But there seemed little point in arriving before they had begun. Indeed, there is not much point, usually, in coming early to a sale. Merchants usually exhibit their best merchandise only later in the evening.
The thought of the fellow whom I had seen in the restaurant briefly troubled me. Then I dismissed it.
I made my way toward the platforms.
I saw the fellow from the polar basin again, him with the fur trousers and boots, and the rope and short bow. I recalled he had sold carvings to a dealer in curios earlier in the day.
I was curious to see the Earth girls again. When I had last seen them two slaver's men had been approaching them, one with a knife and the other with some brief, white, platform tunics. I was curious to see what they would look like in clothing which would make clear their femininity rather than conceal or deny it.
"Where are the platforms of Tenalion of Ar?" I asked a man. They had been his property.
The fellow pointed to the two hundreds.
"My thanks, Sir," said I. Tenalion is a well-known slaver.
Most girls on the platforms are exhibited naked in their chains. Some, on the other hand, are attired, usually briefly and in platform tunics, which may be opened. It is thought that sometimes a clothed girl is more intriguing to a buyer. When he comes forward and asks to see the girl, and the tunic is opened, he is, of course, already there and interested. The slaver or the slaver's man, then, can talk with him, discussing, praising and pointing out the values of the commodity. This would not be easy if the fellow had merely glanced upon the wares and passed by. Girls are seldom, if ever, of course, sold clothed: It is said that only a fool would buy a clothed woman. That is certainly true. Would you buy a girl you had not had a chance to examine in detail?
In the two hundreds Tenalion's platforms were numbered from two hundred and forty through two hundred and eighty, inclusive.
How pleased I was to see the slaves. It was now clear they were beauties. But many of the slaves of Tenalion were beautiful.
They still wore neck collars and were chained together. But now the neck collars were fantastically beautiful on them. No longer did they now wear their distracting, meaningless Earth raiment, but Gorean platform tunics. The tunics were white, with deep, plunging necklines, well revealing and setting off the collars, completely sleeveless, and terribly brief. They knelt. There was about a yard of chain between the collars, fastening them in a four-girl coffle.
"I hardly dare move," said the blond girl. She knelt, as the others did, with her knees pressed closely together.
Their wrists were now in steel cuffs behind their backs. No longer would they be able to conceal themselves if their tunics were opened.
"Nor I," said the girl on the end. "What is being done with us?" she asked.
"I don't know," said the third girl. "I don't know!"
A man walked by, slowly, appraising them.
They shrank back.
Their ankles were confined in loose, steel ankle loops, but they could not slip them. A common chain ran though rings on the loops. No longer were their ankles confined with a foot of chain between them. Their ankles, now, for the chain running through the loop-rings was long, could be moved as closely together or as widely apart as they, or their masters, might wish. There were round, pierced metal balls at each end of the ankle chain, to prevent its slipping through the rings entirely. One such ball was to the right of the blond's right ankle and the other was to the left of the left ankle of the last girl on the chain. This ankle-chain arrangement, permitting much plasticity of movement, makes it easier to display a girl.
"We have rights!" whispered the blond girl.
"Do you think so?" asked the dark-haired girl, who had worn the black slacks and the soft, torn red pull-over.
"Yes!" said the blond girl.
"Look at their eyes," said the dark-haired girl.
The blond girl shrank back in the chains.
"Do you still think we have rights?" asked the dark-haired girl.
The blond was silent.
"Do you think a woman could have rights with such men?" asked the dark-haired girl. "Do you think we are still on Earth?" she asked.
"What has become of us?" asked the girl on the end.
"Is it not obvious?" asked the dark-haired girl. Her face was narrow, but delicate and very beautiful. Her figure was slight. but exquisite. Her hair was short, and very dark. She had lovely legs, marvelously revealed by the brevity of the platform tunic. I thought her the most beautiful of all. I also thought her the most intelligent The next most valuable meat in the coffle was, in my opinion, the blond, who was sweetly slung and exciting.
"No!" said the girl on the end. "No! It is not obvious!"
The slender dark-haired girl shrugged, and, with a rustle of chain, turned away.
Then all the girls suddenly shrank back, frightened, for another fellow was passing by, slowly, examining them.
"I do not wish to be dressed like this," said the third girl on the chain.
"Be pleased," said the first girl on the chain, the blond, "that they have given you anything to wear."
Within sight of them, on other platforms, there were numerous, naked chained beauties.
"You will note, of course," said the dark-haired girl, second on the chain, who had worn the torn, pull-over, "the nature of the garments in which we have been placed."
The left side of the brief tunic overlapped the right side of the tunic. It was held in place by a light, white cord, which passed through two loops and was loosely knotted at the right hip. If the cord were jerked loose the garment would fall open and could be. easily brushed aside, to fall back, loose, behind them, on their cuffed, chained wrists.
"What about it?" asked the girl at the end of the chain, belligerently.
"Do you think it would be difficult to open?" asked the dark-haired girl.
"They wouldn't dare!" said the blond girl.
The dark-haired girl did not respond to her.
"You think you are so clever because you are rich!" hissed the blond.
"Do you think any of us have anything now?" demanded the dark-haired girl, angrily. "Do you think we own even the chains we wear?"
"I do not understand what you are saying!" said the girl, angrily, at the end of the line.
The dark-haired girl did not respond to her.
"What sort of place is this!" cried out the girl on the end. She jerked her cuffed wrists futilely. She could bring one of them to a position behind her left hip or her right hip, but could not bring either before her body.
"Struggle if you will," said the dark-haired girl. "It is not the intention of the men that you escape." She smiled. "Therefore you will not escape." The dark-haired girl looked out, over the crowds. "Besides, where would you escape to?" she asked. 'There is nowhere to escape to," she said.
"I hate you!" said the girl who had struggled. The dark-haired girl shrugged.
Two more men walked by, casually casting a glance upon the confined goods.
The girls were silent, and knelt back, small.
The men saw nothing of interest in them. There were many beauties on display.
"I cannot stand the way they look at us," said the blond.
"What does it mean?" asked the third girl on the chain.
"Masters!" called a girl, in Gorean, some yards down the platform, accosting the two men who were passing. She knelt on one knee, and flexed and extended her other leg, beautifully, touching the boards of the platform with her toes. She lifted her body and thrust forth her lovely breasts to them. "Masters," she whimpered, "take me home with you!"
"Do you beg to be purchased?" asked one of the men.
"Yes, Master!" she said.
"Slave," said he, scornfully.
"Yes, Master!" she said.