and hate typical free women, perhaps because such women are too female, and too unlike men. Whereas the Panther Woman, or Panther Girl, as other free women, commonly holds the slave in contempt, and is cruel to her, she seems to hate her less, on the whole, than she hates either the free male or the typical free female. The animus borne to the slave by the typical free woman is doubtless motivated primarily by the fact that men commonly prefer the lovely, lightly clad slave, submitted and needful, docile, obedient, and passionate, hoping to please, to the proud, exalted free woman jealous of her thousand prerogatives and determined to exploit each of them in her favor. The free woman is not concerned to please, but to be pleased. She is not to be bought and commanded, but to be solicited, wooed, and cajoled. She may be sought for prestige, position, family, influence, fortune, and such. The slave is purchased for herself. She does not even own her collar. One courts the moody, unpredictable free woman who may confuse, vacillate, misdirect, tease, and tantalize to her heart’s content. One puts the slave to one’s slave ring. The free woman may dangle the prospect of her couch, angling for gain, selling herself for her own profit. The slave is sold for the profit of another. The free woman is the equal of her free companion; the purchased female is the slave of her master. The free companion wonders if his free companion will be in the mood this night; he will hope so; the master orders his slave to the furs. So the animosity of the typical free woman for the slave is largely dependent on the fact that the slave, however unworthy, is a rival, a rival men are likely to much prefer. On the other hand, the Panther Women, or Panther Girls, hating men, are less likely to see the slave as a rival. They are more likely to see her as a mere slave, as a work beast, a convenience, a beast of burden, an object which may be sold for a profit. To be sure, they, like other free women, seem to be particularly cruel to attractive slaves, so much remains obscure.
“So, Vulo,” said the leader, looking upon me, “you thought to escape?” She then put her hands to my collar and patted it gently, on each side, as though sympathetically. “But, little vulo,” she said, “this is a collar, is it not, and it is on your neck. I would not be surprised if it were locked. Yes, here is a nice little lock, and we find the pretty collar is well fastened on your pretty neck. You are in it. How stupid is our little vulo. And I would not doubt but what your thigh wears a pretty mark, as well.” She then jerked up the tunic on my left side, to the hip. “Yes,” she said, “here is a pretty mark on your pretty thigh. You are nicely marked.” She then thrust the tunic down, disdainfully. “Well, pretty vulo,” she said, “in your pretty tunic, in your pretty collar, with your pretty mark, where did you expect to go, what did you expect to do?”
The gag was thick and bulky in my mouth. It is unpleasant to wear such a gag. It is not attractive, but it is quite effective.
“Stupid, stupid vulo,” she said.
Tears came to my eyes.
“Take her into the woods,” said one of the women, “and bind her to a tree, gagged, for the beasts.”
“Surely she is marketable,” said my captor.
“Who would want a stupid slave,” said the woman who had spoken.
“Men are stupid,” said my captor.
“On your belly,” snapped the leader, “your face in the dirt, as befits the garbage you are.”
I then lay amongst them, prone, my hands bound behind my back, unable to plead, or speak.
“Tie her for the beasts,” said the woman who had spoken before.
“We could trade her on the coast, for a vessel of ka-la-na,” said one of the Panther Women.
“To the beasts,” said the one who had spoken before. She had a wide, green-and-brown talmit. “Surely you know why we are here. We must complete our work and report to the employer. We have already risked much by bringing two collar sluts with us.”
“Do not be concerned,” said the leader. “They are fearful, obedient little beasts. Do you wish to do your own manual labor, to gather provender, to clear ground for a camp, to