Chapter 10

Because John hadn't made an issue about the tiger skin, the Caravan master couldn't really make any issue with John keeping the pelts he acquired as he hunted. He didn't seek out or track or trap the furs he occasioned, rather they just 'fell into his lap' as it were. He extended them on a frame of wood where they dried quickly in the dry air enough that flies weren't interested. Light, they soon made a large bundle on their half camel load.

The clothing the people they bypassed wore gradually changed from wool robes to leather pants and vests, and soft short leather boots fastened with a strap about the ankle. John wanted some pants too, so he made himself and Zithrusa leather pants from the auroch hide that Zithrusa had cured. In a fit of whimsy, he had constructed both sets so that the grey stripe ran up the outside of their legs, the hair pointing down of course. It made for a very snazzy pair of trousers, and incidentally boldly advertised that the leather had come from a full grown bull auroch, as immature males lacked the stripe, and females were colored a reddish brown. There were just as many women wearing trousers as men, and as many were armed with bows and knives.

The market in Samarkand was chaos, with deals and trades happening constantly, and in many cases, concluding only to have the person who just obtained an item turn around and trade it away for something else. Many sharp traders bargaining made for a cacophony of noise, a great babble of sound that stunned the senses. John hid in his tent for the first day, unwilling to face such crowds, while Zithrusa was enthralled, her first visit to the big city. She spent the day going here and there, it was twenty times the size of a gathering, with much more goods to choose from. She 'window shopped' and got an idea of values and worth, and listened to what values might be further along the trail.

She saw her first chariots, mostly four wheeled 'utility' versions, carrying the rich and their baggage, not the sporty two-wheeled ones used for war or sport, although she did see a few. She learned of the chariot races held outside of town on a big track, and the next day dragged John there, to watch.

A suffocating crowd while shopping was one thing, and John found he could stand the sporting crowd, all standing still and focused on the event. The track was a wide loop, starting and ending before the 'stadium' which was a slope on a hillside, affording a view of the event to all comers. At the far end nothing could be seen except for a cloud of dust, from which emerged the leader, evolving into the winner. There was no second place, only the winner and the losers so the races were usually ran in pairs.

John noticed that the horses used were mostly the shaggy stocky ponies, not the elegantly lined Arabian horses such as his and Zithrusa's. He mentioned it to her, and her eyes lit up. She coached him on values, and prepared him to front for her. They approached a man dressed in leather britches, highly decorated yet well worn at the seat and on the insides of the legs. He was wearing what looked like a huge leather shoe on his head, the toe pointed up and to the front. His silk shirt was covered with a sheepskin vest, also patterned and dyed in bright colors, fleece side in. His hair was oiled and long, unconstrained, and his moustaches were long and flowing. He smiled greeting at John, revealing crooked yellowing teeth, which were however sound and strong.

He and John sat on stools and drank a mild beer which tasted like lawn clippings, and John started by admiring the man's horses, which he had just won the race with.

"I have never raced a chariot," began John, "But it doesn't seem very difficult. How do you hire your drivers?"

The Chariot Owner hid his small grimace in his beard, this didn't seem like it would be a profitable exchange. "My drivers are all expert with the whip. They never touch my precious horses, any mark on their hides would be cause for the driver to be whipped." He stated, preparing to make some excuse to end the interview and attend to other business.

"I have a pair of fine western horses which would beat your horses by a quarter of the track." John stated quietly, instantly gaining the man's full attention. He looked around, and made certain no one could overhear them. "If you raced my horses against some that would beat your best, and my horses won, wouldn't that be worth a lot of winnings?"

The Chariot Owner was intrigued, this was the type of scheme he loved. "Let me look at your horses" he told John, and if he had been the kind of man to make appointments, he would have cancelled them. The man was very impressed by the looks of the horses, and asked John what he was looking for in exchange.

John started out asking four camels for the two horses, and was surprised when the man accepted without demur. At an emphatic signal from Zithrusa, he clarified "Forgive me if I don't speak your language very well, I meant the Bactrian, not the Dromedary. The man blinked in surprise, and asked John if he had two drivers, as it would take a driver for every two Bactrian camels. When John indicated that he didn't, the man offered to provide two Bactrian camels and a driver for John. When John inquired about wages for the driver, the man laughed, and said "Slaves need no wages."