After lunch, Charlotte returned to Andrea to tell her what she thought to be good news:
„Captain Ryder and the others still haven`t found out who could be behind your latest kidnapping. But anyway, next week, we will leave China. We will go to Rangoon and of course, you will accompany us!“
To her surprise, Andrea didn`t seem the least delighted.
„We-we can`t go! I have to find Zenobia!“
„But, where is she? If she is still in Kanton, we can perhaps send a message to the British ambassador there and he can-“
„No! As I told you before, worse was about to come. For a few weeks, we almost got used to our life in the harem. We could improve our spoken Chinese and ,CC` seemed indeed interested in going to the USA the next spring and taking us with him. So, we thought that after a few months, we would be back home and find a possibility to escape. The only drop of bitterness was that we were hardly ever alone and so, Zenobia and I found no opportunity to talk about what it was between us, let alone exchanging more than a volatile kiss from time to time. But we still thought that we would survive our Chinese adventure with a black eye.
Strange enough, Vanessa befriended with Myra and Jody. We didn`t fight or even quarrel, but after a while, they formed a group whilst Zenobia and I stuck more to Diane. And so, when the first of December came, it was on us three to serve CC and his guest, a man of his age who was some miltary person. It was a bit embarrassing, but even more, it was ridiculous. We had to represent the American colours: Zenobia had to wear white underwear, Diane red and me blue. The man looked at us as if he wanted to strip us with his eyes whenever we served their table, but he kept his hands by himself and so, we didn`t think that much about it.
After a while, they drank and played Majong. I don`t know the rules, but it seemed that CC was losing. From time to time, they looked over to us, but then, they kept on playing until the guest left and CC was brought to bed by his servants, completely drunk. We thought that if all visits from guests were like that, we would not get into problems. How wrong we were!
Just a few minutes later, not less then six men entered the room. It were CC`s guest, the majordomo of our master and four men who looked like soldiers and who held guns in their hands. The old man said something in Chinese and Diane, who understood him best, suddenly became pale.
,H-he s-says we must g-g-go with him! He h-has won us in the g-game`, she stammered.
Of course, we tried to talk to the majordomo and to tell him to fetch CC, but he just shrugged and said something none of us could understand. Diane started to scream, but one of the soldiers stepped behind her and slung his arm over her mouth. Before Zenobia and I could react, we were grabbed the same way by two other men. We screamed into the strong arms over our mouths and tried to get free, but the men just increased the pressure, nearly choking us. The man said something to the majordomo and he left. Then, he looked at us, scratching his chin and smiling in a way that made us feel as if he was Satan himself. What the hell was just happening? If CC was sober again, he would cancel this terrible deal, even if he really had lost us in a game of Majong! However, we were in no position to alert him and after some minutes, the majordomo came back, carrying a pile of cloth in his arms.
The man now said something into his fourth man`s ear and he went to the majordomo and searched through the cloths which turned out to be some scarves – and a pair of knickers I remembered only too well as those that had originally belonged to me, but that had been used as a gag to Jody during our abduction. Since Diane knew from her time in Madame Yini`s hands what the man intended to do, she tried to fight them off. However, the soldier just grabbed her legs whilst the man holding her pinned her arms with his other arm. Diane flailed and squirmed, but to no avail. The man took the pair of knickers from his henchman and sniffed on them, cringing his nose. Then, he held them to Diane`s nose. She moaned with disgust and tried to turn her head away, but the soldier held her like a vice. Both Zenobia and I moaned and struggled too, but to no avail.
The man now pinched Diane`s nose and waited. She screamed anf gurgled and her face became deep red from her desperate attempts to breathe. Finally, hte soldier withdrew his arm and poor Diane, who opened her mouth to suck in some fresh air, got the knickers stuffed into her cheeks instead. He pushed and prodded until Diane only could utter faint grunts and panted heavily through hewr nose. When he turned to the scarves again, the soldier once again slung his arm over her mouth, forcing her to keep the underwear in.
