Harigga

"I lifted my hand to them and then drew on the one-strap and the wings of the great tarn began to strike the resistant air and the Tuchuks on all sides fell back stumbling in the dust and the driven wind smote from beneath the mighty wings of the bird and in that instant we saw the wagons fall away beneath us, extending in their squares for pasangs, and we could see the ribbon of the creek and then the Omen Valley and then the spires of distant Turia, far off." — Nomads of Gor, page 344.

A typical encampment of wagons comprises a sort of wagon circle, however, such is not seen with the wagon peoples of the southern plains. The method in which the Wagon Peoples form their wagons resemble much a city.

"When groups are traveling together the wagons are often arranged in a circle, end to end, tongues inward, narrowing gaps between the "sections" of the improvised rampart, and chained together, the front axle of one wagon chained to the rear axle of the next, the camp, and the draft animals, and any accompanying livestock, within the circle. Often this circle can be quite large, with the circle being five wagons deep. This, however, is not the way of the wagon peoples of the southern hemispheres due to the large number of wagons. There the wagons congregate almost to form wagon cities." — Renegades of Gor, page 7.

The camps of the Wagon Peoples resemble that of a city, comprised of "harigga" (or, literally, "bosk wagons"). The wagons are arranged so as to form streets and such.

"I followed the warrior Kamchak into the encampment of Tuchuks. Nearly were we run down by six riders on thundering kaiila who, riding for sport, raced past us wildly among the crowded, clustered wagons. I heard the lowing of milk bosk from among the wagons. Here and there children ran between the wheels, playing with a cork ball and quiva, the object of the game being to strike the thrown ball. Tuchuk women, unveiled, in their long leather dresses, long hair bound in braids, tended cooking pots hung on tem-wood tripods over dung fires. These women were unscarred, but like the bosk themselves, each wore a nose ring. That of the animals is heavy and of gold, that of the women also of gold but tiny and fine, not unlike the wedding rings of my old world. I heard a haruspex singing between the wagons; for a piece of meat he would read the wind and the grass; for a cup of wine the stars and the flight of birds; for a fat-bellied dinner the liver of a sleen or slave. — Nomads of Gor, page 27.
       By one fire I could see a squat Tuchuk, hands on hips, dancing and stamping about by himself, drunk on fermented milk curds, dancing, according to Kamchak, to please the sky." — Nomads of Gor, page 28.

"We suddenly emerged into the center of what seemed to be a wide, grassy street among the wagons, a wide lane, open and level, an avenue in that city of Harigga, or Bosk Wagons. The street was lined by throngs of Tuchuks and slaves. Among them, too, were soothsayers and haruspexes, and singers and musicians, and, here and there, small peddlers and merchants, of various cities, for such are occasionally permitted by the Tuchuks, who crave their wares, to approach the wagons. Each of these, I was later to learn, wore on his forearm a tiny brand, in the form of spreading bosk horns, which guaranteed his passage, at certain seasons, across the plains of the Wagon Peoples. The difficulty, of course is in first obtaining the brand. If, in the case of a singer, the song is rejected, or in the case of a merchant, his merchandise is rejected, he is slain out of hand. This acceptance brand, of course, carries with it a certain stain of ignominy, suggesting that those who approach the wagons do as slaves. — Nomads of Gor, pages 34-35.

Life Among the Wagons

Events in a wagon camp draw the curiousity of free man, woman, child and slave alike.

"Kamchak strode among the wagons, toward the sound, and I followed him closely. Many others, too, rushed to the sound, and we were jostled by armed warriors, scarred and fierce; by boys with unscarred faces, carrying the pointed sticks used often for goading the wagon bosk; by leather-clad women hurrying from the cooking pots; by wild, half-clothed children; even by enslaved Kajir-clad beauties of Turia; even the girl was there who wore but bells and collar, struggling under her burden, long dried strips of bosk meat, as wide as beams, she too hurrying to see what might be the meaning of the drum and horn, of the shouting Tuchuks." — Nomads of Gor, page 34.

The perimeter of the camp are guarded by what is known as outriders. These riders watch for the approach of strangers, as well as members of contemporary tribes.

"The hair on the back of my neck seemed to leap up and I felt the hair on my forearms stiffen. The earth itself was shaking from the hoofs of the bosk herds of the Wagon Peoples. They were approaching. Their outriders would soon be in sight." — Nomads of Gor, page 5.

Messages and Messengers

Commonly, drums made of bosk hide and horns of the bosk are used to convey messages in the camp.

