Gor - Witness Of Gor Part 92

"It cannot be," said Gito, squinting.

"Could you recognize him?"

"I could recognize him anywhere," said Gito.

"Look closely upon him," said the leader of the strangers. "Bring the lantern closer," he said to one of his men.

"Do not be afraid," said the lieutenant. "He is chained."

Gito, the side of his face moving, knelt down before the peasant, looking at him closely.

"Well?" demanded the leader of the strangers.

"There is a resemblance," said Gito, slowly.

"Of course there is a resemblance," said the officer, angrily. "These sleen of Treve would have managed that."

Gito continued his consideration of the peasant's countenance.

"No," he said, at last. "I do not think it is he."

He then stood up.

"We must look further," said the leader of the black-tunicked men, turning away.

"Gito?" said the peasant.

The leader of the black-tunicked men turned sharply back, to regard the peasant.

The cell was very quiet.

Gito began to tremble.

"Gito?" said the peasant.

"He knows him!" said the lieutenant.

"Yes?" said Gito, backing away.

"Is it you?" asked the peasant.

"Yes," said Gito.

"He heard the name before. You spoke it yourself," said the pit master.

"Be silent!" said the leader of the black-tunicked men.

The peasant lifted his eyes, seemingly vacant, toward the leader of the strangers.

"You wear black," he said.

"Do you know the meaning of such habiliments?" inquired the leader of the strangers, eagerly.

"No," said the peasant.

"You remember them, such habiliments?" said the leader of the strangers.

"I do not know," said the peasant.

"Think, think!" said the leader of the strangers.

"Perhaps," said the peasant.

"It was long ago," urged the leader of the strangers.

"Perhaps," said the peasant. "Long ago."

"Where is your holding?" asked the leader of the strangers.

"I do not know," said the peasant.

"Near Ar?"

But the peasant was looking on Gito, who shrank back, among several of the men in black.

"Are you not my friend Gito?" asked the peasant.

"He knows him!" said the lieutenant.

"Is your holding not near Ar?" asked the leader of the strangers.

"Perhaps," said the peasant. "I do not know."

"Down with Ar!" said the leader of the strangers.

"No," said the peasant, very slowly.

"Yes," said the leader of the strangers, "down with Ar!"

"Down with Ar?" said the peasant.

"Yes, down with her!" said the leader of the strangers.

The peasant seemed puzzled.

"Ar is nothing to you," said the pit master.

"I spit upon the Home Stone of Ar!" said the leader of the strangers.

"Ar is nothing to you," insisted the pit master.

"Be silent!" said the leader of the strangers.

"Is she in danger?" asked the peasant.

"Yes!" said the leader of the strangers.

"Then those who are of Ar must defend her," said the peasant.

"I am sure it is he!" said the lieutenant, delightedly.

"And what of you?" urged the leader of the helmeted men. "Are you not of Ar? Must you, too, not defend her?"

"Is it time for the planting?" asked the peasant.

"Must you not defend Ar?" asked the leader of the black-tunicked men.

"Why?" asked the peasant.

"Are you not of Ar?"

"I do not know."

The leader of the helmeted men stepped back.

"It is he," insisted the lieutenant.

"I agree," said the leader of the helmeted men. He then, with two hands, removed his helmet.

A gasp escaped me, and several of the other girls, too, for, on the forehead of the leader, fixed there, presumably this morning, was the image of a black dagger. It was such a thing, it seemed, that these men had placed on their foreheads this morning. The leader of the blacktunicked men now handed his helmet to one of the others. He also drew his dagger. "Bring the sack forward," he said to the fellow with the sack. It was brought forward, and opened.

"He is chained!" said the pit master.

The peasant looked out, as he often did, seeming to see nothing.

He called Gito turned his face away.

"You have played a clever game of double Kaissa," said the leader of the black-tunicked men, "leading us to believe, as though falsely, this was he whom we seek, when it was in truth he, but the game has been penetrated."

"This is not he whom you seek!" said the pit master.

"And whom do we seek?" asked the leader of the black-tunicked men.

The pit master was silent.

"He whom we seek surely could not be confessedly in Treve," laughed the leader of the blacktunicked men.

"That is not he," said the pit master.

"Then it will not matter that he c killed," said the leader of the black-tunicked men.

The lieutenant and several of the others with them laughed. It was the only time I had heard them laugh.

I saw the hand of the pit master steal toward his tunic.

"Someone is coming," said one of the men outside the door.

The pit master drew his hand quickly away from his tunic.

The figure of the officer of Treve appeared in the doorway, he whom I knew well, and he who had, in the manner of these men, known me well, and as a slave.

"We have found he whom we seek," said the leader, "and we will brook no interference."

"I do not come to offer you any," said the officer. "Your papers are in order."

"Where have you been?" asked the pit master.

"I have set guards at all exits to the city," he said.

"For what purpose?" asked the leader of the strangers.

"To prevent the possible escape or improper removal of a prisoner," he said.

"You take great pains to guard the honor of your keeping," said the pit master.

"Yes, and of yours," he said.

"I have not betrayed my trust," said the pit master.

"And I am here to see that you do not," said the officer.

"It seems we have different senses of honor," said the pit master.

"Honor has many voices, and many songs," said the officer.

"It would seem so," said the pit master.

"He does not even know what we will do with him," said the leader of the black-tunicked men.

"Your papers are for transfer, for extradition," said the pit master, "only that."

"They do not specify that the prisoner is to be removed alive, or in his entirety," said the leader.

"I am not fond of those of the black caste," said the officer.

"Nor we of those of the scarlet caste," said the leader.

"At least we have the common sense to go armed," said the lieutenant.