"That is not true! ' said Canka.

"Be careful," said Grunt to me. "Be careful, my friend."

"The breechclout does not make manhood," said Canka. "It is only a sign ofmanhood. That is why we do not permit those to wear it who are not men."

"Cuwignaka is a man," I said, "and you do not permit him to wear it."

"It is fortunate for you that you are not a warrior," said Canka.

"Akicita hemaca!" I said angrily, in his own language, striking myself on thechest. "I am a warrior!"

"Be careful," said Grunt. "Do not put yourself within the coup system."

Canka sat back on the kailla. "I do not know if you are a warrior or not," hesaid. "But it is perhaps true. You did free Cuwignaka. You are thus, at least, abrave man.You have the respect of Canka'

I was puzzled. I had not expected this attitude on his part.

"Was it you," I asked the young warrior, "Who staked him out?"

"It was Kaiila," said Canka, carefully.

"It was Hci, with his fellows of the Sleen Soldiers, of the Isbu, the son ofMahpiyasapa, civil chieftain of the Isbu, who did it," said Cuwignaka.

"It was not Canka, then, and the All Comrades, who did it?" I said.

"No," said Cuwignaka. "But it was Canka, and Hci, with the Ali Comrades andSleen Soldiers, who first put me in the dress of a woman and later bound me inthat dress and took me to the country of the Dust Legs, there selling me as aslave. That was on the decision of the council of the Isbu, presided over byMahpiyasapa."

"Canka," I said to Cuwignaka, in Gorean, "does not seem to be displeased thatyou have been freed."

"No," said Cuwignaka.

"You wear the dress of a woman," said Canka to Cuwignaka, suddenly, angrily. Hesaid this, personally, emotionally. It was as though he, somehow, found thispersonally shameful.

"I am Cuwignaka," said Cuwignaka, defiantly.

"You hold to a lance of the Kaiila," said Canka. "Surrender it"

"It was you yourself who, when you found me staked out, placed it unbrokenbeside me. It was you yourself who took the woman's dress which Hci had thrownbeside me and wrapped it about the shaft of the lance."

Canka did not respond to this. Such an action, of course, had served to mark,and conspicuously, the place where the lad had been fastened down. The locationhad been marked, almost as though with a flag. Grunt and I had seen it almostimmediately upon coming to this portion of the field. And even had there beennone to see it, at least none of our common world, that marker, the unbrokenlance, the cloth wrapped about it, might have seemed to have served some purposeto he who had placed it there, perhaps standing for some measure of recollectionand respect. This it might have mutely symbolized, if only to the grass of theBarren, the winds and clouds, and perhaps to those of the Medicine World, shouldthey exist, who might have looked down upon it, and pondered it.

"Surrender the lance," said Canka.

"No," said Cuwignaka. "You put it beside me, and it is unbroken."

"Surrender it," said Canka.

"I will not," said Cuwignaka. "If you want it, you must take it from me."

"I will not do that," said Canka. Then he said, "You were freed. Someone mustpay." He was looking at me.

"He is my friend," said Cuwignaka.

"I am Blotanhunka," said Canka. "Someone must pay."

"I will pay," said Cuwignaka.

"What is owed here," said Canka, "it is not yours to pay."

"I will pay," said Cuwignaka.

"It is not you who must pay," said Canka. "It is another who must pay."

"I am a warrior," I said to Canka. "I demand the right of combat."

"I do not wish to kill you," said Canka.

This startled me. It seemed to me that Canka had shown me unusual solicitude. Hehad protected me with Akihoka Keglezela, in the matter of the trade goods. Now,it seemed, he had no wish to enter into combat with me. He was not afraid of me,of that I was sure. I had little doubt but what he thought he could kill me, ifsuch a combat were joined. As a red savage I had little doubt but what heregarded himself as the superior or equal of any white man in single combat.

White men, on the whole, did not even count as being within the coup system.

Similarly, he had explicitly professed his respect for me. Thus it did not seemthat his disinclination to fight with me was motivated by any supposed indignityor shame in doing so. He was not refusing to fight with me as the larl mightrefuse to fight with the urt.

"I do not understand," said Grunt to me, in Gorean.

"Nor do I," I said.

"He does not seem to bear you any hostility," said Grunt.

"No," I said.

"Someone must pay," said Canka.

"Then we must fight," I said, stepping back.

"I cannot fight you, for a reason which you cannot understand," said Canka, "butthese others, my friends, the All Comrades, do not have this reason." Several ofhis fellows, at these words, grasped their lances more tightly. Their kaiilamoved under them, sensing their excitement.

"Set a champion against me," I said. "I will fight him, and, if successful, eachof the others, in turn."

"I am Blotanhunka," said he. "I will not risk my men in that fashion."

"It is then all or none," I said.

"Yes," said he.

I stepped back, further. "I am ready," I said.

"Do not fight," said Grunt. "These are Isbu Kaiila, All Comrades. There areseventeen of them. They, each of them, are skilled warriors. All have countedcoup. You would be, doomed."

"You would fight, would you not?" asked Canka.

"Yes," I said.

"Tatankasa," said Canka.

"Red Bull'," translated Grunt "It would make my heart heavy to have you killed," said Canka. The kailiauk bullis "Tatanka. The suffix "sa' designates the color red, as in "Mazasa', "RedMetal', "Copper. The expression "Kailiauk' is used by most of the tribes for thekailiauk, which is not an animal native to Earth. The expression "Pte' designates the kailiauk female, or kailiauk cow. It is also used, colloquially,interestingly, for tire kailiauk in general. This is perhaps because the «Pte» is regarded, in a sense, as the mother of the tribes. It is she, in the finalanalysis, which makes possible their hunting, nomadic life. Like any similarpeoples, the red savages have generally a great reverence and affection for theanimals in their environment. This is particularly true of the animals on whichthey depend for their food. The useless or meaningless slaughter of such wouldbe unthinkable" I am ready to fight," I said.

"Do not be a fool," said Grunt.

"I am ready," I said to Canka.

"There is an alternative," said Grunt. "Can't you see? He is waiting."

"What?" I asked.

"The collar," said Grunt.

"Never," I said.

"Please, Tatankasa," said Canka.

"Please," said Cuwignaka.

"Please," said Grunt.

Numbly I unbuckled my sword belt. I wrapped the belt out the sheaths, the swordsheath and the knife sheath, and handed the objects to Grunt. I was disarmed.

Words were spoken. One of the savages, he at the left of Canka, Akihoka, leapedto the ground. Canka threw him a collar. It was tied on my neck.

I regarded Canka. I was his slave.

The hands of Akihoka fastened themselves in the collar of my tunic. I was to bestripped naked before them.

"No," said Canka.

Another warrior approached me, with thongs and a rawhide rope. Another jerked myhands behind me. I was to be bound, and put on a tether, like the mere animal Inow was, only a slave.

"No," said Canka.

The warriors then withdrew from me, puzzled, and remounted their lofty beasts.

Canka then turned his kaiila about. He looked over his shoulder at me. "Followus," he said.

"Very well," I said.

"Howo, Winyela," said Canka to Winyela. He pointed to a place in the grass nearthe left flank of his kaiila.

"Quick," said Pimples to Winyela. "Run to the place he has indicated. It is theplace for you to follow his kaiila, the lace of a slave."