"I heard then the shouts of men and the cries of women and children. Kamchak lifted his head intently, listening, Then we heard the pounding of a small drum and two blasts on the horn of a bosk. Kamchak read the message of the drum and horn." — Nomads of Gor, page 33.

Wild Girls

It is not uncommon in the camp of the wagon peoples to see even the insolent girls of the wagons riding kaiila. Here, we see a girl utter the general philosophy of the Wagon Peoples — and of all Goreans — that a stranger should be slain.

There was the sudden thud of a kaiila's paws on the grass between the wagons and a wild snorting squeal. I jumped back avoiding the paws of the enraged, rearing animal. "Stand aside, you fool!" cried a girl's voice, and to my astonishment, astride the saddle of the monster I espied a girl, young, astonishingly beautiful, vital, angry, pulling at the control straps of the animal. She was not as the other women of the Wagon Peoples I had seen, the dour, thin women with braided hair, bending over the cooking pots. She wore a brief leather skirt, slit on the right side to allow her the saddle of the kaiila; her leather blouse was sleeveless; attached to her shoulders was a crimson cape; and her wild black hair was bound back by a band of scarlet cloth. Like the other women of the Wagons she wore no veil and, like them, fixed in her nose was the tiny, fine ring that proclaimed her people. Her skin was a light brown and her eyes a charged, sparkling black. "What fool is this?" she demanded of Kamchak.
       "No fool," said Kamchak, "but Tarl Cabot, a warrior, one who has held in his hands with me grass and earth."
       "He is a stranger," she said. "He should be slain!"
       Kamchak grinned up at her. "He has held with me grass and earth," he said.
       The girl gave a snort of contempt and kicked her small, spurred heels into the flanks of the kaiila and bounded away.
       Kamchak laughed. "She is Hereena, a wench of the First Wagon," he said. — Nomads of Gor, pages 31-32.

The Dais of the Ubar

Court and other general meetings are held at the wagon of the Ubar. Here, we read that the Ubar of the Tuchuks held his court outside on a dais of richly carpeted, with a gray robe marking his place. The Ubars of the Wagon Peoples do not draw on formalities one would see in a city, such as prostrations, grovelings and such.

"The wagon of Kutaituchik, called Ubar of the Tuchuks, was drawn up on a large, flat-topped grassy hill, the highest land in the camp. Beside the wagon, on a great pole fixed in the earth, stood the Tuchuk standard of the four bosk horns... But I did not enter the wagon, for Kutaituchik held his court outside the wagon, in the open air, on the flat-topped grassy hill. A large dais had been built, vast and spreading, but standing no more than a foot from the earth. This dais was covered with dozens of thick rugs, sometimes four and five deep." — Nomads of Gor, pages 41-42.

"We simply sat near him, cross-legged. I was conscious that only we three on that dais were sitting. I was pleased that there were no prostrations or grovelings involved in approaching the august presence of the exalted Kutaituchik." — Nomads of Gor, page 43.

Men-at-arms surround the dais to keep order at the dais of the Ubar.

Then Kutaituchik sat back and clapped his hands together sharply twice. "Bring the she-slave," he said. I turned to see a stout man-at-arms step to the dais, carrying in his arms, folded in the furs of the scarlet larl, a girl. — Nomads of Gor, page 44.

Co-Mingling of Peoples

The Wagon Peoples, fierce and independent of each other, rarely will be seen in the camp of others.

"I saw among them even some Kassars and Paravaci, and one of the rare Kataii, seldom seen in the encampments of the other peoples. The Tuchuks, of course, were most in evidence, sitting cross-legged in circles rather about a large fire near the center of the enclosure. They were in good humor and were laughing and moving their hands about as they regaled one another with accounts of their recent deeds, of which there were plainly a great many, it being the most active season for caravan raiding." — Nomads of Gor, page 153.

Fuel for Camp

Fires in the camps are generally of bosk dung, however there are "opportunities" for wood fires…

"They were in good humor and were laughing and moving their hands about as they regaled one another with accounts of their recent deeds, of which there were plainly a great many, it being the most active season for caravan raiding. The fire, I was pleased to note, was not of boskdung but wood, timber and planking, I was less pleased to note, torn and splintered from a merchant's wagon." — Nomads of Gor, page 153.

"Even the dung of the bosk finds its uses on the treeless prairies, being dried and used for fuel." — Nomads of Gor, page 5.

