Mara and Dann

"I do know," said Mara. "I learned about how to mate animals."

"That would come in useful, to give orders to your slaves."

"Please," said Mara, "please."

"Bring your animal. But you must come alone. I'm not dealing with that old bag Daima. Alone, do you hear?"

Mara was angry that he'd called Daima an old bag, but she made herself smile. "Thank you," she said.

"And if the kid turns out to be male, I shall have it."

"Oh, thank you, thank you — " and she ran off.

She told Daima what she had done, and Daima caught her hand to her heart and had to sit down. "Mara," she said, "Mara... That was so dangerous. I've known Kulik kill someone who stood up to him."

"What is a Mahondi?"

"We are Mahondis. The People are Mahondis. Did he call you a Mahondi? Well, you are one. And me. And Da

"And he wants the kid if it is male. That means, we can keep it if it is female and have milk from her when she grows up."

"There are too many females," said Daima. "We can't feed what we have. He wants another male because his is old and he can keep control of who has milk and who doesn't."

"Perhaps Mishka will have twins."

"Don't wish for that. We would have to kill one. How could we keep them fed? You know yourself how hard it is to find food for them."

When Daima said that Mishka was ready, Mara put the rope around her horns and went through the houses to where the men sat.

She stood in front of Kulik with the beast and said, "Here is Mishka. I've come by myself, as you said."

"What makes you think I haven't changed my mind?" said Kulik, and went on gri

"You promised," said Mara at last, not crying, for she was determined not to.

"Very well, you come with me."

He got up, in his heavy, slow way — like an animal that has decided to tread all over you, Mara thought — and went towards the enclosure where his male milk beast was, all by itself. Mishka began to jump and rush about at the end of her rope.

Kulik turned his head to grin back and say, "Can't wait for it, can she? — you are all the same."

Mara had no idea what he meant.

At the entrance to the enclosure, which was a small one — just room for one animal and a bit over — he slid back a bar and pushed in Mishka, and then picked up Mara and lifted her over so that she was among the legs and the horns. Then he leaned his arms on the wooden rail, gri

"Remember, it's mine if it's a male," said Kulik.

"I promise," said Mara.

"She promises," said the men to each other, in copies of her little voice, but lisping and silly, not as she spoke.

She took Mishka back to her place near the others, and stood for a time with her arms around one of the big front legs, because she could not reach any higher; and Mishka put down her soft muzzle and licked Mara's sweaty, dusty neck for the salt.

Then she went to Daima and told her. Daima only sat with her head on her old hand at the table and listened.

"Well, let's hope she takes," she said. And Mishka did "take": she was pregnant and she gave birth to a male. Da

Mara said, "Don't love that little beast so much, because we can't keep him."

And Daima said, "That's right. He must know what the world is like." "Perhaps it won't always be like this," said Mara.

And then the beast, which Da

Da

On the low hill overlooking the village was a tall rock, precipitous on three sides and sloping steeply on the village side. There on the top of it sat Mara, looking down at a group of half a dozen boys playing a game of fighting with sticks. Da

"You should be more careful, Mara," he had chided, and not at all as if he were mimicking her constant, Be careful, do be careful, Da

She had gone in to Daima and told her, and the two had wept and laughed in each other's arms for the wonderful ludicrousness of it. And Daima had said, "Congratulations, Mara. You've done it. You've brought him through."

This was her favourite place. Nobody came up here: not Da