Slowly and gleefully, he took a scarf and tied a knot in the middle. Then a second. Then a third. This knot, which had now the size of a fist, he forced between Diane`s wide open jaws before brutally knotting it off in her neck. Dians eyes widened and she squirmed in the men`s grip, but now, she quickly became out of breath.
Another scarf was tied over her mouth, another over her eyes. Then, he wrapped a fourth scarf over Diane`s head and knotted it off at her neck. We wondered if they would tie her up now, but instead, his interest turned towards me.
The decision was almost ridiculous: I could either fight being gagged and so keep a little bit of dignity. Or, I could accept it and avoid being choked. Though I felt like a coward, I opened my mouth when he approached with a pair of knickers that hadn`t been mine. I just retched when he stuffed them deep into my throat and filled my cheeks, making them bulge. These knickers tasted vile, though it was not the first time I had to endure such a gag. Zenobia looked at me with a mixture of compassion and fear. I tried to tell her with my eyes that, if we would stay together, things could be worse.
I too was gagged with two more scarves, just like Diane. Before they blindfolded me, i send a last loving glance to Zenobia. Then, I felt that they wrapped my head in silk, too. A rustling and some faint moans told me that it was now Zenobia`s turn to be gagged.
Surprisingly, they did not tie us up, but we were led outside and I felt myself getting seated on a heavily upholstered seat or bench. I felt the bodies of Zenobia and Diane beside me. We had to sit close together, but I could not say who was on my left side and who was on my right. When I was pushed to the backrest, I felt something around my neck, like a stiff collar. Suddenly, i felt a slight pressure on my throat, too and when I reached around blindfolded, I realized with horror what they had done.
You remember what I have told you about the cangue? There are similar devices to lock two or more people together and now, such a board was locked around our heads. It was uphostered with what seemed to be leather and it was firmly attached to something, since we could not move it, let alone standing up. I screamed into my gag and hammered against the board with my fists, but to no avail. I could hear that Zenobia and Diane did the same, but we could do nothing to get off the dreadful cangue. Then, our seat began to move.
We soon realized that we were sitting in a coach. We could hear the sounds of the wheels, some hoofbeats and sometimes, human voices. All the time, we screamed through the knickers filling our mouths and banged and kicked against the board and the coach`s walls, but the coach just continued it`s journey. I tried to reach around the board, but it was too wide to allow me to touch my hooded head.
After some time, exhaustion forced us to calm down. I reached for my right and suddenly, I felt a hand taking mine and squeezing it. ,It must be Zenobia`, I thought, but at the same moment, another hand took my left. We sat there like this fore a while, trying to give each other some consolation, but I still had no idea who was which.“
Charlotte could not believe it.
„They were driving you through the streets of Kanton? But – someone must have noticed you, gagged or not!“
Andrea smiled wryly: „This is not England ot the USA. Here, obviously the coach of a nobleman ist nothing of interest for the people, no matter what sounds can be heard However, the journey went on for some two weeks. I can`t say for sure.“
„Y-you mean, they kept you like this for some two weeks? Poor thing!“
Andrea looked gratefully at Charlotte. The redhead was 23, she had told her, meaning she was ten years younger than Andrea. She wans`t a little girl, but Andrea decided to keep some details of that journey to herself, no matter how much she liekd and trusted her new friend.
After some eight hours, their trip had stopped for the first time. The three girls had dozed off from exhaustion and resignation, but the were waken up when they felt the cangue move. Obviously, it could be loosened from the coach`s frame without releasing them for they were led outside with their hooded heads still trapped within the broad board.
When they were standing on shaky legs, a man`s voice said in broken English:
„Pee break!“
„Mhhmmmph?“
All three girls had reacted as if the man had told them he would now cut one of their legs. Did these perverts really mean-?
