Savages of Gor (39 page)

"Do you know from what band of Kaiila?" I asked.

"No," he said.

"To whom did you sell the hide?" I asked.

"To Ram Seibar, in Kailiauk," he said.

"It all fits!" I said.

"You are not a trader," said Grunt. "What is your true business in the Barrens?"

I pointed to the painting of the two feathers near the beginning of the narrative. "The painter's name," I said, "seems to have been Two Feathers." I recalled that Kog had surmised this, in his interpretation of the hide.

Grunt shrugged. "That is not necessarily the case," he said, "at all. The two feathers may be a talisman, or a luck sign. They may indicate a place. They could even indicate that the hide's painter has two coups, each coup being marked by one feather."

"I see," I said. This was indeed unwelcome news. Suddenly my task, and the Barrens, seemed far more formidable.

"It is easier to interpret sign, which can occasionally be difficult, than to interpret a story hide. The conventions on the hide, and its meanings, are often more idiosyncratic, more personal."

"Do you often deal in story hides?" I asked.

"No," said Grunt. "To encounter one among trade goods is quite uncommon."

"Ram Seibar paid well for this, did he not?" I asked.

"He paid a double tarn, of gold," said Grunt.

"He seemed anxious to obtain it?" I asked.

"He did not even bargain," said Grunt. "Yes."

I nodded. For such a coin one might easily buy five girls.

"What is your business in the Barrens?" asked Grunt.

"Do you see this beast?" I asked. I pointed to the image on the representation of a shield, that painted at the conclusion of the hide's account. It was the image of a Kur, the left ear half torn away.

"Yes?" Grunt.

"I seek it," I said.

He regarded me.

"No," I said. "I am not mad."

"That is a beast of a medicine vision," said Grunt. "It is not a real beast."

"It is real," I said. "I do not know, beyond that, whether or not it occurred in a medicine vision."

"I have never seen such a beast," said Grunt.

"They are not indigenous to the Barrens," I said.

"You think it is now in the Barrens," said Grunt.

"I am sure of it," I said. "And I think, too, that there may be several others, as well." I did not know what had been the fate of the Kurii who had been with the mercenary captain, Alfred, of Port Olni. It was possible, of course, that they had been destroyed in the attack on his column and the wagon train.

"Are you a hunter?" asked Grunt.

"In my way," I said.

"The Barrens are large," said Grunt.

"Do you think the hide is Kaiila?" I asked.

"I obtained it from Dust Legs, who obtained it from Kaiila," he said. "Whether or not it is originally Kaiila, I do not know."

"I must venture to the country of the Kaiila," I said. "To do so, you will have to pass through Fleer country, and the lands of Sleen and Yellow Knives," he said.

"As far as I know, I have not broken their laws," I said.

"You are white," said Grunt. "You may be attacked at their pleasure, whether or not you have broken their laws."

"I understand," I said.

"You are leaving in the morning?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"You understand the dangers?" he asked.

"I think so," I said.

"I will accompany you," he said.

"You need not do so," I said.

"It is already summer," said Grunt "I did not come this far to turn back."

"You, too, would go eastward, then?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Is it your intention to go to the land of the Kaiila?" I asked.

"Yes," said he. "I have business there. I was there last summer."

"Have you a bargain to keep?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, "and it is important that I keep it. It is important that I maintain my integrity with these people, that I speak, as it is said, with a straight tongue."

"When are you to be there?" I asked.

"In Kantasawi," he said, "the moon when the plums are red." This was the moon following the next moon, which is known variously as Takiyuhawi, the moon in which the tabuk rut, or Canpasapawi, the moon when the chokecherries are ripe.

"Will this give you time to return to Kailiauk?" I asked. Otherwise he would have to winter in the Barrens. The red savages themselves sometimes found it difficult to survive the long and severe winters, particularly if the hunting was poor.

"Two moons will be sufficient to return to Kailiauk," said Grunt, "If one does not stop for trading." The two moons he had in mind, as I later learned, were Canwapegiwi, the moon in which the leaves become brown, and the moon known variously as Wayuksapiwi, the Corn-Harvest Moon, or Canwapekasnawi, the moon when the wind shakes off the leaves. The autumnal equinox occurs in Canwapegiwi.

