"But the lance is not broken," I said.

"No," said Grunt.

"Of what tribe is the lance?" I asked.

"Kaiila," he said. "This may be told by the binding, and by the lateral redmarks near the head of the shaft."

"I see," I said.

My knife then finished cutting the thongs at the lad's left ankle.

I then went to the thongs at his right ankle.

"Stop," said Grunt.

"No," I said.

I heard the cable of a crossbow being drawn above and behind me. It was thenfixed in place. The quarrel was then laid in the guide.

"Will you truly loose your shaft at me?" I asked Grunt, not turning about.

"Do not force me to fire," he said.

"We cannot leave him here like this," I said.

"I do not wish to fire," said Grunt.

"Do not fear," I told him. "You will not do so."

I heard the quarrel removed from the guide, and the cable's surcease of tension.

"We cannot leave him here like this " I said.

I then went to the thongs on the boy's left wrist.

"Your friend must care for you deeply," he said, in Gorean. "He did not killyou."

"You speak Gorean," I smiled.

"You are fortunate to have such a friend," said the lad.

"Yes," I said.

"Do you know what you am doing?" asked the lad.

"Probably not," I said.

"I did not take the warpath," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I had no quarrel with the Fleer," he said.

"That is between you and your people," I said.

"Do not free me," he said.

My knife paused.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I have not been staked out in order to be freed," he said.

I did not respond to this. Then my knife finished cutting through the thongs onhis left wrist. in a moment I had through the thongs, too, at his right wrist.

"I am a slave," he said. "Now I am your slave."

"No," I said. "You are free."

"Free?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "I free you. You are free."

"Free?" he asked, numbly.

"Yes," I said.

He rolled to his side, scarcely able to move. I stood up, and sheathed my knife.

"Now you have done it," said Grunt, glumly.

"You knew we could not simply leave him here like that I said.

"I?" asked Grunt.

"Yes," I said.

"Why else would you have come to hill?"

"Do you think I am weak?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I think you are strong."

"We are fools," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Look." he said.

Approaching from three directions were groups of mounted warriors, some fifteenor twenty in each group, lofty on their kaiila, barbarous in their paint andfeathers.

"Sleen, and Yellow Knives," said Grunt, "and Kaiila, too."

"You are Kaiila, aren't you?" I asked the lad.

"Yes," said he. I had thought he would be. I did not think that Dust Legs, fromwhom he had been purchased by whites, near the Ihanke, would have sold one oftheir own tribe into slavery. The lance near him, too, that about which waswound the white dress, was, according to Grunt, a lance from that tribe. It wasKaiila, thus, presumably, who had fastened him down.

"I feared this," said Grunt. "There were several groups of Waniyanpi about. Weheard that. Naturally, then, keepers for them would be in the vicinity, inforce. We saw smoke coming to this place. Too, to the southeast, now, there issmoke."

"Yes," I said, now noticing it.

"That is camp smoke," said Grunt, "cooking for the evening meal."

I nodded. I now, for the first time, fully, understood Grunt's earlier noticedlack of ease.

"Surely we have broken no law," I said.

"They have superior advantages in numbers and arms, said Grunt. "I do not thinkthey need more law than that."

"And you have freed me," said the lad, sitting on the grass rubbing his wristsand ankles. I was surprised that he could sit up.

"You are strong," I observed.

"I am Kaiila," he said.

"Surely there is no law to the effect that you should not be freed," I said.

"There is no law specifically to that effect," he said, "but would not count ontheir being much pleased about it."

"I can understand that," I said. Scanning, I noted the approaching groups ofriders. I counted fifty-one riders, in all.

"If there were such a law," asked the youth, "would you have broken it?"

"Yes," I said.

"The nearest are Sleen," said Grunt. "Those to the south are Yellow Knives. Fromthe east approach Kaiila.

The lad tried to climb to his feet, but fell. Then, again, he struggled upwards.

He then stood. I supported him. He seemed to be very strong for one so young.

"You are Kaiila," said Grunt.

"Yes," said the youth.

"We will expect you, then," said Grunt, "to intercede for us with the Kaiila."

"It was they who staked me out," he said.

"Oh," said Grunt.

I smiled to myself. I had feared as much.

"They may want only gifts," said Grunt.

I watched the unhurried advance of the groups of riders. They were giving ustime to consider their approach. There seemed a subtle menace in this leisuredadvance, in this time and in this place.

"Only generous gifts, hopefully," said Grunt "It will be my people who will be the most dangerous," said the youth, withpride.

I was not at all sure that that was the case.

"What is your name?" asked Grunt.

"Your people called me "Urt, ' he said. "The Dust Legs called me "Nitoske'."

"Woman's Dress," said Grunt. "Quick, Lad, what do the Kaiila call you? We cannotcall you "Woman's Dress."

"Cuwignaka," said the lad.

Grunt spit disgustedly into the grass.

"What is wrong?" I asked.

"It means the same, only in Kaiila," said Grant. "Moreover, in both dialects, itis actually the word for a white woman's dress."

"Wonderful," I said. "What shall we call you?" I asked the lad.

"Cuwignaka," he said. "Woman's Dress."

"Very well," I said.

"It is my name," he said.

"Very well," I said.

Then the savages were about us. With a rattle of chain the girls in the coffle,whimpering, huddled together. I was prodded in the shoulder with the butt of alance. I stood my ground as well as I could. I knew they were looking for theleast sign of anger or resistance.

"Smile," said Grunt. "Smile."

I could not smile, but, too, I did not offer resistance.

19 In the Distance

There is the Smoke of Cooking Fires Evelyn cried out with misery as the tether was knotted about her neck. Her smallwrists pulled futilely at the bond, which held her hands confined behind herback. Then, stumbling, she was thrust beside Ginger, and Max and Kyle Hobart.

All had been stripped.

"Hi," cried the Sleen warrior, a high warrior in their party, and kicked backinto the flanks of his kaiila. The animal squealed and snorted, moving to theside and then forward. In a moment it was following the line of withdrawingwarriors, led by their war-party leader, he followed by the banner-bearer,carrying the crook like, feathered staff, used in giving directions in battle,and then the others.

It was he, it seemed, who would lead them in triumph in their camp. He held thetethers of the Hobarts, and Ginger and Evelyn. Two other Sleen, too, thenfollowed, who would bring up the rear, riding behind the column, some yardsbehind the captives.

Grunt stood behind, his fists clenched.

Near Grunt, on their stomachs, stripped, lying in a standard binding position,their ankles crossed and their wrists held crossed behind them, placed in atandem line, head to feet, one after the other, were Corinne, Lois, Inez andPriscilla. Priscilla made a tiny noise and winced as a Yellow-Knife warrior,kneeling across her body, tied her wrists behind her back. One ties the lastgirl in such a tandem line first. That way the other girls are less likely tobolt. A girl, thus, does not see the girl before her bound until she herself hasbeen bound.