Free Guardsman of Gor by John Norman Page A

displayed. The girls see it. They know its meaning. Too, displayed so, it is readily available for us.
    I went to the leaden sheets and, with my knife, cut away the binding holding the sheets together. I took the envelope from within, and opened it. I examined the papers which I had extracted from the envelope. I smiled. They contained what I had expected.
    The girl, from a shelf to one side, fetched a large candle,
    some five inches in diameter. This candle was set in a shallow, silver bowl. She had lifted the bowl upward, off the shelf. In its bottom, protruding, was a spike. This spike had been sitting in an aperture cut in the shelf, that the bowl might sit evenly on the wood. There was a similar aperture, about a half of an inch in width, in the table. She set the spike into this hole and, again, the silver bowl rested evenly on wood. This prevents the movement of the candle in rough weather. The table, too, was bolted to the floor. For similar reasons ships' lanterns, in cabins or below decks, are usually hung from hooks overhead. Thus, in rough weather they may swing, but they are not likely to fall, scattering flaming oil about, with attendant dangers of fire. Most ships' furniture, of course, berths and such, are fixed in place. This prevents the shifting of position which, otherwise, of course, particularly in rough seas, would be inevitable. She lit the candle. On the table, too, in a moment, she placed waxed paper, and an envelope of oil cloth. Such things are not uncommon on ships, to protect papers which might be carried in the spray or weather, for example, on a longboat between ships, or between ships and the shore. Sealing wax, too, in a rectangular bar, she placed on the table. She then knelt beside the table. She kept her head down, deferentially, not daring to meet my eyes.
    "Head to the floor," I told her.
    She obeyed, swiftly.
    I replaced the papers in their envelope, from with I had withdrawn them to examine them. I then wrapped the envelope in several thicknesses of waxed paper. Then, with the sealing wax, melted by the candle, drop by drop, then smoothing the drops into rivulets of liquid wax, I seamed shut the waxed paper.

The girl trembled, to one side, kneeling, her blond hair for. ward, on the dark, polished floor of the cabin. The collar was clearly visible on her neck, and the small, heavy lock, by means of which it was secured upon her.
    "What is your name?" I asked her, while working.
    "Luta," she said.
    "Oh?" I asked.
    "Whatever Master wishes," she said, quickly. "Please do not whip me further, Master," she begged.
    "Your name now," I said, seaming shut the last opening on the waxed paper, "is Shirley."
    "'Shirley'!" she sobbed. "That is an Earth-girl name."
    "Yes," I said.
    Her shoulders shook with the indignity of what had been done to her.
    "I was a captain's woman," she said.
    "Do you not rejoice in your new name?" I asked.
    "Yes, Master," she said, quickly, "I rejoice in my new name."
    "Good," I said.
    She began to sob.
    I inserted the envelope, now enclosed in several thicknesses of sealed waxed paper, in the larger envelope of oil cloth.
    "Master," she said.
    "Yes," I said.
    "Please do not whip me," she said.
    "We shall see if you are sufficiently pleasing," I said.
    "With such a name," she said, "will I be expected to be so abject, so low, as those hot, surrendered sluts of Earth, so obedient, so owned, so helpless, in the arms of their Gorean masters?"
    "What is your name?" I asked.
    "-'Shirley'," she said.
    "What?" I asked.
    "'Shirley"' she said. "'Shirley'!"
    "Is the answer to your question not now obvious?" I asked.
    "Yes, Master," she sobbed.                   -
    Earth girls have a reputation on Gor of being among the lowest and hottest of slaves. There are doubtless various reasons for this. Perhaps one is that Earth girls are alien to Gor and have no Home Stones. They are thus subject to unmitigated predation and total domination. They are slave animals,