"What is important about Kantasawi?" I asked.

"It is the moon during which the Bento herd enters the country of the Kaiila. It is a time of the gathering of the Kaiila, of great hunts and dances."

"I would welcome your company," I said. I did not question him further on the nature of his business with the Kaiila.

"It is then decided," said Grunt. "We shall leave, and together in the morning."

"Good," I said.

The girls, in their neck shackles, of course, did not know of our decision, nor of what might be involved in it. This was appropriate, for they were merely slaves.

"On the way to the country of the Kaiila, I would like to examine the field of the killings, the massacres," I said.

Grunt looked at me, puzzled.

"I have determinations to make there," I said.

"It is not far from here," he said.

"I thought not," I said.

"It will not be pleasant," he said.

I nodded. Yet I must determine if Kurii were among the fallen, and, if possible, their number.

"Tonight," said Grunt, getting up, "you may use Priscilla, if you wish."

"No," I said, "not tonight."

15
   
The Fleer

"Here," said Grunt, pointing down from the saddle of the lofty kaiila, "you see the wagon tracks, the ruts?"

"Yes," I said. We found them where they had emerged from a small stream. The tracks were several days old.

"It will not be far now," he said.

"You have seen the smoke?" I asked. I referred to the slow liftings of smoke, rising from low buttes, behind us and to our left, and before us, and to the right. The distance between the two fires was probably some ten to fifteen pasangs.

"Yes," said Grunt, "but its intent is not hostile, as I read it. It is, rather, informational. It is doing little more than marking our passage."

Such signals are common on the plains, but perhaps not so common as mirror signals. The code in mirror signals, conveyed by the pacing and number of flashes, is very similar to that of the smoke signals. The signals, incidentally, are not a substitution cipher, for the languages of the red savages, not being written languages, in any conventional sense, do not have a standardized alphabet or syllabary. The signals, of which there are some fifty or sixty, have conventionalized meanings, such as 'We are Kaiila', 'Who are you?',' Go back', 'we have counted coup' and 'we are returning to camp'. The common smoke signal is produced by placing greenery, such as branches, leaves or grass, on a fire. The smoke produced is then regulated in its ascent by the action of a robe or blanket, the manner of its releasing being a function of the conventions involved. At night such signals can be conveyed by the number and placement of fires, or by a single fire, alternately revealed and concealed by the action, again, of a robe or blanket. Other common signaling methods, incidentally, involve such things as the use of dust cast into the air, the movement of robes and the motions imparted to a kaiila.

"I do not care to be under surveillance in this fashion," I said.

"In a way it is heartening," said Grunt. "You see, they are letting you see that you are under surveillance. If their intentions were hostile, or immediately hostile, they would not be likely to be so open about the matter."

"That is true," I admitted.

"As I read the smoke," he said, "it is saying that a small party of white men is moving eastward. The smoke on the right is merely acknowledging the receipt of this message."

"I hope you are right," I said.

"That would be the customary reading," said Grunt "To be sure, the customary meanings are sometimes rearranged to conceal the true meaning. For example, a message which commonly means that kailiauk have been sighted may, by prearrangement, be understood to communicate an intention of attack to a collaborative force."

"Marvelous," I said, bitterly.

Grunt shrugged. "These people," he said, "must survive with one another."

"Hold!" said Grunt, suddenly, tensing.

The rider had appeared very suddenly, over a small rise in front of us, some twenty yards away. He reined in his kaiila. Dust swept about the paws and legs of the beast.

"Do not reach for your weapons," said Grunt. "He is Fleer," he added.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"The hair," said Grunt, "is won in the high pompadour, combed back."

"Like Corn Stalks," I said. The fellow's hair came down his back, flowing even over the spine of the kaiila. He was riding bareback. He carried a long, feathered lance, and a small, round shield, a war shield, on which were inscribed medicine signs.

The fellow moved his kaiila down the slope towards us.

"Be careful," said Grunt. "He has made two killings and has counted several coup. The scarlet circles on the feather indicate killings, the red marks on his legs, and on the nose of the kaiila, show coups."

