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Curious, he took the side path that led to the uppertheir church

It was rising fast One a with northern trees, -built, the structure had a squat, ungainly look A few half-grown slaves, lackwits by the look of the in bestial cries These weak- branches fros with stone adzes and axes

Deacon Ursuline saw him and hurried over, followed by the h he only called hi, no doubt searching for scraps of food Its "aas harsh and nagging, and soon a second gull coasted into view, hanging back along the tree line

"My lord" Ursuline used terms fah she was only human and therefore very like to the beasts, she was still owed soranted to OldMother Because she alone of all his slaves was no longer afraid of him, she spoke frankly "You have treated fairly with us, h God enjoin that none should be held as slaves, both you and I know that slaves exist both a humankind Because of that, ere made captive still live captive to your will But letus were taken away thiswith Rikin war parties?"

"So it was" Although Alain no longer inhabited his dreams, he retained the fluent speech he had learned in that drea and clever have been taken to act as spies They will travel with my oarriors to see if any of my new allies speak with a different voice when I do not stand before the the other tribes, for it may be that the slaves those who have ill have heard things that would otherwise remain concealed from us"

"Why should the slaves of other tribes tell the truth?" demanded Papa Otto

"Surely in this ill spread," observed Stronghand "They will have hope of gaining such freedo as the Eika remain under my rule"

"There is truth in what you say," said Ursuline She glanced at Otto, and an unspoken e--unreadable to any creature except another hu here?" Stronghand indicated the folk who, having paused in their labors to stare when he entered the clearing, had now self-consciously gone back to work

"Have you any coently "Has any task been left undone that you or your captains have requested? Is any animal untended? Are any fields left to the wild? Is there not firewood enough for the winter, and charcoal for the forges?"

"You are bold," said Stronghand, but he admired her for it

She shts "You have no complaint, because we have worked harder now that you have fulfilled your share of the bargain laid between you andyou who roam as do the animals and yet provide neither work nor meat They are only a burden With the hardships of winter co on, theythem, my lord?" asked Papa Otto

"Kill the ones who remain animals I see the in the forest and quite a bit filthier They are vermin They are of no possible use to me, nor to you"

"None of the chief for the hu "It is only that they have been treated as animals, and bred and raised as aniotten the ways of humankind"

"That makes them useless to us, does it not?"

"Nay, my lord," said Ursuline quickly She laid a hand on Otto’s aresture which served to stop the words in his mouth "It may be true that those of the slaves born and raised in the slave pens forwill never be able to work and speak as we do But they are still of use to you"

"In ay?"

"They can breed Their children can be raised by those of us ere not crippled by the slave pens, and those children will serve you as well as any of us do As long as you treat them as you do us Perhaps those children will serve you better than we can, for they will only know loyalty and service to you They will not recall another life, as we do"