Also in the encampments, there are commissary wagons, which are the general kitchens of the wagon camps.

"More than an hour ago I had left the commander's wagon, being roused by one of the guards outside. As I had left Elizabeth Cardwell had awakened. We had said nothing, but I had gathered her into my arms and kissed her, then left the wagon. On the way to the compound I had met Harold and together we had eaten some dried bosk meat and drank water, from one of the commissary wagons attached to one of Hundreds in the city. As commanders we could eat where we chose. " — Nomads of Gor, page 307.

Unlike the Alar, who move constantly, the Wagon Peoples are settled, sometimes for several months in their encampments. Therefore, the need for sanitary practices is imperative. Holes are dug in the ground, and cleaned out periodically by the male slaves.

"I found the Paga bottle: and noted that there was a bit of liquid left in it, below the neck of the bottle. I wiped off the neck and handed it to the man. He took about half of it and then wiped his mouth and handed it back. I then finished the bottle. I flung it into a refuse hole, dug and periodically cleaned by male slaves." — Nomads of Gor, page 165.

The Herd Sleen

These are the nocturnal prairie sleen that are domesticated by the Wagon People and used as sentinels and shepherds. Smaller than the forest sleen, approximately seven feet long, they are as vicious and carnivorous as their larger cousins. They are also tireless hunters. The sleen are released after dark and prowl to protect what they instinctively understand to be their territory, and will kill anything they come across. They are also used to hunt runaway slaves, tearing them to pieces upon finding them. These domesticated sleen respond only to the voice of their master, and should that master die, the sleen is then slain and eaten.

"As we passed among the wagons I leaped back as a tawny prairie sleen hurled itself against the bars of a sleen cage, reaching out for me with its six-clawed paw. There were four other prairie sleen in the cage, a small cage, and they were curling and moving about one another, restlessly, like angry snakes. They would be released with the fan of darkness to rum the periphery of the herds, acting, as I have mentioned, as shepherds and sentinels. They are also used if a slave escapes, for the sleen is an efficient, tireless, savage, almost infallible hunter, capable of pursuing a scent, days old, for hundreds of pasangs until, perhaps a month later, it finds its victim and tears it to pieces." — Nomads of Gor, page 28.

"With these he hurriedly conferred and then I saw him lift his arm and red war lanterns were moved on ropes to the top of poles, and to my amazement, aisles seemed to open in the densely packed bosk before the men, herdsmen and herd sleen moving the animals back to clear long grassy passages between their lumbering shaggy hulks." — Nomads of Gor, page 176.

The Wagon Peoples and Tarns

Although Wagon Peoples are not tarnsmen, that does not stop them from the desire to learn in times of need. Vain as they are, they are willing to leap all obstacles in doing so.

More disturbing to me was the prospect of bringing the golden sphere down the rope and under the water and through the underground stream to the place where we had embarked on this adventure. Also, I was not clear how Harold, supposing him to be successful in his shopping amongst the ferns and flowers of Saphrar's Pleasure Gardens, intended to conduct his squirming prize along this unscenic, difficult and improbable route. Being an inquisitive chap, I asked him about it, some two or three hundred feet up the rope.
       "In escaping," he informed me, "we shall steal two tarns and make away."
       "I am pleased to see," I said, "that you have a plan."
       "Of course," he said, "I am Tuchuk."
       "Have you ever ridden a tarn before?" I asked him.
       "No," he said, still climbing somewhere above me.
       "Then how do you expect to do so?" I inquired, hauling myself up after him.
       "You are a tarnsman, are you not?" he asked.
       "Yes," I said.
       "Very well," said he, "you will teach me."
       It is said," I muttered, "that the tarn knows who is a tarnsman and who is not and that it slays him who is not."
       Then," said Harold, "I must deceive it."
       "How do you expect to do that?" I asked.
       "It will be easy," said Harold. "I am a Tuchuk." — Nomads of Gor, pages 190-191.

Tarl and Harold do escape from Turia on tarnback and fly to the wagons. Did they then let the tarns go? No, they found uses for tarns and made a make-shift tarncot for them.

"On one of these wagons, with the top removed, were the two tarns Harold and I had stolen from the roof of Saphrar's keep. They had been brought for us, thinking that they might be of use in the warfare in the city or in the transportation of goods or men. A tarn can, incidentally, without difficulty, carry a knotted rope of seven to ten men." — Nomads of Gor, page 256.

 

 

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Special Note

Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:

  • Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
  • Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
  • Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
  • Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)

Disclaimer

These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.