Tal Goreans,
Greetings visitors,

Welcome once again to the Booknotes column. Tarl has just dealt with one of the mysteries brought to his attention at the start of this volume, in that he has found out what had become of the Herd of Tancred, a vitally important herd of arctic tabuk without which the “Red Hunters”, Gor’s Eskimos, would have starved to death. The use of the conditional tense in the previous sentence should alert the reader to the fact that Tarl has dealt with the situation; the herd is back on its way, the men who were unwilling labourers at the wall erected to stop the herd have been freed, and the beautiful Earth woman who was the agent of Kurii overseeing this enterprise has been reduced to slavery. However, Drusus the Assassin has made good his escape, and will perhaps be seen again; and Tarl still has the summons of Zarendargar, General Half-Ear of the Kurii, to the “world’s end”, to answer. And so, with his new slave in tow, the former Sidney Anderson, now given a woman’s name, Arlene, for the first time in her life, that is where Tarl is no doubt bound; wherefore let us follow the footprints in the snow and find out where they lead us.

Chapter Twelve

We rejoin Tarl enjoying the hospitality of the Red Hunters, or Innuit as we are told they call themselves. This, like other names for other races and like the Kur name for themselves, means “The People”, another repetition of the device whereby sapient creatures divide all the world’s sapient creatures into “Real People” and “Everybody Else”. However, for all the arrogance of their ethnic name, the Innuit turn out to be unusually gentle and hospitable for Goreans, and Tarl hazards a very plausible guess that this is the reason why they have been driven to the edge of the world to live in lands that no-one else wants.

We meet an assortment of supporting characters, including a free woman of the Innuit, one Poalu the daughter of Kadluk, who seems to be overdue for a come-uppance, insofar as she is aggressive, arrogant and shrewish; more of her later, perhaps.

Tarl’s host, Imnak, whom we last saw at the wall and previously at the Sardar Fair making an offering to the Priest-Kings, has two white slave-girls of his own, Thimble and Thistle, whom he bought for a bundle of furs at that same Fair, and they are in charge of teaching Arlene such womanly crafts as it may be well for her to know, such as sewing and basic housework Innuit style. But other training is, of course, in her Master’s hands, and Tarl opts to teach her a valuable lesson by giving her temporary use to Imnak in payment of a gambling debt. When she serves Imnak poorly, Tarl sternly orders her to crawl on her knees and beg for a chance to do better, on pain of being fed to sleen. She complies, and so the total of women Tarl has ever killed for failure to be pleasing (or, for that matter, for any other reason) remains at zero.

Being put under such uncompromising control has its effect on Arlene, who finds herself sexually stimulated, and affords opportunity for a long conversation with Tarl. In summary, this chapter advances the plot but little, but gives plenty of opportunity for the author to reiterate his views on the proper relationship between men and women and the superiority of barbarism to civilization.

Chapter Thirteen

Making himself useful and also enjoying what sport the north has to offer, Tarl is accompanying Imnak on a tabuk hunt. It is cold and uncomfortable, but Imnak is in a good mood - as he points out, it is bad enough being cold, without being in a bad mood as well. They seize this opportunity to discuss men’s business, for Imnak wishes Tarl’s assistance in the courtship of Poalu, which Tarl admits is more serious than his own business, which has to do only with the saving of the world. Glossing over this for now, they discuss they hows and whens of the business to be done, and Imnak has in mind that Tarl will do the actual carrying off for him. Fortunately her father approves of the whole affair, but it is anyone’s guess whether a certain Naartok, Imnak’s rival for her affections, is quite so understanding. On the other hand, Naartok was once seriously injured by Poalu when he tried to court her, and Imnak adds that at any rate Naartok is not so fearsome a hunter as Kadluk. This discussion causes them to miss their chance of catching any tabuk, for which Poalu mercilessly derides Imnak on their return home.

Chapter Fourteen

Continuing with this subplot, Tarl presents himself at Kadluk’s house in order to carry off Poalu, but encounters a series of hold-ups, not least Poalu’s efforts to seriously injure him with any implement at hand. Also Poalu declares that she will not be carried off unless there is a sled to carry her off in, and one drawn by snow sleen at that, and she complains about the snow sleen when Imnak borrows one. Eventually Tarl despairs of ever carrying off Poalu and Imnak agrees that he has done all that a friend could possibly ask. But as they prepare to leave, Poalu loudly mocks Imnak in the hearing of everyone, listing his many shortcomings in imaginative detail, and this goads Imnak into carrying her off himself. He does not stop there, reducing her to slavery upon the instant and giving her a summary beating to impress upon her who will wear the trousers in Imnak’s tent. All the onlookers seem to approve quite thoroughly, including Kadluk, who tacitly disowns her as his daughter once she has been collared. Shed no tears for Poalu, though, for it is plain she is not discontent with this development, having loved Imnak for years and taking his enslavement of her as a token of how much he wants her.

Imnak orders Poalu to crawl to his tent, where she will be put to slave use, and his two white slaves look on with poorly-disguised envy. So does Arlene, but she is in the fortunate position of being able to beg her Master’s touch, and she does so without delay.

