Chapter 12

The most bulky items on the camels, and which would increase the least as they progressed eastwards, were the skins. These moreover, replenished themselves as they went. John and Zithrusa agreed to dispose of them advantageously at the next promising opportunity, and replace their volume with more wood.

John had used up much of the wood on animal carvings, and had branched into two other types of carvings, both of which embarrassed Zithrusa greatly.

He began carving very lifelike images of Zithrusa herself, nude and in seductive and suggestive poses. The smooth wood made one yearn to touch and caress it, it was hypnotic and entrancing. Although she was embarrassed, Zithrusa was certain that anyone who held one of these pieces would pay almost any price to possess it. John had captured or brought out something in the wood, a female spirit of seduction like a dryad.

The other things John began carving were lingam, life-sized, or slightly larger, of erect male genitalia, with every curve, vein, and wrinkle lovingly depicted. The eggs nestled in their stretched sack, and it was the counterpart to the magical effect of the nymph carvings. Zithrusa found herself absently caressing one without realizing it, and when she did she would blush deeply. She wanted to rub her face against the smooth warm wood, run it against her lips, touch it with her tongue.

She came to herself with a start, and knew that this also would find a willing market. She couldn't resist from trying one out, and not only did her oils give it a magical sheen, a glow that seemed to outline the very essence of the wood, but it was curved just so to give her amazing pleasure, so much that she overflowed with it. She learned from then on to make certain that when she 'polished' one of the lingams for it's final coating, she should make certain one of the absorbent cotton pads was under her to catch the overflow.

When John found her so engaged, he watched quietly, and after that insisted that she let him watch her, and at the proper time allow him to seal her with his mouth and drink her nectar. Even so, she produced so much that it overflowed his mouth faster than he could swallow, and ran down his neck and chest. John gave her his water ration and drank from the fountain of love, and was inspired to produce more carvings for her to baptize.

He made a smaller version just for her that she could insert while riding her horse. She wore her robes on these occasions, and a pair of tiny silk garments which John called 'panties'. The horse blanket was a bit thicker and more absorbent than normal, and was somehow completely soaked in horse sweat by the end of her rides.

It fit inside her so nicely, filling her up without being too uncomfortable. Her 'panties' got soaked despite being of waterproof silk, and the movement of the horse made the little protrusion on the top rub her buzz button thrillingly.

The horse riders in this time and area didn't use leather saddles or stirrups, just a light pad or blanket strapped around the horse's belly. John thought if he was going to be on a horse very much he would have to invent a saddle with stirrups. His little invention for Zithrusa's pleasure was stirring her up!

She transferred her lust onto John in the nights, and there were many complaints of 'panthers and leopards' in the mornings. Wong moved the silk tent over by the camels so he could slee- er- watch over them.

At the Kokand crossroads, in the dirty little town which squatted there for no other reason than to provide drink and food to the caravans while their Masters made up their minds to take the right fork or the left, or to leave messages to each other, John and Zithrusa none-the-less managed to trade the skins for wood. They even got some skeins of raw silk thread at exorbitant rates, but both the wood and silk would be worth more, by the time John and Zithrusa were done adding value, than the skins would increase by being transported eastwards.

Having an equal volume of carvings and silk would increase their wealth tenfold or even a hundredfold over the same volume of furs. Although valuable in the east, the furs just weren't as high value as the silk tents and carvings which the raw silk and cured wood would become, The furs were more valuable than the wood and thread as such, here and now. The fur trader thought they were fools, but worth is what a person values, after all. Besides, they got all the wood and thread their camels could carry.

A week after leaving the squalid fork in the road, they came to another fork, this time merely the rejoining of the southern route back onto the trail. Ironically, it was here that they encountered trouble of the kind they might have sought to avoid by taking the southern trail in the first place.

A local Scythian warlord, actually a few days ride from his own territory but bored and looking for trouble, accosted the caravan, demanding it produce a champion. When John was presented, he laughed and mocked, asking if this pitiful example was the best they could come up with. John begged the warlord's forgiveness, and said he hoped he would give good sport to any challenge the warlord had to offer them. He then added that perhaps the warlord would want to select a champion from his men to avoid personal shame if the Scythians lost the challenge.