them, fresh-baked bread, selected pastries," responded he, his arms full, "and some superb paga and delicate ka-la-na."
"Where did you get such things?" I asked.
"They were intended for the mess of the high officers, up the road," he said.
"They did not arrive there apparently," I said.
"Have no fear," he said. "I purchased them honestly."
"You bought them surreptitiously from sutlers," I speculated. "To be sure," he said, "the negotiations were conducted behind a wagon. On the other hand, it is surely not up to me to criticize the discretion of such fellows, nor how and where they conduct their business."
"I see," I said. I hoped earnestly that if these dealings were found out that any penalties which might be involved, in particular, such things as torturings and impalements, would be visited upon the sutlers and not on their customers, and particularly not on folks who might be traveling with their customers. To be sure, the rigors sometimes technically contingent upon such discoveries and exposures seldom actually resulted in the enactment of dismal sanctions, maimings, executions, and such, bribes instead, gifts and so on, usually changing hands on such occasions.
"Feast heartily," said Hurtha, unloading, half spilling, his acquisitions near the fire at our campsite.
"You should not have done this," I said to him.
"Nonsense," he said, depreciatingly, smiling, letting me (pg. 80) know that lavish gratitude on my part, however justified, was not even necessary.
"This is the food of generals," I said.
"It is excellent," agreed Hurtha.
"It is the food of generals," I said.
"There is plenty left for them," Hurtha assured me.
"You should not of done this," I said.
"It is time that I paid my share of the expenses," he said.
"I see," I said. It was difficult to argue with that.
"These are Ta grapes, I am told," he said, "from the terraces of Cos."
"Yes, they are," I said. "Or at least they are Ta grapes,"
"Cos is an island," he said.
"I have heard that," I said. "These various things must have been terribly expensive."
"Yes," said Hurtha. "But money is no object."
"That is fortunate," I said.
"I am an Alar," Hurtha explained. "Have a stuffed mushroom."
I pondered the likely prices of a stuffed mushroom in a black-market transaction in a war-torn district, one turned into a near desert by the predations of organized foragers, in particular, the price of such a mushroom perhaps diverted at great hazard from the tables of Cosian generals.
"Have two," said Hurtha.
My heart suddenly began to beat with great alarm. "This is a great deal of food," I said, "to have been purchased by seventeen copper tarsks, and two tarsk bits." That was, as I recalled, the sum total of monetary wealth which Hurtha had brought with him to the supply train, that or something much in its neighborhood.
"Oh," said Hurtha, "it cost more than that."
"I had thought it might," I said.
"Have a mushroom," said Hurtha. "They are quite good."
"What did all this cost?" I asked.
"I do not recall," said Hurtha. "But half of the change is yours."
"How much change do you have?" I asked.
"Fourteen copper tarsks," he said.
(pg. 81) "You may keep them," I said.
"Very well," he said.
"I am quite hungry, Hurtha," said Boabissia. "May I have some food?"
"Would you like to beg?" he asked.
"No," she said.
"Oh, very well," said Hurtha. He then held out to her the plate of mushrooms. It did not seem to me that she needed to take that many. "Ah, Mincon, my friend, my dear fellow," said Hurtha. "Come, join us!"
I supposed he, too, would dive into the mushrooms. Still, one could not begrudge dear Mincon some greed in this matter, for he was a fine driver, and a splendid fellow. We had been with him now four days on the road. To be sure, we had received a late start on each of these days, and each day later than the preceding. It was difficult to get an early start with slaves such as Tula and Feiqa in the blankets. Boabissia, a free woman, must
"Where did you get such things?" I asked.
"They were intended for the mess of the high officers, up the road," he said.
"They did not arrive there apparently," I said.
"Have no fear," he said. "I purchased them honestly."
"You bought them surreptitiously from sutlers," I speculated. "To be sure," he said, "the negotiations were conducted behind a wagon. On the other hand, it is surely not up to me to criticize the discretion of such fellows, nor how and where they conduct their business."
"I see," I said. I hoped earnestly that if these dealings were found out that any penalties which might be involved, in particular, such things as torturings and impalements, would be visited upon the sutlers and not on their customers, and particularly not on folks who might be traveling with their customers. To be sure, the rigors sometimes technically contingent upon such discoveries and exposures seldom actually resulted in the enactment of dismal sanctions, maimings, executions, and such, bribes instead, gifts and so on, usually changing hands on such occasions.
"Feast heartily," said Hurtha, unloading, half spilling, his acquisitions near the fire at our campsite.
"You should not have done this," I said to him.
"Nonsense," he said, depreciatingly, smiling, letting me (pg. 80) know that lavish gratitude on my part, however justified, was not even necessary.
"This is the food of generals," I said.
"It is excellent," agreed Hurtha.
"It is the food of generals," I said.
"There is plenty left for them," Hurtha assured me.
"You should not of done this," I said.
"It is time that I paid my share of the expenses," he said.
"I see," I said. It was difficult to argue with that.
"These are Ta grapes, I am told," he said, "from the terraces of Cos."
"Yes, they are," I said. "Or at least they are Ta grapes,"
"Cos is an island," he said.
"I have heard that," I said. "These various things must have been terribly expensive."
"Yes," said Hurtha. "But money is no object."
"That is fortunate," I said.
"I am an Alar," Hurtha explained. "Have a stuffed mushroom."
I pondered the likely prices of a stuffed mushroom in a black-market transaction in a war-torn district, one turned into a near desert by the predations of organized foragers, in particular, the price of such a mushroom perhaps diverted at great hazard from the tables of Cosian generals.
"Have two," said Hurtha.
My heart suddenly began to beat with great alarm. "This is a great deal of food," I said, "to have been purchased by seventeen copper tarsks, and two tarsk bits." That was, as I recalled, the sum total of monetary wealth which Hurtha had brought with him to the supply train, that or something much in its neighborhood.
"Oh," said Hurtha, "it cost more than that."
"I had thought it might," I said.
"Have a mushroom," said Hurtha. "They are quite good."
"What did all this cost?" I asked.
"I do not recall," said Hurtha. "But half of the change is yours."
"How much change do you have?" I asked.
"Fourteen copper tarsks," he said.
(pg. 81) "You may keep them," I said.
"Very well," he said.
"I am quite hungry, Hurtha," said Boabissia. "May I have some food?"
"Would you like to beg?" he asked.
"No," she said.
"Oh, very well," said Hurtha. He then held out to her the plate of mushrooms. It did not seem to me that she needed to take that many. "Ah, Mincon, my friend, my dear fellow," said Hurtha. "Come, join us!"
I supposed he, too, would dive into the mushrooms. Still, one could not begrudge dear Mincon some greed in this matter, for he was a fine driver, and a splendid fellow. We had been with him now four days on the road. To be sure, we had received a late start on each of these days, and each day later than the preceding. It was difficult to get an early start with slaves such as Tula and Feiqa in the blankets. Boabissia, a free woman, must
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