The Fleer reined in his kaiila a few feet from us. Grunt relaxed in his saddle and smiled, broadly. He raised his right hand to the side of his face, the index and middle fingers extended upwards and held together, the other fingers closed.

"He has no saddle," said Grunt. "His body, and that of his kaiila, is still painted with coup marks. Undoubtedly he took part in the action of a few days ago."

Grunt then, still smiling, clasped his left hand with his right, and shook it. This, too, is used by some tribes as a sign for friend.

"Kodakiciyapi," said Grunt. "Hou, Koda. Hou, Mitakoda." 'Peace, friendship,' had said Grunt, 'Greetings, friend. Greetings, my friend,' in Dust Leg. He then added, in Kaiila, for good measure, substantially the same message. "Hou, Kola. Hou, Mitakoda. Olakota. Wolakota." 'Greetings, Friend. Greetings, my friend. Peace, Peace, Friendship.'

The fellow regarded us, not speaking, either verbally or in sign.

I was not certain that Grunt was wise in addressing him in the dialect of the Kaiila, for the Fleer and Kaiila are hereditary enemies. On the other hand, interestingly, the many affinities between their languages suggest a common ancestor. The distinction between dialects and languages, as the dialectical divergencies increase, can become, at times, almost arbitrary. Most people, for what it is worth, regard Fleer and Kaiila as different languages. Certainly the Fleer and Kaiila do, and few see much profit in arguing the point with them.

"Wopeton," said Grunt, pointing to me. "Wopeton," he said, pointing to himself. This is the word in both Dust Leg and Kaiila for a trader, or merchant.

The fellow did not drop his lance into the attack position, grasping it firmly, anchoring it under his right arm.

"Do not move," said Grunt.

The fellow then, kicking back with his heels into the flanks of his kaiila, moved his beast about us, and our party.

"Stand straight," called Grunt to the coffle, which now, in our pause, had put down its burdens. "Keep your heads up, but do not meet his eyes. It is you who are the merchandise, the beauties, the slaves, not he. It is not yours to examine, but to be examined, not yours to consider, but to be considered."

I thought Grunt was wise not to have the girls look into the eyes of the Fleer warrior. Such an exchange of glances, or looks, can be like an electric shock, an encounter almost fearfully significant. Who knows what each might recognize in the eyes of the other? Does she see in his eyes that he is one such as might be her master? Does he see in her eyes that she is one who could not help but acknowledge herself, and soon, despite what she might now take to be her desires, his helpless and natural slave? Sometimes, at as little as a meeting of eyes, masters and slaves know one another. "I must have her. She is mine," he tells himself. "I belong to him. I am his slave," her heart whispers to her.

This matter of eye contact is interesting and has many facets. One of the most initially frightening and disturbing things to Earth women brought to Gor as slaves is the way Gorean men look at them. They are not used to being looked at as women, truly, with appraisal, desire and ownership. This tends, in the beginning, when they are still new to their collar, to confuse and frighten them, but also, of course, as it will continue to do, and even more powerfully, to stimulate them. It is the first time that they have found themselves in the order of nature, and as what they are, and it is the first time that they have found themselves being looked at, frankly, and honestly, within the order of nature, and as what they are, females, appropriate objects of male predation and desire. This recognition of her femaleness, and this joy in release and self-discovery, often comes as a stunning revelation to the Earth female. Never again, once having discovered this, does she retreat to the conditioned ideals of neuterism and pseudomasculinity, nor, indeed, even if she desired to do so, would her masters permit it. Sometimes in training, incidentally, or as a discipline or punishment, the slave is not permitted to look into the eyes of the master. Indeed, sometimes, in training, she is not permitted to raise her eyes above the belt of the trainer. Also, it must be recognized that many slaves often, and perhaps all slaves sometimes, find it difficult to look into the eyes of the master. He, after all, holds total power over them and they fear to displease him. What if he should interpret her gaze as suggesting the least insubordination or insolence? Are they truly prepared to have the soles of their feet lashed or to live on bread crusts for the next five days? But, on the other hand, there is, on Gor, in circles of the mastery, no discouragement, commonly, of eye contact between masters and slaves.