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Tarnsman of Gor :: Норман Джон
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"Who could refuse anything to the daughter of a Ubar?" I said, and then added maliciously, it seems now, "Good luck in the swamps."
She stopped and shuddered. Her robes still bore the wide lateral stain where the tongue of the tharlarion had wrapped itself. I glanced no more at her, but put my hand on the foreleg of Nar, gently, so that I might not injure any of the sensory hairs.
"Well, Brother,". I said, remembering the insult of the daughter of the Ubar, "shall we continue our journey?" I wanted Nar to understand that not all humankind were as contemptuous of the Spider People as the daughter of the Ubar.
"Indeed, Brother," responded the mechanical voice of Nar. And surely I would rather have been `a brother tothat gentle, rational monster than many of the barbarians g I had met on Gor. Indeed, perhaps I should be honored that he had addressed me as brother — I who failed to meet his standards, I who had so many times, intentionally or unintentionally, injured those of the rational kind.
Nar, with me on his back, moved from the knoll.
"Wait!" cried the daughter of the Ubar. "You can't leave me here!" She stumbled a bit from the knoll, tripped and fell in the water. She knelt in the green stagnant water, her hands held out to me, pleading, as if she suddenly realized the full horror of her plight, what it would mean to be abandoned in the swamp forest. "Take me with you," she begged.
"Wait," I said to Nar, and the giant spider paused.
The Ubar's daughter tried to stand up, but, ridiculously enough, it,seemed as if one leg were suddenly far shorter than the other. She stumbled again and fell once more into the water. She swore like a tarnsman. I laughed and slid from Nar's back. I waded to her side P and lifted her to carry her back to the knoll. She was surprisingly light, considering her apparent size.
I had hardly taken her in my arms when she struck my face viciously with one muddy hand. "How dare you touch the daughter of a Ubar!" she exclaimed. I shrugged and dropped her back in the water. Angrily she scram to bled to her feet as best she could and, hopping and stumbling, regained the knoll. I joined her there and examined her leg. One monstrous platform like shoe had broken from her small foot and flopped beside her ankle, still attached by its straps. The shoe was at least ten inches high. I laughed. This explained the incredible height of the Ubar's daughter.
"It's broken," I said. "I'm sorry."
She tried to rise, but one foot was, of course, some ten inches higher than the other. She fell again, and I unstrapped the remaining shoe. "No wonder you.can hardly walk," I said.
"Who could refuse anything to the daughter of a Ubar?" I said, and then added maliciously, it seems now, "Good luck in the swamps."
She stopped and shuddered. Her robes still bore the wide lateral stain where the tongue of the tharlarion had wrapped itself. I glanced no more at her, but put my hand on the foreleg of Nar, gently, so that I might not injure any of the sensory hairs.
"Well, Brother,". I said, remembering the insult of the daughter of the Ubar, "shall we continue our journey?" I wanted Nar to understand that not all humankind were as contemptuous of the Spider People as the daughter of the Ubar.
"Indeed, Brother," responded the mechanical voice of Nar. And surely I would rather have been `a brother tothat gentle, rational monster than many of the barbarians g I had met on Gor. Indeed, perhaps I should be honored that he had addressed me as brother — I who failed to meet his standards, I who had so many times, intentionally or unintentionally, injured those of the rational kind.
Nar, with me on his back, moved from the knoll.
"Wait!" cried the daughter of the Ubar. "You can't leave me here!" She stumbled a bit from the knoll, tripped and fell in the water. She knelt in the green stagnant water, her hands held out to me, pleading, as if she suddenly realized the full horror of her plight, what it would mean to be abandoned in the swamp forest. "Take me with you," she begged.
"Wait," I said to Nar, and the giant spider paused.
The Ubar's daughter tried to stand up, but, ridiculously enough, it,seemed as if one leg were suddenly far shorter than the other. She stumbled again and fell once more into the water. She swore like a tarnsman. I laughed and slid from Nar's back. I waded to her side P and lifted her to carry her back to the knoll. She was surprisingly light, considering her apparent size.
I had hardly taken her in my arms when she struck my face viciously with one muddy hand. "How dare you touch the daughter of a Ubar!" she exclaimed. I shrugged and dropped her back in the water. Angrily she scram to bled to her feet as best she could and, hopping and stumbling, regained the knoll. I joined her there and examined her leg. One monstrous platform like shoe had broken from her small foot and flopped beside her ankle, still attached by its straps. The shoe was at least ten inches high. I laughed. This explained the incredible height of the Ubar's daughter.
"It's broken," I said. "I'm sorry."
She tried to rise, but one foot was, of course, some ten inches higher than the other. She fell again, and I unstrapped the remaining shoe. "No wonder you.can hardly walk," I said.