However, they could hear nothing but an occasional snorting of one of the horses and a singing bird somewhere nearby. Obviously, the men just waited.
Andrea had blushed from embarrassment under her silk hood. They had been forced to relieve themselves without real privacy when on thew ship, but there they had had at least the barrier to hide. But here, they were standing somewhere beside the road, in plain sight.
However, it had been a long trip and nature called. Andrea squeezed her thighs together. They would have to let her go when they stopped for the night. At least, that was what she hoped for.
„Mmmhhmmph!“
She felt a hand grabbing her left arm, slightly pulling her down. It seemed as if Zenobia – or Diane – had given up suffering for her remnants of dignity.
„Of course, the cangue means we have to crouch all at the same time!“, she thought with disgust.
Then, moaning deeply from sheer frustration, she lowered her knickers to her knees and sqatted. Her companions did the same.
When they were finished, Andrea quickly adjusted her knickers and a pink rash on her chest told the bystanders that she was blushing all over.
„Let`s go“, the man said and the three gagged and blindfolded women were forced back on their seats and the board was fixed again. Then, the journey went on.
During the next 14 or so days, there wasn`t a point where they weren`t blindfolded and the gags were only removed for the meals, too. Their daily routine was always the same. Each morning – they had to sleep in their seats, too – they were ungagged and given water and some rice whilst still blind folded and tied in the yoke. Then, they were thoroughly regagged and their hoods were reapplied. Then, they were released and had some time to walk around or to relieve themselves, untied, but with a leash around their necks. Sometimes, their captors led them to a brook or well where they could wash themselves a bit. Then, their daily trip began which did not end before dusk (at least, Andrea guessed so from the decreasing warmth), only interrupted by a „technical break“ after some hours.
At the first few days, they had from time to time tried to alert people they could hear passing by or even to run away, but it had been to no avail. Whenever one of them was sobbing or in danger to become hysteric, the others caressed her and helped her to overcome her feelings. Soon, their plight was just very, very boring.
However, one day Andrea`s blindfold had slightly slipped when her hood was removed. It had only been a moment and the sudden light had almost blinded her, but she had been able to see a glimpse of dark brown skin to her left.
„So, Zenobi`s sitting to my left!“
soon after the start of their journey, she had reached for Zenobia`s right hand and caressed it. The girls had done so many times before to each other. However, this time, Andrea didn`t stop. She let her fingers wander over Zenobia`s thigh.
„Mhmmmph?“
she could feel the girl stiffen. Obviously, Zenobia was uncertain who she was. Andrea took her index finger and slightly scratched the letter „A“ on Zenobia`s thigh. Suddenly, her hand was grabbed and squeezed gently. Then, Andrea felt that her friend pressed her hand against her belly.
The stiff material of the corset prevented that she could feel her friend`s body, but she let her hand wander upwards and caressed Zenobia`s cleavage.
„Mmhhmmmmmm! Uuuhhmmmmmm!“
Zenobia grabbed her hand with her left and now, Andrea could feel Zenobia?s right lying on her pubic mound.
„Uuuhhhmmmmm! Mmmhhmmmmm!“
Andrea`s breath accelerated and she arched her womb to increase the pressure on her intimate area. The same time, her left found it`s way to Zenobia`s womb.
„Mmmmhhrrr! Nnnggg!“
An angry mewing could be heard from the right. A slapping sound followed and Zenobia`s hand disappeared. Obviously, Diane had slapped her on the back of her hands to keep her companions from letting themselves go that way.
With a moan of disappointment, Andrea wanted to withdraw her hand, too, but Zenobia held it tight. So, Andrea continued to massage her friend through the silk of her knickers.
„Mhhmmmmm! Uuhhhmmmmm! Hhmmmmmm!“
„Mhhrrrrrrrrrrr! Mph!“
This time, Diane reached over Andrea`s body, took her hand and pulled it from Zenobia`s lap with a fuming sound.
