Exchange Points

Description of Exchange Points
Exchange points are simply places along the shore of Thassa where outlaws come to trade.
Large frames made of wood, erected in the sand, are visible to passing ships.

"There!" said Rim, pointing off the starboard bow. "High on the beach!"
....
I shaded my eyes. "Glass of the Builders," I said.
Thurnock, of the Peasants, standing by me, handed me the glass.
I opened it, and surveyed the beach.
High on the beach, I saw two pairs of sloping beams. They were high, large and heavy structures. The feet of the beams were planted widely, deeply, in the sand; at the top, where they sloped together, they had been joined and pegged. They were rather like the English letter "A", though lacking the crossbar. Within each "A", her wrists bound by wrapped and taut leather to heavy rings set in the sloping sides, there hung a girl, her full weight on her wrists. Each were panther girls, captured. Their heads were down, their blond hair falling forward. Their ankles had been tied rather widely apart, each fastened by leather to iron rings further down the beams.
It was an exchange point.
It is thus that outlaws, to passing ships, display their wares.
Hunters

Through the glass of the builders, those on ships can see the outlaws near the frames
"There is a man on the beach," I said.
He had his hand lifted. He, too, wore skins. His hair was long and shaggy. There was a steel sword at his side.
I handed the glass of the Builders to Rim, who stood by the rail at my side.
He grinned. "I know him," he said, "He is Arn."
"Of what city?" I asked.
"Of the forests," said Rim.
I laughed.
Rim, too, laughed.
Only too obviously the man was outlaw.
Now, behind him, similarly clad in skins, their hair bound back with tawny strips of panther hide, were four or five other men, men doubtless of his band. Some carried bows, two carried spears.
The man whom Rim had identified as Arn, an Outlaw, now came forward, passing before the two frames, closer down to the beach's edge.

Hunters

Exchange points being no more than sections of sandy beach, there are no docks. Ships may be brought in to be beached.
"Bring us in," I said to Thurnock. "But do not beach her." Gorean galleys, with their shallow draft, are often beached. Night camps are frequently made on land. I had no desire, in this instance, to beach the galley. I wanted her free, some yards offshore. With the men at the oars, ready, and others with the thrusting poles, she might be swiftly sped, if need should arise, at a word, into deeper waters.
Hunters

Or ships brought close to shore, the men entering the water and wading to the beach
We were a few yards offshore. I heard the forty oars slide inboard. I saw two seamen, one on the starboard bow, the other on the port bow, hunch their weight into the two, long, black temwood poles, which curved with the stress set upon them.
The Tesephone hesitated, backed a foot, and then, gently, rocked.
Two further poles were set at the stern, that the lapping tide, seeking its beach, not turn her about.
Another yard and we would have heard soft sand rub beneath her keel.
Thurnock had done well.
The tarn head at the prow, slightly rocking, scarcely moving, surveyed the beach.
The Tesephone rested.
I swung over the side, holding my sword, in its sheath, with the sword belt wrapped about the sheath, over my head.
The water was very cold. It came to my waist.
Another splash behind me informed me that Rim had followed me.
I waded toward the shore.
Hunters


Separate Exchange Points
Male and female outlaws keep their own exchange points.
Panther girls at an exchange point ten pasangs north of the male outlaw exhcnage point
It was the afternoon following our transaction with Arn, the outlaw.
We had come north, along the western shore of Thassa, the forests on our right.
We were a mere ten pasangs from the exchange point where we had, the preceding day, obtained two panther girls.
Male and female outlaws do not much bother one another at the exchange points. They keep their own markets.
Hunters


Relative safety at the Exchange points
I cannot recall a case of females being enslaved at an exchange point, as they bargained with their wares, nor of males being enslaved at their exchange points, when displaying and merchandising their captures. If the exchange points became unsafe for either male or female outlaws, because of the others, the system of exchange points would be largely valueless. The permanency of the point, and is security, seems essential to the trade.
Hunters


Trade at Exchange points
Outlaw on beach makes trading gesture to the ship
He made the universal gesture for trading, gesturing as though he were taking something from us, and then giving us something in return.
One of the girls in the frame lifted her head, and, miserable, surveyed our ship, off shore, on the green waters of Thassa.
Cara looked at the girls tied helpless in the frames, and at the man coming down to the shore, and at the others, high on the beach, behind him, behind the frames.
Hunters