Chapter Fifteen

Having won Thistle’s use in a gambling game with Imnak (who is now much more interested in his new slave, Poalu), Tarl enjoys her for a long night. He uses her former name of Audrey, now as a slave name, and to cut a long chapter short, he enjoys her, she enjoys him, and he lectures her on some aspect of a slave’s life. In summary, this chapter advances the plot not a whit, but gives plenty of opportunity for the author to reiterate his views on the proper relationship between men and women.

Chapter Sixteen

Imnak carves an ivory sleen, and makes a present of it to Tarl.

Chapter Seventeen

Having brought up the subject of carving, Tarl shows Imnak the carved Kur head he acquired a few chapters ago. Imnak disavows knowledge of the piece, but says he has seen such creatures before, although not one with half an ear torn away. Tarl is somewhat crushed by this development, as it seems that he has followed a will-o’-the-wisp, but fortunately Imnak, after mulling it over, declares that he does recognise the workmanship as being that of a man named Karjuk. This, Imnak tells Tarl, is the guard - the man who guards the Innuit from the Kurii. Tarl says that they must find him and asks to head north at once, and Imnak, after mild protest, consents.

Chapter Eighteen

Tarl and Imnak go whaling.

Chapter Nineteen

Arlene asks Tarl why he has come north. He tells her “Because I wanted to” and orders her to the furs for discipline.

Chapter Twenty

Tarl’s precipitate haste to come north has availed him nothing; Karjuk did not choose to make himself known, and Imnak was unwilling to search for him, pointing out that Karjuk was used to hiding from the Kurii, and if they couldn’t find him, what hope had men? But now the rest of Imnak’s tribe have come north to the permanent camp and it is feast time. Much merriment is going on, including the singing of extemporised songs, but when Imnak is called upon to sing, he shyly demurs, saying that no song ever comes to him. Still, on the whole all is well. In addition to the whale captured two chapters ago the hunters have managed to catch another, and they have more food than they have ever seen in their lives, auguring well for the coming season and the reason why there is all this feasting going on. Tarl makes a bitter remark about the feasting, for he is impatient to meet Karjuk, but Imnak explains that this is the way of the Innuit. It will be time enough for solemnity when they are short of food, as happens distressingly often; meanwhile they will enjoy themselves while they can.

Chapter Twenty-One

Once again in the feasting-hall, Tarl enjoys a somewhat pornographic game of blind-man’s bluff, in which the lights are blown out and every man catches whatever girl he can and puts her to slave use. Imnak and Poalu seem to be cheating, as they defy the odds by ending up with each other five times in succession, but Tarl rings the changes, fetching up with Arlene at the fifth attempt. They hold another of the conversations alluded to above, and on the whole this chapter does nothing to advance the plot but allows the author to rabbit on in his customary manner.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tarl and Imnak are hunting sea sleen, which is proving quite a challenge for Tarl as, for a start, he is not used to either the kayak or the weapon he is using. For that matter he is unacquainted with the spiritual side of sleen hunting, too. Imnak explains that it is important to be polite and friendly to the sleen one is hunting, as no doubt the sleen would rather be killed by a friend, if they could choose. Tarl thinks this is silly, but admits that he is the stranger here and might be mistaken. Besides, Tarl has caught no sleen and Imnak has two, so he is forced to concede that the evidence is not on his side.

At any rate, when another sleen turns up Tarl puts Imnak’s advice into action, only to be warned that he has picked on a rogue sleen and a bad-tempered one. However, bloody-mindedness carries the day for Tarl and he persists with his hunting, and sheer determination carries the day. This causes Tarl and Imnak alike to be disposed to philosophy, and they return home with their three sleen, very content with the state of the world.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Winter is closing in, kayak fishing is done for the season, and Tarl is now more anxious than ever to make Karjuk’s acquaintance. He is determined to go out looking for him if Karjuk is not going to come of his own accord. But before he can prepare his expedition, a visitor comes to camp. This is Ram, the former sport slave, and he has to be rescued from a Kur which seems, from the ornamental rings in its ears, to be a civilized beast and no mere maroon gone native. Ram gives Tarl the news that he has from further south; that the villainous Sarpelius of Lydius has been caught, punished and interrogated, and that there is another Kur establishment in the extreme north. Tarl quizzes Arlene about this, but she does not know. Although she supposed herself to have been Drusus’s superior, she now realizes this may not have been the case.

Having discussed the news with Tarl, Ram now avails himself of a slave and Imnak seriously confides in Tarl that the presence of the Kur suggests that Karjuk may be dead, as otherwise it is hard to explain how the creature was able to molest Ram. But as Tarl digests this, there is a Dramatic Entrance: In through the door, driven on a blast of icy air, strides a grim Red Hunter, who silently lets fall a white-furred Kur head with golden rings in its ears; and this, Imnak confirms, is none other than Karjuk.

With the arrival of this key player in the drama, we can now look forward to the advancement of the plot, and perhaps Tarl is shortly to discover the whereabouts of the mountain (iceberg) that does not move, and keep his rendezvous with Zarendargar. It is likely, of course, that this will be interspersed with more descriptions of his practicing of the arts of mastery upon Arlene; and it may involve his path crossing that of Drusus the Assassin. So I invite the reader who wishes to know the answers to such questions to join me next month, when we shall take our fourth look at Beasts of Gor.

I wish you well,

Socrates