„Women!“, one of the men laughed.
Andrea quickly pressed her hands in her lap and pressed her thighs together. How could they act like that with all the soldiers around? Diane had been absolutely right about interrupting them. However, it took some time until the tingling in her lap had subsided.
„...to Tengue?“
„Pardon?“
Andrea had been carried away by her memories and so hadn`t understood Charlotte`s last question.
„I was asking if this coach finally brought you to Tengyue?“, Charlotte repeated.
„No. Actually, I don`t know what the final destination of this journey would have been, for after some two weeks, the coach suddenly halted and we could hear some shooting, yelling and the sounds of many hooves. We almost died from fear, since every second a bullet could hit the coach.
However, we remained unharmed and after a while, the shooting died down and a deadly silence was all that could be heard.
Suddenly, there were some steps beside the coach and we could hear someone climbing up on the side.
„Look here!“, he yelled.
We mmphed and hoped that we would be set free now, but we had come from the rain into the fire. I yelped from surprise when a hand suddenly squeezed one of my breasts and I tried to kick at my attacker blindfolded, but only got a laugh. Then, we felt some hard vibrations in the cangue. Obviously, whoever had attacked the caravan was now opening it with a sabre or an ax.
When the cangue fell, I felt strong hands grabbing me and pulling me outside. After some moments, I was tied hand and foot and thrown over what seemed to be a strange kind of horse. Later, it turned out to be a camel. Then, I was tied to the animal and we started to move over a very rough terrain.
Then, after about one hour, we stopped and I was pulled from the camel`s back. My feet were released and I was lead into what seemed to be a tent where my wrists were freed, only to be tied behind a post. Then, the hood was removed and for the first time after all these days, the blindfold came off.
It was quite dark inside the tent, and so, I could quite quickly get used to seeing again. I could see Diane and Zenobia tied to similar posts and a group of what looked like a gang of brigants were standing or sitting around, looking at us and talking in such a strange dialect I could hardly understand a word.
When I looked ad Zenobia for the first time since we had left Kanton, I was horrified. She was looking dusty and her hair was in a sweaty mess. Diane didn`t look better and i was glad that there was no mirror showing me my on appearance. However, both my companions seemed unharmed.
A tall man entered the tent and the others fell silent and bowed towards him. Even without understanding our latest abductors, we knew that he had to be the leader. He was tall, had a black mustache with long hanging ends and he looked almost like an incarnation of Genghis Khan, except for two things: he was carrying a revolver in his belt and his vest was made from a flag – a Union Jack!“
Drawing by hugues66
„The Black Fox“, Charlotte gasped. Andrea frowned and she began to explain:
„The Black Fox is a half legendary leader of irregular troops around here. Even we have heard about him, though he operates quite far from here. He is something like a boogeyman: mothers tell their children to behave or the Black Fox will get them. I actually think he`s a bandit who takes advantage of the continuing skirmishes between the Sultanate`s troops and the Imperial troops.“
„Well, that`s true, but he definitely exists. He looked at us and said in quite fluent English, though with a hard accent:
,Do you understand me?`
We nodded and he told us that if we promised to behave, we would be given water and food and be allowed to take a bath. If we would scream, our tongues would be cut and if we would try to run away, he would cut off our feet.“
„A real gentleman“, Charlotte meant.
„With no other opportunity, we nodded and our hands were released. We ungagged ourselves and some women brought us some water, bread and fruits. Greedily, we ate and drank. We also tried to talk to the Black Fox, but he just looked at us in a way we decided to not raise our voices again.
,You want to bathe now?`, he asked after we had finished our meal and of course we nodded, after having no opportunity to really wash or change clothes for some two weeks now.
Well, I don`t know what I had expected, but obviously, the bathtub hadn`t been invented in that part of the world yet. We were led outside and could see more men, but also some women and a group of children looking at us. They brought us to a place behind the tents where a little lake was. Then, one of the women handed each of us a bar of soap and a comb.