Those on board ships return the gesture if interested in trade
I returned the trading gesture, and the man on the shore lifted his arms, acknowledging my sign, and turned back.
Hunters

Wine is brought from on board the ship so the traders might have refreshment on the sandy beach of the Exchange Point
"If it pleases you, Rim," I said, "your slave might, from the sand in the lower hold, fetch wine."
Rim, the Outlaw, grinned.
He looked upon Cara. "Fetch wine," he told her.
"Yes, Master," she said, and turned away.
Hunters

Traders may share news
"Well," said Arn, "I gather that you have come to do some trading with us." He looked at me.
"Was there other news in Lydius?" asked Rim, pleasantly.
"The price for a good sleen pelt is now a silver tarsk," said Arn. Then he held out his cup again to Cara. "More wine," he said.
She refilled the cup.
Arn regarded her. I saw that he was pleased with her.
I, too, held out my cup, and she rose, serving me, and then the others, in their turn, lastly serving Rim.
"Is there further news in Lydius?" I asked.
Arn smiled. "Marlenus of Ar," he said, "was in Lydius five days ago."
I betrayed no emotion.
"What does the great Ubar do so far from Ar," inquired Rim.
"He hunts Verna," said Arn.
I thought I had detected the slightest movement in the shoulders of one of the panther girls, their heads to the sand, the branch lashed behind their necks.
Hunters

Male outlaw trades female slaves, former panther girls, for coin
"I refuse to sell for less than eight gold pieces each," said Arn.
"Perhaps you could take them to Lydius, and sell them there," suggested Rim.
I smiled.
"Or perhaps to Laura?"
Rim was shrewd. There would be much danger in taking such women to these places. Arn, outlaw, well knew this. We might easily sell such women in Laura, or, more likely, in Lydius, bit it would not be an easy matter for an outlaw to do so.
Rim, followed by Cara, and myself, began to walk back down the beach, toward the Tesephone.
Hunters

Traders sit on the sand to discuss the trading
Wine brought from ship is served (here, by a slave also on board the ship, as the other slaves at the Exchange Point are bound for sale)
The panther girl, Sheera, who was leader of this band, sat down in the warm sand.
"Let us bargain," she said.
She sat cross-legged, like a man. Her girls formed a semi-circle behind her.
Sheera was a strong, black-haired wench, with a necklace of claws and golden chains wrapped about her neck. There were twisted, golden armlets on her bronzed arms. About her left ankle, threaded, was an anklet of shells. At her belt she wore a knife sheath. The knife was in her hand, and, as she spoke, she played with it, and drew in the sand.
"Serve wine," said Rim, to Cara.
Rim and I, as we had with Arn, and his men, sat down with Sheera, and her girls.
Cara, the slave girl, just as she had done with Arn and the men, served wine. The girls, no more than the men, noticed her. For she was slave.
It interested me that the panther girls showed her no more respect, nor attention, than they did. But they did not acknowledge their sisterhood with such animals as she.
I was not interested in the purchase of men, but I was interested in whatever information I might be able to gather from panther girls. And these girls were free. Who knew what they might know?
Hunters

Panther girls trade male slaves for goods - arrow points, knives, candy
"A steel knife for each," I proposed to Sheera, "and twenty arrow points, of steel, for each."
"Forty arrow points for each, and the knives," said Sheera, cutting at the sand.
I could see she did not much want to conduct these negotiations. Her heart was not in the bargaining. She was angry.
"Very well," I said.
"And a stone of candies," she said, looking up, suddenly.
"Very well," I said.
"For each!" she demanded.
"Very well," I said.
Hunters

Panther girls trading for useful goods - slave nets, slave traps, bracelets, necklaces, mirrors, spear points, chains, manacles
It was not unknown that among the bands in the forests, a male might be sold for as little as a handful of such candies. When dealing with men, however, the girls usually demanded, and received, goods of greater value to them, usually knives, arrow points, small spear points; sometimes armlets, and bracelets and necklaces, and mirrors; sometimes slave nets and slave traps, to aid in their hunting' sometimes slave chains, and manacles, to secure their catches.
I had the goods brought from the ship, with scales to weigh out the candies.
Sheera, and her girls, watched carefully, not trusting men, and counted the arrow points twice.
Satisfied, Sheera stood up. "Take the slaves," she said.
The nude male wretches were, by men from the Tesephone, cut down.
Hunters