again took their way east on tarn Court and, in a bit, once beyond the
trelliswork, went to the right side of the street, which now, given the lateness
of the afternoon sun, was the shady side. Normally Goreans keep to the left
sides of streets and roads, as is proper, given that most men are right-handed.
In this fashion the sword arm is on the side of the stranger. A similar,
interesting historical detail, though are particularly pertinent to Gor, as most
Gorean garments have buttons, is that, on Earth, men’s shirts, jackets, coats,
and such, have the buttons on the right side, so that the opening of the garment
is held down, and to the right. This is because the (pg. 395) sheath of the
knife or sword is, by right-handed men, commonly worn on the left, facilitating
the across-the-body draw to the right. In this arrangement of the garment’s
fastenings, thusly, the hand, or sleeve, or guard of the weapon, will not be
caught or impeded in its passage to the ready position. A similar provision does
occur, incidentally, in various Gorean garments, having to do with pins,
brooches and such. Also the male tunic of the wraparound variety has its overlap
to the right, presumably for a similar reason. Warriors, in situations of
danger, commonly carry the scabbard over the left shoulder. The scabbard is held
with the left hand and the draw takes place with the right. The scabbard and
strap is then discarded, to be recovered, if practical
, later. Obviously the
scabbard attached to a belt is not only an encumbrance but it is something which
someone else might seize, cling to, and perhaps use to his advantage.
I watched them withdraw. I was not even certain that the slave would show the
note to Appanius. On the other hand, since he had been witnessed in receiving
it, which I had not known would happen, it seemed highly likely he would do so.
My plans, as I had laid them, of course, did not require that the note be seen
by Appanius. Appanius did, of course, figure significantly in my plans. The note
did not, as far as Appanius was concerned. It could do its work with or without
his knowledge.
I now went west on Tarn Court.
In a few Ehn I had come to the rendezvous point, on Varick, west of Aulus, which
I had arranged with Lavinia. I waited there, near the doorways. She would not be
loitering in the vicinity, of course, as that would attract attention. She
would, rather, pass this point at certain intervals, in one direction or
another. She may have passed it once or twice already. I would then, in the
concealment of one of the doorways, put her in the small cloak she had worn
before, now folded in my wallet, and we would then make our way home.
I observed her approaching.
How beautiful she had been, how fetching she was now.
“Master,†she said.
“In here,†I said, gesturing to the doorway.
She stepped within the sheltered area and I took her by the upper arms and
turned her about, and thrust her back, sharply, against the wall, to the right.
“Master?†she said.
I looked down into her eyes. I held her by the upper arms, facing me, slave
close. It is not unpleasant to hold a woman (pg. 396) thusly. There were the
tracks of tears, some only half dried, on her cheeks. She had thus wept even
after leaving Tarn Court, probably while hurrying along.
“You are fortunate that you were not cuffed,†I said.
“Yes, Master,†she said.
“You are not unattractive,†I said.
“Thank you, Master,†she said.
I stepped back a little, not releasing my hold, and looked down at her.
“Even in such garments,†I said.
Norman, John - Gor 25 - Magicians of Gor.txt Page 58