It was not the bath we had expected, but it was cool and fresh water and so, we just wanted to get in when the Black Fox stopped us.
,Get naked first!`
Andrea stopped in her story. The memory still was quite humiliating. Around the lake, there had been neither some bushes nor some rocks and there had been some 150 men, women and children watching. However, when they first had refused, one of the men had approached and roughly ripped the corset from Diane. She had yelped with pain and embarrassment and had crossed her arms defensifely in front of her breasts. When two more men had approached her and Zenobia, they had given in and started to undo the bands and hooks of their own corsets.
When they were all topless, they had been ordered to continue. Now, they could not longer hide their boobs from being viewed, but the alternative was getting stripped by the men. They undid their boots – not the worst thing after having them on their feet for such a long time – and stockings, followed by their garter belts. They pleaded to be allowed to keep at least their knickers, but they had to peel them down, too before they were shooed into the water.
Humiliating or not, the bath was indeed refreshing and they had almost enjoyed it. They had gone to the middle of the lake, where they were some ten yards away from the watching crowd and where the water reached to their shoulders. There, they had cleaned themselves and washed their hair and bodies.
„More, more!“, the Black fox had told them whenever they wanted to leave the lake.
„He is really enjoying the view“, Diane, who was just soaping her hair, meant.
With a grim look, Zenobia, who was forcing a comb through her hair, shook her head.
„He wants us to look presentable – for whoever we will be sold to.“
The two other women froze to their tracks. Would there again be an escalation of what they had to endure.
At that moment, they were called back to the shore. When they hesitated, a shot that made the water splash up accelerated their moves. Each of them was given a large towel and when they had dried themselves, they wrapped the cloths around their nude bodies. They could see that their clothes had disappeared.
„Follow my wife!“
A woman waved and they followed her inside a tent. There, more women were waiting for them. The Black Fox`s wife closed the lid behind them and then, the women began to take care of them. They first protested when the towels were taken from them, but then, they relaxed and enjoyed the massage given to their aching limbs. Since there were no men around, they allowed themselves to sigh with relief and pleasure when the women`s expert hands took care of them.
However, the things the women did to them reminded them of the fact that this was not done for their pleasure. A fragrance oil was massaged into their skin and their hair was combed till it felt like silk. Then, a woman raised a sharp knife and told them to fold their hands on their heads. They reluctantly obeyed and she shaved their armpits, followed by some more massage oil. Questioningly, she pointed at their pubic hair and waved the knife. Blushing all over, all three vigorously shook their heads.
When they were finished, one of the women handed them a small mirror and Andrea had to admit that they had indeed done good work. They were clean and feeling fresh, their skin slightly gleamed and their hair was looking nice for the first time in weeks. If there hadn`t been Zenobia`s gloomy forecast, they would have felt quite good.
„They – took care of us“, Andrea told Charlotte. „We were even allowed to stay in the tent for the night, untied and ungagged for the first night in weeks.“
She concealed the fact that they had been left stark naked and that one man had sat inside the tent. They had been given blankets and so, they could cover themselves, but they could not try to run from the tent and since they didn`t know if the man could understand them, they didn`t dare to talk much. When Diane had tried to go outside, trying to tell him in an embarrassing pantomime that she had to relieve herself, he called for another man who accompanied her. But on the other hand, he did not try to touch them and soon, they had fallen asleep.
„Early the next morning, about two hours before sunset, we were risen from the arms of Morpheus. Some of the women brought us some tea and some food and then, the Black Fox and some of his men entered and told us that we would leave now.“
Again, Andrea spared her friend some of the details. They had to line up and the blankets were taken from them, leaving them stark naked. The Black Fox had told them to put their hands on their heads and then, a humiliating inspection had begun. The gang leader and one of his men had watched every inch of their body and had groped their breasts and tested the firmness of their butts, bellies and thighs. Since four more men were standing beside with their sabres at hand, they had endured the procedure without resistance, they had just blushed and from time to time emitted a grunt or moan of reluctance. Only when they had checked their teeth, as if they were horses on the market, Diane had bitten the Black Fox. He had uttered a sound of surprise and Diane had stepped back, awaiting to be beaten. To her surprise, the man laughed and said something they could not understand, but what made his men laugh.
