"Many things," I said. "You are pretty. Perhaps you could be chained to a ring in a Cosian brothel"
"That might do for a time," she said, "but I think I would prefer a private master."
"Perhaps you might meet one in the brothel," I said, "among the patrons, and attract him, perhaps influencing him in virtue of the excellence your services, to make an acceptable offer on you to the brothel master."
"Perhaps," she said.
"It would be interesting to see you desperately attempting to render yourself worthy of his considerations."
"Doubtless," she said.
"Perhaps you might even win him away from his patronage of such places," I said.
"How?" she asked.
"By making his own compartments, in virtue of the diligence, delicacy and imagination of your services, more exciting than any public brothel."
"By making his home his own brothel?" she said.
"Yes," I said.
"His private brothel?"
"Yes," I said.
"I see," she said.
"There is also a thing called "love"," I said.
"Yes!" she said.
"But if this occurred, as is not infrequent, the slave being nothing, the master all," I said, "do you think you would no longer have to fear his whip?"
"Of course not," she said.
"You understand that you would still be held under perfect discipline?"
"Of course," she said. "I would be a slave."
"But then, on the other hand," I said, "aside from such possibilities, and still considering the question of a private master, you might find yourself under the tutelage of a whipmaster in a rich man's pleasure gardens."
"But I would be only one of many women there?" she said.
"Undoubtedly," I said. "Perhaps one of fifty, or a hundred."
"I think I would prefer to be the single slave of a single master," she said.
"Such things" I said, "would not be up to you."
"You are joking about these things, are you not?" she asked.
"No," I said.
"I am a free woman!" she said.
"I know," I said.
"What are you going to do with me?" she asked.
"First," I said, "I would like to get out of the delta."
"But if we are successful in that," she said, "what will you do with me?"
"We shall see," I said. "We shall see."
"Then I am totally at your mercy?" she said.
"Yes," I said.
"And you will do with me as you please, won't you?"
"Yes," I said.
She moaned, and followed behind, on her strap.
20 I Decide to Impose Discipline
She suddenly screamed, and I spun about.
"Get it off me!" she cried, hysterically. "Get it off me!"
"Be silent!" I said.
"Get it off me!" she screamed.
I put the pole down on the raft, leaped into the water, angrily, and waded to her.
"Get it off me!" she screamed.
I struck her with the flat of my hand.
She looked up at me, startled, blood about her mouth.
"Be silent," I said.
"Please take it off me!" she whispered.
"Such things often attach themselves to rence stems," I said. "Apparently you bent down, to drink. The front of your collar is wet, and the strap, near the throat. Your hair, too, is damp. Perhaps you brushed against rence in doing this. Too, however, such things can float free in the water."
"Please!" she said, shuddering. "Please!"
"It has not had time to affix itself," I said.
It was about four inches long, rubbery, glistening in the moonlight.
"Please!" she whispered. I picked it off.
"Do you want it?" I asked. "No!" she said.
"The marsh leech is edible," I said. "At one time I did not know that."
I tossed it away.
She regarded me with horror.
"What is wrong?" I asked.
"I could never eat such a thing," she said.
"If you are sufficiently hungry," I said, "you will eat even less likely things."
"Never," she said.
"To be sure," I said, "men have occasionally starved in the midst of many things which might most adequately have sustained life. One assumes, of course, that this was the result less of fastidiousness than ignorance."
She looked at me.
"Would you prefer to starve in the midst of plenty?" I asked.
"No," she said, uncertainly.
"Such things, upon occasion," I said, "might be the difference between life and death."
"I understand," she said, trembling.
"And if I tell you to eat them," I said, "you will do so immediately and unquestioningly."
She shuddered.
"Do you understand?" I asked.
"Yes," she said.
"And you will do so even if there is no nutritive need," I said, "even if it is merely at my caprice, or for my amusement."
"Yes," she whispered.
I regarded her.
"Yes-captor," she whispered.
"Perhaps you understand better now," I said, "the discipline to which you are subject?"
"Yes, captor," she said. The diet of the captive, as had now been made clear to her, is subject to the selection and regulation of the captor, as is that of the slave to the master.
We stood in the marsh, under the moons.
She looked at her left breast, fearfully, from which I had removed the creature.
"It is gone," I said. She shuddered.
"You had an easy time of it this time," I said. "You detected its presence immediately. Sometimes they can attach themselves to your body, and fasten in, without your being aware of it."
She looked at me.
"They may be encouraged to withdraw, of course, by the application of such things as heat and salt.
She looked at me, questioningly.
"Yes," I said. "It is possible that there are others on your body now, that you are unaware of."
She tried to free her hands, futilely.
"You are in no position to conduct an examination," I said. "Do you wish me to do so?"
She nodded vigorously, frightened.
"You beg it?" I asked.
"Yes!" she said.
"Very well," I said.
"Oh!" she said.
"In fishing for such creatures," I said, "one may, of course, use one's own body as bait:"
"How you handle me!" she said.
"You asked to be examined," I reminded her.
"I am not a slave," she said, "her flesh being examined for soundness by a purchaser!"
"You are, however, a captive, are you not?" I asked.
"Yes," she said.
"Accordingly it may be done with you as I please," I said.
"As though I were a slave!" she said.
"Yes," I said.
I had, of course, only examined her for the presence of leeches. She, a free woman, had no real comprehension, at least as yet, of what it might be to be examined as a slave. There seemed to me no point in telling her about such things. If she ever wore the collar, she could learn them.
I stood up.
"Did you detect the presence of further such creatures upon me?" she asked, frightened.
"No," I said.
"Then I am now free of them?" she said.
"Apparently," I said.
She sobbed with relief.
"It may have been an isolated leech," I said.
"But there are others in the marsh!" she said.
"Of course," I said.
"Let me ride on the raft!" she begged.
"No," I said.
"But it is not just leeches," she said. "There are tharlarion, and other dangers."
"Keep a sharp lookout," I said.
"You cuffed me," she said, reproachfully. She ran her tongue about, over her swollen lip.
"You are fortunate that you are not a slave," I said.
"And were I a slave?" she asked.
"You would have been punished," I said.
"In what manner?" she asked, curious.