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.Prodicus placed the paper in his tunic.Two men lifted me and flung me to my knees on the cement flooring of the largeroom.The door, or gate, to the slave box was swung up and shut, the boltsthrown in place.Prodicus gestured to the carrying slaves and they set theirpoles again through the rings and, in moments, they, carrying the box,preceded by Prodicus, had exited through an iron door.I felt the woman s whip under my chin.It pushed my head up. Greetings, Pretty Slave, she said. Greetings, Mistress, I said. I am Tima, she said. I am Mistress here Yes, Mistress, I said.Then she turned to the men about her, strong fellows, fit for keeping order inslave pens. Whip him, she said. Then clean and groom him.Then send him to my chamber. Yes, Lady Tima, said one of them.I was lifted to my feet and, two men holding my arms, was dragged stumblingfrom her presence. Kneel here, said the man, indicating a position before the heavy door, ofiron, in the dark corridor. When we have left, he said,  make your presenceknown. Yes, Master, I said, miserably.I had not been in the House of Tima morethan a fewElm before I had been bound at a whipping ring, suspended over my head, and,dangling, feettethered to a second ring, well lashed.I had then been conducted to a small,low-ceilinged cell in which I was locked.I lay there, alone, miserable, Iconjecture, for some Ahn.Then a man brought a pan of water and a bowl ofmoistened slave gruel.I was not hungry but I was ordered to eat and,kneeling, observed, did so.When I had fed to his satisfaction he made meprecede him to a warm, humid chamber.In that place there were sunken baths,cisterns of water, and vessels of heating water.Too, there were strigils,towels and oils.He removed my collar and ordered me into the bath.It wasuncomfortably hot but I dared not object.Gorean masters tend not to betolerant of the feelings of slaves.An enslaved male of Earth, fool that Iwas, I did not even know how to take a bath.Laughing, he explained to me theuse of the strigils, the rinsings and oils.Frightened though I was, I waspleased, in the lengthy process of the bath, which tends for Goreans to be apleasant experience, and is often a social one, at the public baths, to ridmyself of the stink of the pens.I had then been scented, with the colognesand perfumes thought suitable for certain types of male slaves.I was thengiven a white, silken tunic. Kneel, he then said.I knelt, and again hefastened me in my collar.We left the chamber.I was then made to lead the waythrough the halls of the House of Tima, until we arrived at the entrance to along, dark corridor.This entrance was protected by two guardsmen, armed withspears and swords. Continue forward, Slave, said the man. Yes, Master, Isaid.I continued to walk forward and the two guards, not speaking, fell intostep behind us.The corridor was long, and branching.We walked for some Ehn.Page 72ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlI could feel the carpeting beneath my bare feet. Turn left, said the man.Wecontinued to walk.I was aware of the steel locked on my neck, the silk on mybody. Turn right, he said.We continued on for another Elm. Stop here, hesaid.We stood before a heavy, iron door. Shall we wait? asked one of the guards. It will not be necessary, said the man. This is a man from the planetEarth.The guards nodded, understanding. Kneel here, said the man, indicating a position before the heavy door, ofiron, in the dark corridor. When we have left, he said,  make your presenceknown. Yes, Master, I said, miserably.He then turned and left, followed by the two guards.They did not look back.I knelt by the door, miserably.I lifted my hand to knock at the door, butthen my hand fell.I feared to knock.I put down my head, miserable.After Ihad been locked in the cell, only one man, for all practical purposes, hadcontrolled me.He had fed me, and commanded me, and had overseen my bath, mypreparation for whatever was to ensue.He had taken my collar off and then,later, had made me kneel, fastening it again on me.I knew he had not beenarmed, but, still, I had feared and obeyed him.Free men were to me as master,as free women were to me as mistress.I was angered, now that I thought of it,that they had seen fit to send only one man to handle me.In the beginningfour or five men had, rudely and cruelly, controlled me.But then I had beenwhipped.They had seen me under the whip, crying out, begging for mercy.Theyhad known then, I suppose, as slavers can know such things, that no more thanone man would be necessary to see to my governance.I was only a man of Earth.Then I was frightened, for I had not yet knocked at the iron door.I knocked lightly, frightened, at the door.I had knocked timidly.I hadscarcely heard the knock myself.I put my head down, trembling.I looked down the corridor.The man who had conducted me to this place had nowdisappeared, together with the guards.He had doubtless gone about his duties, whatever they might be, and the guardshad returned to their post.I could see far down the corridor.They did not fear to leave me at the door, alone.One man had, in effect,conducted me to this place.He, and the guards, had now left.I might as wellhave been a woman They showed me no more respect than they might have accordedto a helpless, vulnerable slave girl.How shamed I was.Yet were they not right? I was a man of Earth.Are we notall well tamed?The door had not yet been opened.I was afraid.I had been told to make mypresence known.I then, frightened, breathing heavily, my heart pounding is fear, againknocked at the heavy door.I hoped that no one would be within. Who is it? called a woman s voice,, distracted. A-a slave, I stammered.She opened the door, and looked down at me.She held some papers, long andyellow, in one hand. It is Jason, is it not? she asked. If Mistress pleases, I said. It will do, she said.She regarded me.She did not even seem to notice thatI was alone in the hall.In this she apparently saw nothing out of theordinary. I had forgotten, she said. You were to be sent to my chamber thisevening, were you not? she asked. Yes, Mistress, I said. Come in, she said. Remove your tunic and kneel by the couch.Close the doorbehind you. Yes, Mistress, I said.She was wearing golden sandals and a long, scarletrobe, with a high, ornate collar, fastened by a silver clasp.Page 73ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlI entered the room and shut the door behind me.I tomoved the silken tunic Ihad been given and folded it, placing it on the floor.I then knelt, naked andcollared, near it, in the vicinity of the couch.She knelt before a low desk, her back to me, and gave her attention to thepapers which she had now placed upon it.She held a marking stick in her righthand. I am attending to the details of tomorrow evening s sale, she said. Yes, Mistress, I said.She worked quietly, thoughtfully.Sometimes she would remove one paper fromthe group, and add another.Occasionally she would make a notation on one ofthe papers with her marking stick.Several Ehn went by.I did not disturb her.I knew she was working.She was a businesswoman, with demanding and intricateresponsibilities.I wondered if any of those papers were pertinent to me.Idid not dare ask, of course.I had learned that curiosity was not becoming ina Kajirus.If I were to be sold tomorrow I would find out when masters ormistresses were pleased to let me know, perhaps as late as the moment when asales disk might be wired to my collar. Serve me wine, Jason, she said, distractedly. As a slave girl, she added [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]