When they had finished the procedure, the men stepped back and some of the women entered. Under the soldiers`s prying eyes, their bodies were once again massaged, oiled and perfumed. This time, they did not the least enjoy that. To Andrea`s horror, one of the women took a knife, plucked some of her pubic hair and asked something to the Black Fox. He shook his head and Andrea let out a sigh of relief when the woman let her go. However, now the Black Fox approached and plucked on her pubic hair too!
„Some buyers like!“, he told her with a smile.
Buyers. So, Zenobia had forecasted it right they were to be sold on a slave market. It took Andrea some effort not to faint.
When the women had also once again combed their hair, they were told to stand with their legs closed and with their arms to their sides. Then, they were wrapped in large linen blankets, covering them from their necks to their ankles. Since this covered them from the men`s eyes, they did not protest, even when the wraps were secured with some rope. The ties held them quite firmly, but the blankets prevented them from getting hurt. However, that was not the end of it.
The Black Fox now said something and pointed at Diane whilst he faked biting his finger. The men and even some of the women laughed. The three damsels looked at him with uneasiness when he said:
„We better make sure you don`t bite your new masters!“
To their surprise, a woman brought a wooden tray and stepped beside the Black Fox. Andrea groaned with distress when she saw that on it there were nine pieces of cloth. Three were long strips of silk with a knot in the centre. The others were the six pairs of knickers they had been wearing respectively been gagged with.
„Oh no, not again“, she thought.
However, the Black Fox seemed to have some fun in prolonging the procedure, just to humiliate his victims some more. He took the knickers one by one and sniffed on them. Then he handed them to one of his men who did the same. Obviously, he wanted a second opinion.
Andrea could not help blushing all over when she recognized a black pair of knickers that had once belonged to her was chosen the winner in that embarrassing contest. The pair had been used to gag Zenobia when they had been abducted from their bed in White Skull and had since then been worn by her and another women (who had been forced to climax whilst doing so) and been used as a gag to Zenobia once again, then to Vanessa and for the last weeks, Zenobia had been gagged with them again. Now, it was Diane`s turn.
Before the blonde could do or say something, a man stepped behind her and pulled on her scalp, forcing her to arch her head back as far as she could. She uttered a groan of pain that was soon stifled to some retching sound when the Black Fox stuffed her mouth with the balled up knickers.
Whilst the soldier clamped her stuffed mouth shut, the gang leader reached for another pair. It were the white ones Zenobia had been wearing for the last two weeks. He pulled them over Diane`s head before he felt for her open lips, wedged the knot of one of the scarfs between her teeth and knotted it in her neck. Now, Diane had not only to chew on another woman`s used underwear, but was also forced to smell Zenobia`s scent. In addition, the panty hood blindfolded the girl who made small retching sounds and cringed her body.
Although they had not bitten the Black Fox and despite their protests and weak resistance, Andrea and Zenobia were gagged in the same humiliating way. Andrea was gagged with the knickers that had once been worn by Vanessa and had then gagged Zenobia and later Andrea. When she was coping with the familiar, but each time disgusting taste, she was hooded with the red pair Diane had been wearing.
This left Zenobia to be gagged with the other pair of Andrea`s knickers that had once gagged Jody and later Diane whilst the blue pair Andrea had been wearing for the last weeks went over her head. Both gags and hoods were also reinforced with knotted scarves.
The men then wrapped them into rough carpets before binding them on three camels`s backs.
„To Dali!“, the heard the men yell before the camels began to slowly walk on.
***