"A pretty lot," said Grunt, behind me.
"Yes," I said.
The red-haired girl, eating at the meat, looked up at me, and then, shyly, againlowered her head.
"See that girl," asked Grunt, "the one with red hair?"
"Yes," I said.
"She is a virgin," he said.
"Oh?" I said.
"Yes," he said, "I tested her body this morning."
"I see," I said. I recalled that the girl, in the sales barn, had proclaimed hervirginity. It had been done in the throes of the misery of her sale, when shehad pleaded not to be brazenly exposed to the buyers. Her pleas, of course, hadnot been heeded.
"It is unfortunate," I said, "that she is a virgin."
"Why?" asked Grunt.
"Because she is quite pretty," I said.
"I do not understand," he said.
"Her virginity will doubtless improve her price," I said.
"Not in the Barrens," he said.
"No?" I asked.
"No," said Grunt. "They take virginity seriously only in their own women."
"I see," I said.
"If you were going to buy a she-tarsk," asked Grunt, "would its virginity matterto you?"
"No," I said, "of course not."
"If she pleases you," he said, "you may have her, or any of the others, if youwish."
"Thank you," I said.
"What are slaves for?" he asked.
"True," I grinned.
"If you take her, however," he said, "take her, the first time, withgentleness."
"Very well," I said.
"It will be time enough later for her to learn what it is to be a true slave," he said.
"I understand," I said.
Grunt then turned away.
"Grunt," I said. He turned about. He still wore the broad brimmed hat. I hadnever seen him without it.
"Yes," he said.
"The Hobarts," I said, "the men who were following, what of them?"
"If they were still following us," he said, "they would have arrived by now."
"Yes," I said.
"So they are no longer following," he said.
"I am prepared to believe that," I said.
"So put the matter from your mind," he said.
"What became of them?" I asked.
"It is time to sleep now," he said.
"What became of them?" I asked.
"We shall make a determination on that matter in the morning," he said. "In themeantime, let us sleep."
"Very well," I said.
12 I Learn Why We Are No Longer Being Followed; We Add Two Members to our Party
We saw a small gray sleen, some seven or eight feet in length, lift up its head.
We urged our kaiila down the slope, into the shallow declivity between two lowhills.
My stomach twisted. We had smelled this before we had come upon it.
The sleen permitted us to approach rather closely. It was reluctant to leave itslocation. There were insects on its brown snout, and about its eyes. Its lowerjaw was wet.
"Hei!" cried Grunt, slapping the side of his thigh.
The beast seized another bite and, whipping about, on its six legs, with itsalmost serpentine motion, withdrew.
"It is clean work," said Grunt, "the work of Dust Legs." This tribe I knew, inits various bands, was regarded as the most civilized of the tribes of theBarrens. In the eyes of some of the other tribes they were regarded as littlebetter than white men.
"This is clean work?" I asked.
"Relatively," said Grunt.
I sat astride the kaiila, surveying the scene. I counted some twenty-one bodies.
They were stripped. There were no kaiila. Insects swam in the air above severalof the bodies. One could hear their humming. Two jards, fluttering, fought in atopened abdominal cavity. Several yellow fleer stalked about and some perched onmotionless limbs. Saddles and clothing cut to pieces, lay strewn about.
I moved the kaiila slowly among some of the bodies threading a path betweenthem. It stepped daintily. It hissed and whined, uneasily. I did not think itwas at ease in this place.
"I see no kaiila," I said to Grunt, "no weapons. I see little of value."
"It was taken," said Grunt.
I looked down at the slashed bodies. Arrows, had apparently been pried loosefrom the flesh, that they might be used again.
"Are things usually done in this fashion?" I asked Grunt.
"This is not bad," said Grunt. "This is the work of Dust Legs."
"They are the friendly fellows," I said, "the congenial, pleasant ones."
"Yes," said Grunt.
The tops of the skulls, and parts of the tops of the skulls, in the back, ofseveral of the bodies were exposed. It was here that the scalp and hair, in suchplaces, had been cut away. These things could be mounted on hoops, attached topoles, and used in dances. They could be hung, too from fringes, lodge poles,and parts of them, in twisted or dangling I could decorate numerous articles,such as shields and war shirts.
"I do not understand all the cutting," I said, "the slashing, the mutilation."
"That sort of thing," said Grunt, "is cultural, with almost all of the tribes.
The tradition is an ancient one, and is largely unquestioned. Its origins aredoubtless lost in antiquity."
"Why do you think it is done?" I asked.
"There are various theories," said Grunt. "One is that it serves as a warning topossible enemies, an attestation of the terribleness of the victors as foes.
Another is that the practice is connected with beliefs about the medicine world,that this is a way of precluding such individuals from seeking vengeance later,either because of inflicted impairments or because of terrorizing them against asecond meeting."
"Surely leaving a litter behind like this," I said, "Might serve as a warning."
"True," said Grunt, "but, too, I think it is generally under stood that thissort of thing produces fear not so much as a desire for revenge, at least amongthe savages themselves."
"Your second theory you take most seriously, then?" I asked.
"Not really," said he. "If ones objective was really to terrorize or to inflictvengeance-precluding injuries, then it seems that the corpses, regularly, wouldbe blinded, or have the hands and feet cut off. On the other hand, thoseparticular injuries are very seldom inflicted."
"Why, then, do you think it is done?" I asked.
"I think," said Grunt, "that it is done in the joy and lust of victory, that itventilates powerful emotion, that it expresses vengeance and hatred, and,indeed, pleasure and life, and that it is done, too, to show contempt for theenemy and to humiliate him, thereby demonstrating one's own superiority."
I regarded Grunt "In short," said Grunt, "it is done because it elates them and fills them withpower and joy"
"I see," I said.
"Surely you are familiar, as I suspect you are, with such carnage, with suchpractices? ' he smiled.
"Yes," I said, "I am." I was a warrior.
"I thought so," said he.
I turned my kaiila to face Grunt.
"Let us not, then, feel so superior to these gentle and kindly folk," he said.
"Very well," I said.
Grunt laughed.
I looked about. "It is a good thing we did not bring the girls", I said.
"It was for this reason," said Grunt, "that I left them in the camp!
I nodded. They, beautiful, frightened, half-naked slaves shackled by the neck inthe Barrens, did not need to see this. Let them not be concerned, at least asyet, with what might be the fate of an enslaved white female in such a world.
"There is not enough wood about to bum these bodies," I said. "We shall have tobury them.
"They are to be left as they are*" said Grunt. "It is the usual way of theBarrens."
We turned our kaiila about to leave this place.
"Help," we heard. "Please, help.
Grunt and I looked at one another.
"Over here," said Grunt. He moved his kaiila to our left, and turned it.