Caste of DraymenThese are the only times where the Caste of Draymen is mentioned. While not specifically titled a Caste, this group is mentioned along with others that are. I make no pronouncements on these matters, but report them as I find them. Arrive at your own conclusions. I wish you well, Fogaban The fellow who had halted the auctioneer was plainly clad, in a simple brown tunic, and was surely of low caste, perhaps of the peasants, or a drayman of sorts. "In the sales last night," said a man suddenly, "a fellow, a drayman or tarnster I think, gave five gold pieces for a slave!" Several days ago we had begun to disrupt the supply lines of the enemy, striking at supply trains, frightening away draymen, dealing with guards, overturning and burning wagons, seizing stores, and discarding what we could not carry. Our work was often marked by hundreds of birds alighting on the spilled stores, who would soon compete with returning draymen, who would gather what rice they could and carry it away to their villages, where it might be concealed from the tax collectors of Lord Yamada. Many of the scattered draymen were visible in the fields, several yards off, watching us. This was not unusual. I had ordered draymen to be driven from the wagons if necessary, but, insofar as possible to be left unharmed. Indeed, it was my hope that local peasantries, from which the draymen would be impressed, might eventually be recruited as allies. Commonly we had little difficulty with local peasantries, from which draymen would be drawn. Indeed, we had often received pertinent intelligences from them. Several had proved invaluable in locating rice, in notifying us of supply trains, the times, the routes, the number of guards, and such. Indeed, I did not doubt but what many of the peasants watching from the fields were no more enamored of the policies and practices of Lord Yamada than the fellows who scouted and spied for us. |
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