"That is all," said he.
I looked at him, startled.
"No more," he said.
"You are a hardy chap," said the officer, looking down at me. "I had thought you might have died in the marsh today." It had been hot. The raft had been heavy, many men using it. The keeper had not been sparing with his whip. "Yet it seems you are alive, and have an appetite." Then he said to my keeper. "Do not gag him yet. Withdraw."
As soon as the keeper had moved away a few yards the officer crouched down beside me, and looked at me, intently. I had not seen him approach, earlier.
"You have men listening?" I asked. "Yes," he said.
"You think the thought absurd?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"But you have them listening?"
"Yes," he said.
"It seems now," I said, "that it is you who would wish to speak with me."
"You attempted to escape today," he said.
I did not respond to this.
"It is fortunate that you are not a slave girl," he said.
I shrugged. That was doubtless true. On Gor there is a double standard for the treatment of men and women, and in particular for the female slave. This is because women are not the same as men. That women are the same as men, and should be treated as such would be regarded by Goreans as an insanity, and one which would be cruelly deprivational to the female, robbing her of her uniqueness, her delicious specialness, in a sense of her very self. To be sure, it was indeed fortunate in this instance that I was not a slave girl. Gorean masters tend not to look with tolerance upon escape attempts on the part of such. They do not accept them.
"You understand the point of your gagging?" he asked.
"Yes," I said, "that I not instigate questioning, that I not sow dissension, that I not produce discontent, confusion, among the men, that I not reduce, in one way or another, morale, such things."
He looked down at the ground.
"Do you fear for yourself, that you might begin to reflect critically on the occurrences of recent days?" I asked.
"State your views," he said.
"You seem to me an intelligent officer," I said. "Surely you have arrived at them independently by now."
"Speak," he said.
"I do not think it matters now," I said. "You are already deep in the delta."
He regarded me, soberly.
"Ar," I said, "if you wish to know my opinions on the matter, has been betrayed, in the matter of Ar's Station, in the matter of the disposition of her northern forces, and, now, in her entry, unprepared, into the delta. You were not prepared to enter the delta. You lack supplies and support. By now what supply lines you may have had have probably been cut, or soon will be, by rencers. You do not have tarn cover, or tam scouts. Indeed, you do not even have rencer guides or scouts. Obviously, too, you have not been unaware of the deterioration of your transport in the delta. Do you truly think it is a simple anomaly that so many vessels, flotillas of tight craft, on such short notice, could be obtained in Ven and Turmus? Was that merely unaccountable good fortune? And now do you think it is merely unaccountable ill fortune that these same vessels, in a matter of days, sink, and split and settle beneath you?"
He regarded me, angrily.
"They were prepared for you," I said. "No," he said.
"Withdraw from the delta, while you can," I said.
"You are afraid to be here," he said.
"Yes," I said, "I am."
"We have all become afraid," he said.
"Withdraw," I said.
"No," he said.
"Do you fear court-martial?" I asked. "Do you fear the loss of your commission, disgrace?"
"Such things would doubtless occur," said he, "if I issued the order for retreat."
"Especially if it were done singly," I said.
"Yes," he said.
"And there is no clear unified command in the delta," I said.
"No," he said.
"That, too, perhaps seems surprising," I observed.
"Communication is difficult," he said. "The columns are separated."
"And that, you think," I asked, "is the reason?"
"It has to be," he said.
"If you were Saphronicus," I said, "what would you do?"
"I would have a unified command," he said. "I would go to great lengths to maintain lines of communication, particularly under the conditions of the delta."
"And so, too, I said, "would any competent commander." "You challenge the competence of Saphronicus?" he asked. "No," I said. "I think he is a very able commander."
"I do not understand," he said.
"Surely it is clear," I said.
"You do not think Saphronicus is in the delta," he said.
"No," I said. "He is not in the delta."
"You could have learned that only from a spy," he said.
"True," I said. "I had it from a spy."
"You, too, then," said he, "are, as charged, an agent of Cos."
"No," I said.
"Where lies your allegiance?" asked he.
"I am of Port Kar," I said.
"There is no love lost between Ar and Port Kar," he said.
"We are at least at war with Cos," I said.
"We will continue to move westward," he said.
"It is a mistake," I said.
"Our orders are clear," he said.
"What of the rencers?" I asked.
"I do not understand their apparent numbers," he said. "A village was destroyed, only a village."
"They have apparently been gathered for some time," I said.
"But why?" he asked.
"You are in their country," I reminded him.
"But surely they understand we seek only to close with Cos."
"As I indicated earlier," I said, "they will find that very difficult to believe."
"Why?" he asked.
"Do you really not suspect?" I asked.
"Why?" he asked.
"Cos," I said, "is not in the delta."
"Impossible!" he said.
"Perhaps there are some Cosians in the delta," I granted him. "I do not know. Perhaps enough to leave sign, enough to lure Ar further westward. It is a possibility."
He regarded me.
"But have you," I asked, "who are the commander of the vanguard, you who are in the very best position to do so, detected any clear evidence as yet of even so minimal a presence?"
"There has been broken rence," he said.
"Tharlarion can break rence," I said.
"The expeditionary force of Cos," he said, "entered the delta. We know that."
"I do not doubt it," I said. Ar, too, of course, would have her sources of information, her spies. Her gold could purchase information as well as that of Cos. "What I do suggest is that the columns of Cos did not remain in the delta, but, after perhaps a day or two, after having clearly established their entry below Turmus, withdrew."
"Absurd," he said.
"Do you really think Cos would choose to meet you in the delta?"
"They fled before us, in fear of their lives," said he, angrily.
"I was with the expeditionary force," I said, "for several days, until north of Holmesk. I assure you their march was leisurely."
"Then you are Cosian," he said.
"I was there with a friend," I said, "one who was seeking to be of service to Ar."
"The Cosians must meet us," he said, angrily.
"They will meet you," I assured him, "but when they wish."
"I do not understand," he said.
"They will meet you when you attempt to extricate yourself from the delta," I said.
"They are ahead of us," he said. "No," I said.
"Lies!" said he.
"Perhaps," I said.
"Would that we might meet Cos soon!" he said.
"In a sense," I said, "you have already met her." "I do not understand," he said.