"You are a slave," I said. "It would be the same for any master."

She put her head down. "Yes, Master," she said.

I pushed up her chin with my thumb. She was crying. "Hope that you will one day fall into the power of your love master," I said. "For there is in you, I sense, a superb love slave."

"Thank you, Master," she said. She pressed her lips to the back of my mittened hand.

I went to Constance, who was the fourth girl on the coffle.

I kissed her.

"You, like Belinda, are already a branded slave girl," I told her.

"Yes, Master," she said. "Master," she said.

"Yes," I said.

"You were going to sell me in Lydius," she said.

"Yes," I said.

"Are you still going to do so?" she asked. frightened.

"No," I said. "I will take you back to Port Kar," I said.

"Thank you, Master," she breathed.

"Port Kar has excellent markets," I told her.

"Will you not keep me?" she begged.

"Perhaps, for a time," I said.

"I will try so hard to be pleasing to you," she said.

"You will do so, or you will wish that you had done so," I said.

"Yes, Master," she said.

I looked at her.

"It is said the women of Kassau make excellent slaves," I said.

"I will show you that it is true, Master," she said.

"Properly trained, you might make an excellent gift for one of Torvaldsland," I said.

She looked at me, frightened. "We women of Kassau fear the mighty raiders," she said.

"You would look well at their feet," I said.

She shuddered.

I regarded her. Perhaps I would have her trained as an exquisite pleasure slave, trained in sensuous dance and the thousand arts of pleasure. She might then be sent, formerly of Kassau, now trained, perfumed and silked. to one of the fierce Torvaldsland rovers. Perhaps Ivar Forkbeard, my friend, might enjoy her licking at his boots. Girls make lovely gifts. I usually kept some in my house, in Port Kar, for such purposes.

But perhaps I would keep her, for a time. Or, perhaps I would put her on a block in Port Kar.

I did not know.

"I will try to please you," she said.

"In Port Kar," I said, "a girl who is not pleasing is not unoften bound hand and foot, and thrown naked, as garbage, to the urts in the canals."

"I will try to be pleasing," she smiled.

I laughed, and gently cuffed the side of her head, She kissed at my mitten.

"When I sell you," I said, "if I should sell you, I will sell you south, into a perfumed slavery."

"Thank you, Master," she said.

I was fond of Constance. Why should she herd verr and churn butter in Torvaldsland? Let her serve naked and loving, bangled, perfumed, made-up, on the multicolored tiles of some southern domicile. Let her crawl naked, collared, to the feet of a southern master.

It would be suffIcient.

But perhaps I would keep her. I did not know. I could decide that later, at my convenience.

I went to Barbara, and took her in my arms, and kissed her, gently.

"I will brand you in Port Kar," I told her.

"I await the iron with eagerness, Master," she said.

I then went to the second girl on the coffle line, Audrey. I took her in my arms and, gently, kissed her.

She clutched me. "I beg your brand," she said, hoarsely.

"Are you not the former rich girl of Earth?" I asked.

"I am a Gorean slut and a slave," she said. "I beg your brand."

She looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "All my wealth on Earth," she said, "could not buy me a collar, or a brand. Here I have nothing and yet they will be put upon me, because men please to do so."

"Yes," I said.

"Brand me," she said.

"I will," I said.

"I dare not ask your collar," she said. "After I am branded discard me or sell me, if you will. I shall always remember with joy the moment of pain in which I knew that I, though only a lowly slave, had been found worthy of your iron."

"I will keep you for a time, at least, in my collar," I said. "You are not without interest as a female slave. My men may find you amusing. And perhaps I will occasionally permit you to serve me in my quarters."

"Thank you, Master," she said.

"Then I think I will sell you," I said. "I think you will profit from knowing many masters, and many slaveries, for you are superb and exquisite slave meat."

"Thank you, Master," she said.

I went to Arlene, who led the coffle. The double line looped up to her throat from the left-hand, rear upright of the sled.

She looked up at me. I brushed the hood, fur-trimmed, back about her shoulders. How incredibly beautiful she was. There was a light snow about. Some of the snow fell in her hair. I brushed back some hair from the left side of her face.

"My thigh has not been marked," she said. "Will Master brand me, too, in Port Kar?"

"Yes," I said.

"A girl is pleased," she said.

"Truly?" I asked, holding her head between my hands.

"Yes," she said, "it is a great honor for a girl to be branded by a Warrior, and one who is a Captain."

I shrugged. I supposed, objectively, what she said was true. I was of a high caste, that of the Warriors, and was a captain. A boast among slave girls Is "My brand was put upon me by a Warrior." Another is, "I was found beautiful enough for a Warrior to brand!"

Suddenly she held me, closely. "Oh, Master," she wept, "it has nothing to do, truly, with caste. It has to do, rather, with the kind of man you are. You could be a Peasant, an Iron Worker. It would not matter. When you look at a girl she wants your brand. When your eyes fall upon a girl she wants to be your slave. Girls dream of being branded by a man such as you. We dream of being the slaves of men such as you."

"Those are the dreams of slave girls," I said.

"Of course," she said.

"Slave girls should beware of speaking their dreams," I said, "lest they be overheard by a master."

"Every slave girl should boldly speak her dream," she said.

"But a master may be listening," I said.

"Let us hope, for her sake, that he is," said she. "Why else should a slave girl cry out, if not to be overheard by a master?"

"I find women mysterious," I said.

"The answer to our riddle," she said, "is a strong man, and a collar."

"I think it is true," I said.

"I had no real choice," she said, "In the snow you made me a slave."

"Of course," I said.

"I love you for it," she said, "-Master." I kissed her, gently, on the lips. She looked up at me, her eyes moist. "Will you keep me?" she asked.

"For a time, perhaps," I said.

"Yes," she said, ruefully, "I know-perhaps to amuse your men, and perhaps occasionally, if you are so moved, to serve you in the furs."

"Perhaps," I said.

"And then perhaps you will sell me," she said.

"Perhaps," I said.

"And then I would have to go to whom I am sold, and serve him-and as a complete slave, in the fullest sense of the word."

"Of course," I said.

"My own desires and feelings would be meaningless," she said.

"Of course," I said. "You are a slave."

"Yes," she said, "I am a slave." She wiped a tear away from her cheek. "Doubtless," she laughed, "I, like Audrey, would profit from many masters, and many slaveries."

"Doubtless," I agreed.

"For I, like Audrey," she asked, "am superb, exquisite slave meat?"

"Yes," I said.

"On Earth I was nothing," she said. "Here, at least, I am valued for my qualities as a slave."

"In so far as a girl has value," I said.

"Yes," she said, "-so far as a girl has value." Suddenly her eyes flashed, "Surely I would bring a high price!" she said.

"You could, currently," I said, "be bought and sold for a handful of copper coins."

"Oh," she said.

"You are untrained," I pointed out.

She bit her lip.

"But I would see that you had a bit of training before I would put you on the block," I said.