This month we continue with Book II, Outlaw of Gor.

Chapter 10

Faced by an Officer and his men and stripped of his weapons, Tarl has no choice. The Officer refuses to shackle Tarl, taking his word as a Warrior that he will go peacefully. Ost isn't pleased, but his pleas are ignored. Ost is one of more despicable characters in the books. He is portrayed as a small, physically weak man. We always get the impression of him as a whining, sniveling, worm. He is never to be trusted. He will lie, cheat, or steal from anyone at anytime if it will serve his own ends. Ost is among the least honorable characters we ever meet. Still, he is by definition, Gorean. His existence in the books, and the existence of other unsavory types we will meet later, proves that Gorean society is not made up of noble honorable souls who treat each other with respect and dignity. I thought it important that we burst that little bubble right now :)

Tarl pleads innocence and it seems as though the guardsman might be willing to believe him. But the guardsman knows where his loyalty lies. For the guardsman to set Tarl free would be to condemn himself. Tarl is only a stranger, after all, and an outlaw to boot. Off they march to the palace.

Tarl speculates about the justice he might receive at the hands of the Tatrix. To his surprise, however, he is shoved through a small door at spear point and falls into a pit. He is seized by an urt (which must be immense if it can drag a guy like Tarl) and taken to a room. There he is fastened in a huge heavy yoke of silver [although we don't learn it is silver until the next chapter].

"Rise, Slave [the capitalization is Norman's]," he is told. He manages to do so under the weight of the yoke and the whip. Addressed as a slave again, Tarl replies that he is not a slave. The answer he receives is that, "in Tharna a man such as you can be nothing else."

Let us examine this statement for a moment. Norman's philosophy is still in its infancy at this point, but even here we can see how powerfully it underlines what he writes. What sort of man is Tarl that he must be a slave in Tharna? Tharna is ruled by a Tatrix -- a female. The free women of Tharna exercise great political power. It is a truth that the power of a government is granted, one way or another, by those whom it governs. Therefore, to remain in power, the women of Tharna must receive the sanction of the free men. Should the men decide they no longer wish to be ruled by women, they will not be. Thus, it is important that the men of Tharna remain complacent and are not stirred toward thoughts of gaining their own power. A man like Tarl is recognized as a catalyst. He cannot, therefore, be allowed to have his freedom. The danger that he might incite unrest is too great. Already the scene in the Kal-da shop shows this.

Tarl is taken to his audience with the Tatrix.

Chapter 11

Tarl is ushered into the throne room. Lara, the Tatrix, is there as well as several silver masks and a few Warriors. He is forced to kneel before the Tatrix by Thorn, whom we have already met.

Dorna the Proud, Second in Tharna, wants the "beast" destroyed. The Tatrix wants to hear him speak and Dorna seems upset that his tongue hasn't been removed. Why should a woman like Dorna, who obviously wields a great deal of power, be so virulently upset by a man such as Tarl? Could it be because she recognizes that he is a man who cannot be subdued? Could it be because she recognizes that here is a man who could, should he choose to do so, force her to be a woman?

Lara asks Tarl to confess to having stolen the coins, but Tarl will not. For some reason Tarl doesn't understand that that seems like the wrong answer. But because it is the truth, Tarl sticks with it. Ost is brought in. Although his yoke is smaller than Tarl's, Ost cannot rise with it. Surprisingly, though there seems little return in it for him, Tarl helps Ost kneel so that Ost will not be whipped.

Ost is accused of treason. The evidence against him is mentioned. He is asked to reveal the names of those for whom he works. He cannot, but he knows that one is a helmeted Warrior. The other, the power behind the plot, is a woman of high position but Ost doesn't know who she is. He does admit that he might recognize her voice. Dorna, of course, refrains from speaking in Ost's presence. Is there anybody who hadn't figured out who the traitor is at this point?

Ost is condemned to the silver mines. Tarl remarks that she is cruel. Lara remarks, with unusual emotion, that it is "hard to be First in Tharna." We get a glimpse of the inner Lara here.

Tarl explains the story and tells them he was asked to abduct the Tatrix. She gets furiously angry at this. Again we see the classic Norman example of the free woman who becomes livid at the thought that she might become a slave. This is no fantasy on Norman's part. I have seen this reaction in many females.

Lara whips Tarl with all of her strength, but he, mighty hero that he is, stands up and looks down on her. She sends him to the Amusements of Tharna.

Chapter 12

Tarl is taken to a dungeon and chained in a cell. He sees a half a loaf of bread and thinks that when he is hungry enough he will have to crawl to it on his belly and eat like an animal. Surprisingly, a female slave is there and she offers to help.

She is Linna. She helps Tarl to eat and drink and he thanks her. "One does not thank a slave," she tells him. We learn her tale.

Linna was one of Tharna's Silver Masks but she had the misfortune to have fallen in love with a man. Worse than that was the fact that he wasn't of Tharna. Still worse was his caste, that of the Singers, or Poets (either term being used interchangeably). We learn quite a bit about the caste, but I leave you read of that on your own. More importantly we learn that Poets are outlawed in Tharna and we can well imagine why. We learn how Andreas and Linna met, how she challenged him, and how he kissed her. It must have been some kiss, because she fell in love with him. She smuggles him from the city (it occurs to me that there must have been quite a lot of that going on despite the laws), promises to join him, but then turns herself in. She assumes he will wait for a while and then go off without her.

We are treated to some of Norman's brilliant humor as Andreas, yoked, is thrown into the cell. "Well, Linna," he says, "I have come to carry you off."

Until next time, Goreans,
I wish you well,

Zeb