"When did you take her to the market?" I asked. "Early this morning," she said, "as soon as you had left." "You planned well," I said. "You will never find her!" she cried.I left the house in fury slamming the door. "You will never find her!" she cried from within. I began to run toward the wharves.
17. I Ponder the Contentment of a Slave
"You take me with some bitterness, Master," she said. "has Peggy displeased you?" No," I said. "I am angry."Ah," she said, "then ventilate your emotions upon me, for I am only a slave," She kissed me. "I must submit in whatever means you you choose to do to me. Do you wish to whip me?" No," I said. "It is not you whom I should make suffer."
"Some free woman has displeased you?" she asked. "Yes," I said. "Then take your vengance upon her," she said. "Collar her. Make her your slave."She is from earth," I said."We are not different from other women," she said, "unless it might be, perhaps, that we make better slaves." She leaned back on the furs of the alvoce. "Is this the same female concerning whom we once spoke? "she who was with you in the restaurant?"
"Yes," I said. "The pretty little beast." she said. "Yes," I said. "And you have not yet enslaved her? Master is dilatory." "Do you think so?" I asked. "A Gorean man would soon have her lovely little throat locked in his steel collar," she said. "But she is from Earth," I said.
"Master is quaint," she laughed. "Forgive me Master," she smiled."What did she do?" asked Peggy.
I then grew again bitter. "She sold a slave of mine," I said "unknown to me and without right."For a man," said Peggy, "such an offense is punishable by exile. For a woman, remanded by a praetor, the penality is commonly that she herself will then wear the collar." "Oh?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "Enslave her." "I cannot," I said. "She is from Earth."
"The women of Earth," she smled, "are never to be punished, no maatter what they do?" No," I said.
"Gorean men," she laughed, "are not so tolerant of our flaws. We may be severely punished even for displeasing them in the slightest."
"You may be serverely punished even at their whim," I said. "Yes," she said. "But you are slaves," I reminded her."That is true," she said," We were brought to Gor to be collared and made slaves."
"She is free," I reminded her. "Enslave her," said Peggy. "But then she would be only another Gorean slave girl," I said, "no different from others."True," said Peggy. "And she would be mine to do with exactly as I pleased," I said, "totally." Precisely," said Peggy. Oh," she said suddenly, "you are so strong."
"I must put such thoughts from my head," I said. "Why?" she asked, clutching me, pressing closely agains me. "Men must not think such thoughts," I said.
"Why?" she asked. "Because they so considerably increase a man's virility?" She held to me tightly. "I would rather that they put thoughts from their heads," she said, "that would make them miserable and weak. How can thoughts be wrong which make men great and strong?"
I am a slave inyour arms. Does your blood not call you to your destiny, my Master? My blood, racing in my weakened body, opened like a flower to you, yielding, calls me to mine. I submit to you my Master. I beg you to be strong with me, to own me. Peggy begs Master to take her!"
I then took her, and she screamed with pleasure, a taken slave. Later, I held her closely. "Are you a contented slave?" I am a slave." she whispered., "whether I am contented or not."Speak," He said."Yes, Master," she whispered softly, "I am a contented slave."
18. I Make the Acquaintance of Guardsman from Port Cos; I Do Not Take Action Against Miss Henderson. She is a Free Woman
I hung in the ropes.My back was still store from the whipping. "As far as we can determin," said the guardsman from Port Cos, "he is ignorant as to the whereabouts of the topaz." "I vouch for him," said Tasdron. "He is an honest worker, well know on the wharves. He has been in Victoria for weeks."
When I had emerged from the tavern of Tasdron, I had been suddenly surrounded by guardsmen in the livery of Port cos. Several crossbows were trained on me.
"Do not draw your weapon," I had been told. "Do not resist."Is this he?" asked the leader of the guardsmen."It is he," said Miss Henderson."You are under arrest," had said the leader of the guardsmen. "On what charge?" I asked. "Vagrancy,"
"That is absurd," I said.
"Your innocence, if you are innocent, may be established later." said the man. "This is Victoria," I said. "The power of Port Cos marches with the men of Port Cos," said the man. "Bind him."My hands hand been tied behind my back.
"I am finished with you Jason," said Miss Henderson, facing me. Then she turned to the leader of the guardsmen, "Pay me," she said."Bind her, as well," he had said."To her consternation, her small wrists were tied behind her back. "Bring them both to our headquarters," had said the leader of the men.
"I vouch for him," said Tasdron. "He is an honest worker and known on the wharves. He had been in Victoria for weeks."Did he come from east on the river, or west?" asked the guardman. "From the east, from Lara, as I understand it," said Tasdron.
"That is much what he too claims," said the guardsman. "In my own tavern," said Tasdron, "he had difficulty with Kliomentes, the pirate. He could have been killed. That scarcely seems what one would expect from the courier of Ragnar Voskjard. Too, he does not seem skilled with the sword."
"It is not claimed he is the courier," said the guardsman. "It is claimed only that he knows the whereabouts of the topaz."Is there any reason to suppose that is true?" asked Tasdron."Only the word and story of a free woman, whom he keeps," said the guardsman.
"I see," said Tasdron. "And hve you had similar situations before?" "Four times," said the guardsman, disgustedly."Dooubtless you hve searched his compartments," said Tasdron.
"He has a small house," said the guardsman," and we have searched the house and the garden."What did you find?Nothing, said the guardsman.
"Does the woman seem well disposed towards him?" asked Tasdron. "She hates him," said the guardsman. "And does she seem interested in the reward for information leading to the acquisition of the topaz?" asked Tasdron. "Yes," said the guardsman. "The mney seems quite important to her." "Ten silver tarsks is a considerable sum," said Tasdron. "The guardsmen from Ar's Station, also in Victoria searching for the topaz are offering only six silver tarsks."
"Cut him down," said the leader of the guardsmen to one of his men. When the ropes were cut from my wrists, I fell to the floor but did not lose my footing. "He is strong," said the learder of the guardsmen.My tunic was torn down about my waist. "My thanks, Tasdron," I said to him, "for your helpful words." "It is nothing," he said.
"You may go said the leader of the guardsmen to me. "You may pick up your things at the door."
"Had you found the topaz," I asked, "what would have been done with me?" "You might have looked forward," said he "if fortunate, to a lifetime chained at the bench of a state galley. "I see," I said. "Do not forget your things at the door," he said. "Very well," I said.
At the door, I drew the shreds of my tunic about me.I picked up my pouch and the sword belt, with its scabbard and sheathed steel. Among these things in the robes of the free woman, her hands tied behind her, and her ankles tied, knelt Miss Henderson."Do not leave her behind," said the leader of the guardsman, "she is yours." I looked down at her. She did not meet my eyes.
"Those in your situation before," said the leader, "stripped such woman and tooke them, bound, to the market, where the sold them."
I crouched beside Miss Henderson and freed her ankles. I then helped her to her feet, and untied her wrists. I then left the small headquarters of the guardsmen of Port Cos, in Victoria.
She followed me outside, and a few yards from headquarters, I turned about and faced her.