"John Norman - Gor 01- Tarnsman of Gor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norman John)

to this world over a period of centuries from different civilizations. But the children, of
course, and their children eventually became simply Gorean. In the long ages on Gor almost all
traces of Earth origin had vanished. Occasionally, however, an English word in Gorean, like "ax"
or "ship," would delight me. Certain other expressions seemed clearly to be of Greek or German
origin. If I had been a skilled linguist, I undoubtedly would have discovered hundreds of
parallels and affinities, grammatical and otherwise, between Gorean and various of the Earth
Languages. Earth origin, incidentally, was not a part of the First Knowledge, though it was of the
Second.

"Torm," I once asked, "why is Earth origin not part of the First Knowledge?"

"Is it not self-evident?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"AH!" he said, and closed his eyes very slowly and kept them shut for about a minute, during which
time he was apparently subjecting the matter to the most intense scrutiny.

"You're right," he said at last, opening his eyes. "It is not self-evident."

"Then what do we do?" I asked.

"We continue with our lessons," said Torm.

The caste system was socially efficient, given its openness with respect to merit, but I regarded
it as somehow ethically objectionable. It was still too rigid, in my opinion, particularly with
respect to the selection of rulers from the High Castes and with respect to the Double Knowledge.
But far more deplorable than the caste system was the institution of slavery. There were only
three statuses conceivable to the Gorean mind outside
of the caste system: slave, outlaw, and Priest-King. A man who refused to practice his livelihood
or strove to alter status without the consent of the Council of High Castes was, by definition, an
outlaw and subject to impalement.

The girl I had originally seen had been a slave, and what I had taken to be the jewelry at her
throat had been a badge of servitude. Another such badge was a brand concealed by her clothing.
The latter marked her as a slave, and the former identified her master. One might change one's
collar, but not one's brand. I had not seen the girl since the first day. I wondered what had
become of her, but I did not inquire. One of the first lessons I was taught on Gor was that
concern for a slave was out of place. I decided to wait. I did learn, casually from a Scribe, not
Torm, that slaves were not permitted to impart instruction to a free man, since it would place him
in their debt, and nothing was owed to a slave. If it was in my power, I resolved to do what I
could to abolish what seemed to me a degrading condition. I once talked to my father about the
matter, and he merely said that there were many things on Gor worse than the lot of slavery,
particularly that of a Tower Slave.

Without warning, with blinding speed, the bronze headed spear flew toward my breast, the heavy
shaft blurred like a comet's tail behind it. I twisted, and the blade cut my tunic cleanly,
creasing the skin with a line of blood as sharp as a razor. It sunk eight inches into the heavy
wooden beams behind me. Had it struck me with that force, it would have passed through my body.