will serve him well."
"But you do not much use your English?" I asked.
"No longer," she said. "For a time we used it in the training of Earth wenches, slave girls. But now, from this facility, as from others, they are simply scattered, after two or three days' training, to various markets, sold, for most practical purposes, ignorant and raw. They are then forced to learn the language of their masters directly, as a child learns, not through the medium of their old tongue. The method is efficient. The girls become quickly acclimated to their chains and collars in a unilingual environment, that of their masters."
"Are you holding, here," I asked, "an Earth girl named Beverly Henderson?"
"Slaves have no names," she said, "unless it pleases the masters to name them."
"She is dark-haired and dark-eyed," I said, "very pretty, about five feet in height and ninety-five pounds in weight."
"Oh, the exquisite little beauty," she said.
"Yes," I said.
"I wish that I had been able to get my hands on her," she said.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"I do not know," she said. "She and the others, hooded and chained, have already been separated and sent to various markets, to be sold. They will quickly learn to be superb slaves."
I looked at her.
"It was a lovely shipment," she said. "Masters will be pleased to own them."
I moaned. What a miserable fate awaited the lovely Miss Henderson and, of course, her fellow captitves, or slaves.
"You know nothing of where they were sent?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I am not privy to that information."
I shook my head in misery. Miss Henderson, the helpless little beauty, now totally in the power of men, could be anywhere on this world.
I lifted my chained wrists. "Why am I chained?" I asked.
"What a stupid fool you are," she said. Then she walked about me, whip in hand. "Yet you are a pretty one," she said. "To a woman you might not be unattractive."
Then she stood again before me.
I shrank back in the chains. I was acutely conscious of the clash of the steel on my wrists and ankles.
She approached me and. with the coils of the whip, tapped the metal on my neck. "This is a collar," she said. Then, with her left hand, she jerked at the metal piece attached to the collar. From the way it felt I gathered that it was, as I bad suspected, a ring. Then it fell back against the collar and against my collarbone. She then stepped back. and regarded me. Never had I been looked upon so objectively by a woman. "I think you will do very nicely," she said.
"Release me, please," I said.
She then struck me twice, viciously, with the whip.
I fell to my stomach on the stone and straw. I tried to cover my head with my chained hands. Five times more the whip fell, mercilessly.
"On your back," she said.
I rolled on my back, and lay, miserably, at her feet. She caressed the side of my body with the coils of the whip. "Yes," she said, "I think you will do very nicely. Now, again on-your knees, legs spread, before me!"
Then again I knelt before her, precisely as she had commanded, obeying her. Frightened, I lifted my eyes to those of my sturdy jailer. Her eyes frightened me. They were cruelly hard, uncompromising, dominating. Never in my life had I seen such inflexible will manifested in the eyes of a woman. I put down my head. I realized that her will was stronger than mine. I feared she would be strict with me. I trembled. I was afraid of her.
I felt the whip under my chin, lifting my head. Again I looked at her. "Do not be afraid," she said, soothingly, "Slave."
"I am not a slave," I said.
She stepped back, and laughed. She went to my left. The wall there had the shape of a large, conical arch. The area which would have been open, however, was closed by heavy bars, reinforced every six inches or so by sturdy, lateral crosspieces. In this wall of bars, itself also formed of bars and crosspieces, was a heavy gate. Beyond the bars and crosspieces I could see a corridor, some eight feet wide. On the other
"But you do not much use your English?" I asked.
"No longer," she said. "For a time we used it in the training of Earth wenches, slave girls. But now, from this facility, as from others, they are simply scattered, after two or three days' training, to various markets, sold, for most practical purposes, ignorant and raw. They are then forced to learn the language of their masters directly, as a child learns, not through the medium of their old tongue. The method is efficient. The girls become quickly acclimated to their chains and collars in a unilingual environment, that of their masters."
"Are you holding, here," I asked, "an Earth girl named Beverly Henderson?"
"Slaves have no names," she said, "unless it pleases the masters to name them."
"She is dark-haired and dark-eyed," I said, "very pretty, about five feet in height and ninety-five pounds in weight."
"Oh, the exquisite little beauty," she said.
"Yes," I said.
"I wish that I had been able to get my hands on her," she said.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"I do not know," she said. "She and the others, hooded and chained, have already been separated and sent to various markets, to be sold. They will quickly learn to be superb slaves."
I looked at her.
"It was a lovely shipment," she said. "Masters will be pleased to own them."
I moaned. What a miserable fate awaited the lovely Miss Henderson and, of course, her fellow captitves, or slaves.
"You know nothing of where they were sent?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I am not privy to that information."
I shook my head in misery. Miss Henderson, the helpless little beauty, now totally in the power of men, could be anywhere on this world.
I lifted my chained wrists. "Why am I chained?" I asked.
"What a stupid fool you are," she said. Then she walked about me, whip in hand. "Yet you are a pretty one," she said. "To a woman you might not be unattractive."
Then she stood again before me.
I shrank back in the chains. I was acutely conscious of the clash of the steel on my wrists and ankles.
She approached me and. with the coils of the whip, tapped the metal on my neck. "This is a collar," she said. Then, with her left hand, she jerked at the metal piece attached to the collar. From the way it felt I gathered that it was, as I bad suspected, a ring. Then it fell back against the collar and against my collarbone. She then stepped back. and regarded me. Never had I been looked upon so objectively by a woman. "I think you will do very nicely," she said.
"Release me, please," I said.
She then struck me twice, viciously, with the whip.
I fell to my stomach on the stone and straw. I tried to cover my head with my chained hands. Five times more the whip fell, mercilessly.
"On your back," she said.
I rolled on my back, and lay, miserably, at her feet. She caressed the side of my body with the coils of the whip. "Yes," she said, "I think you will do very nicely. Now, again on-your knees, legs spread, before me!"
Then again I knelt before her, precisely as she had commanded, obeying her. Frightened, I lifted my eyes to those of my sturdy jailer. Her eyes frightened me. They were cruelly hard, uncompromising, dominating. Never in my life had I seen such inflexible will manifested in the eyes of a woman. I put down my head. I realized that her will was stronger than mine. I feared she would be strict with me. I trembled. I was afraid of her.
I felt the whip under my chin, lifting my head. Again I looked at her. "Do not be afraid," she said, soothingly, "Slave."
"I am not a slave," I said.
She stepped back, and laughed. She went to my left. The wall there had the shape of a large, conical arch. The area which would have been open, however, was closed by heavy bars, reinforced every six inches or so by sturdy, lateral crosspieces. In this wall of bars, itself also formed of bars and crosspieces, was a heavy gate. Beyond the bars and crosspieces I could see a corridor, some eight feet wide. On the other
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