"Please," said the fellow called Max Hobart.

"Please," said he called Kyle Hobart.

"You are stripped," said Grunt.

"They took our clothing," said Max Hobart.

"You wear leg-spreaders," laughed Grunt.

"They put us in them!" said Kyle Hobart.

"As though you might be women," said Grunt.

"Yes," said Max Hobart, squirming. He tried to rise. He could not, of course, doso.

"Thus do the Dust Legs demean you," said Grunt, "treating you as no more thanwomen. ' "Please," moaned Max Hobart.

"Please," begged Kyle Hobart. "We are helpless!"

Grunt, moving the reins of the kaiila, pulled the beast's head away. I followedhim. The kaiila in the area of the perimeter, those ridden by white men, aregenerally controlled by a headstall, bit and reins, in short, by a bridle, notby a nose rope, as is cultural in the Tahari. Different areas on Gor givewitness to the heritage of differing traditions. The bridle used by the redsavages, incidentally, usually differs from that used by the white men. The mostcommon form is a strap, or braided leather tie, placed below the tongue andbehind the which two reins, or a teeth, tied about the lower jaw, from singledouble rein, a single loop, comes back over the beast's neck. The jaw tie,serving as both bit and headstall, is usually formed of the same material as thereins, one long length of material being used for the entire bridle.

"Wait!" begged Max Hobart. "Wait!"

"Do not go! ' begged Kyle Hobart.

"We will die, if left here!" cried out Max Hobart. "We have been tied by redsavages! We cannot free ourselves!

Grunt stopped his kaiila. "Exposure on the prairie, to die of thirst, or hunger,or of the predations of animals, is what they deserve," be said.

I shrugged. The decision in this matter seemed to me his.

"Please!" cried out Max Hobart, plaintively.

"Yet, perhaps I could spare them this horror, ' mused Grunt. "It wouldinconvenience me little to do so."

"I do not suppose the Dust Legs would object," I said.

"They left them in my keeping," said Grunt.

"That is true," I said. "What are you going to do?"

"Cut their throats," said Grunt.

"I see," I said.

He brought his kaiila back to where the two men lay bound in the grass. Ifollowed him. He tossed me the reins of his beast and, drawing his knife from abeaded sheath, slipped from the saddle to the ground. In an instant he crouchedbeside Max Hobart and, holding the fellow's hair in his left hand, had his bladeacross his throat.

"No!" whispered Max Hobart, hoarsely. "No! Don't kill me! Please, do not killme!"

"Have mercy on us!" begged Kyle Hobart.

Grunt looked up at me.

"In this way, of course," said Grunt, "I get nothing from them."

"A poor bargain from the point of view of a merchant," I observed.

"Do you think they might have some worth?" asked Grunt.

"Perhaps to someone," I said.

"They seem two stalwart, handsome lads," said Grunt. "I might, from someone, beable to get something for them."

"That seems to be possible," I said.

Max Hobart lay back in the grass, gasping, the knife removed from his throat.

Grunt, from his saddlebags, removed two collars. He joined them, by means ofsnap locks, with a length of chain. He then put them on the necks of Max andKyle Hobart" Slave collars! ' gasped Max Hobart.

"Yes," said Grunt. Grant looked up at me. "Their wrists are adequately thongedfor now," he said. "Later, in the camp, we shall provide them with propermanacles."

I nodded.

"Are you going to make us slaves?" asked Max Hobart.

"For the time you may account yourselves mere prisoners," said Grunt.".'It iswhen you are purchased that you will be truly slaves."

"Do not put us in your coffle," begged Max.

"You will be put at the end of the coffle," said Grunt.

"You would chain us behind slave girls?" asked Max.

"You will surely admit that you are the least desirable of the elements in thecoffle. Accordingly, you will be chained in the position of "last girls."

Max moaned, lying in the grass.

"I assure you," said Grunt, "our friends, the red savages, both men and women,will find that quite amusing."

"Please," begged Max.

"But do not fear," said Grunt, "you will not be expected to bear burdens."

Max regarded him, miserably.

"It is the women who are the pack beasts, who will bear the burdens," saidGrunt.

Max nodded, numbly.

"You will discover that there are some advantages to bringing up the rear of thecoffle," said Grunt. "You may then, for example, observe the women before you,bearing their burdens. You are not, however, to so much as touch them, eventhough they are slaves. Do you understand?"

"We understand," said Max, miserably.

"Yes," said Kyle.

Grunt looked about and found some shreds of shirts, which, cut to pieces, layabout in the grass. He tied some of these pieces together and bound them aboutthe hips of the Hobarts. They regarded their new garments, decided for them byGrunt, with dismay.

"We are not slave girls," protested Max.

"The red savages, as you may not know," said Grant to me, though doubtless hewas speaking primarily for the benefit of the Hobarts, "are rather strict aboutthe privilege of wearing the breechclout."

"Oh?" I said.

"Yes," said Grunt. "It is not permitted to women, even to their own women, nor,of course, is it permitted to slaves.

"I understand," I said. The breechclout of the Barrens, incidentally, consistsof a single piece of narrow material. This may be of tanned skin but, notunoften, is of soft cloth. It is held in place by a belt or cord. It commonlygoes over the belt or cord in the back, and down and between the legs, and thencomes up, drawn snugly tight, over the belt or cord in the front. In coolerweather it is often worn with leggings and a shirt. In warmer weather, in camp,it is usually the only thing that a male will wear.

"For a slave, or a prisoner, to wear a breechclout might be regarded aspretentious or offensive," said Grunt, "an oversight or indiscretion calling fortorture or, say, for being set upon by boys on kaiila, with war clubs."

"I understand," I said.

The Hobarts looked at one another. Their garments, like those of female slaves,would not be permitted a nether closure.

Grunt cut the thongs binding the ankles of the Hobarts to the leg-spreaders. "Onyour feet," he said.

They struggled to their feet, chained together by the neck.

Grunt mounted to the high saddle of his kaiila. He looked down on them. "You aremy prisoners," he said, "totally, and when sold will be slaves. You will beperfectly docile and totally obedient. At the least sign of refractoriness orinsubordination on the part of either one of you, both will be slain. Is thatclear?"

"Yes," said Max, miserably.

"Yes," said Kyle.

"That way lies our camp," said Grant, pointing. "Move!

The two Hobarts, stumbling, the chain on their necks, proceeded in the directionindicated.

I turned about in the saddle to view once more the torn, bloodied grass, themotionless figures, the insects and birds, where, yesterday, in brief compass,carnage had touched the prairie.

"Come along," said Grunt.

"I am coming," I said.

He rode after the Hobarts.

In a moment I had urged my kaiila after him.

When he reached the Hobarts he unhooked his whip from its saddle ring and,throwing it out behind him, and then bringing it forward, he lashed them.

"Hurry!" he called. "Har-ta! Faster! Faster! Har-ta! Har-ta!"

They hurried on before him, stumbling and gasping, helplessly herded, driven,responding to his will and the imperious strokes of his whip, neck-chained andbound, his enemies. I smiled. It is pleasant to have one's enemies in one'spower.

I did not look back.