14. Taming Matombo
The next morning, the new mares were surprised to see their breasts swollen and heavy. They were brought to the milking shed, where ten new machines had been installed. The mares lined up and waited for their turn to be milked, talking excitedly about the novelty.
Almost seventy pints were extracted from their perky, turgid breasts. Linda was supervising the operation; she ordered two of the new males, Kalango and Yoro, to transfer the liquid from the buckets into big barrels and put them on a cart. Sean was pleased to see the black males' strong biceps pointing under the skin of their arms as they lifted the barrels to load the cart. He turned to one of the new farm hands that had been hired to take care ot the growing number of centaurs:
"You take these to the dairy shop in the town. I have talked to the owner and they will sell it for us."
He watched as the males were harnessed to the cart.
"Link their collars together, it will be easier for them to go on the same pace," he ordered.
The boy obeyed and attached a chain one foot long to the rings of both males' collars. He placed a harness around the centaurs' waist and linked it to the cart handles; then he sat on it and gave a hearty pull to the reins.
Kalango and Yoro were surprised to see themselves attached to the cart; it was a new thing to them. Yoro was anxious; he pranced and Kalango was taken up with him, as their collars were linked together. The boy swatted their rumps with the crop to make them calm down. Sean sensed some danger and caressed their chins:
"Sshhh... Calm down, you... You will go to town now, and see other humans. Just obey the reins and all will be ok, do you understand?" He took two apples from his pocket and gave them to the centaurs. He whispered to the boy:
"If you have problems, just turn on their sac rings. But I think they are sufficiently tamed; I don't expect any trouble."
He watched as the males pulled the heavy cart towards the farm gate. It was a fine morning; he decided to ride Matombo to the town, as he was anxious to put the huge male to work. He went to his stall and clipped reins to his collar:
"Now, Matombo, you will learn how to carry your master on your back. This is a big privilege, and I expect you to behave well," he said as he cinched the buckle under the male's belly. Matombo felt as the man hopped on his back and kicked his ribs to set him moving. He pranced, and hadn't Sean been a good jockey, he would have been thrown to the ground. But he kept his calm and said to the centaur:
"No, no, Matombo! You are a strong male; you can certainly carry me... Now please pay attention. If I pull the reins this way" β he pulled swiftly to the right, making the taur's head turn to that direction β "this means that you have to turn right. The same if I pull them this way" β a quick turn to the left. "If you feel my heels on your flank, this means that you have to go. And this" β he pulled strongly the reins to himself, making the male's whole torso arch back β "means 'stop'. Got it? Now we will train these commands; your will be the first of your herd to learn this, as you are their leader," he added smartly. "Now let's walk to the training enclosure!" He kicked the black male's flanks and set him moving..
Matombo had seen the man riding Kumbo the previous day, but he had not reached the obvious conclusion that he too would be ridden. He felt a bit humiliated by having a human on his top, pulling his neck to right and left and kicking his ribs; besides, the weight on his back was not agreeable to bear. But Sean was enjoying the sensation of slowly breaking the huge male in; he entered the training area and made his mount stop.
The place was swarming with activiy. Four females were being ridden by young lads. Matombo was stunned to see the mares saddled and reined, circling the area in different speeds and learning how to obey their jockey's commands. Three wagons had been brought in; two mares had been harnessed to each, learning how to pull in a team. Sean said:
"You see, Matombo, we don't like laziness here. Now let's train!" Matombo felt the kick on his sides and began to circle the area. Sean gave him no time to think, changing directions quickly and pulling hard to make the centaur stop when he wanted him to. That went on for about one hour; Matombo was covered with sweat when Sean finally dismounted and let him rest for a while.
Then he jumped again on the centaur's back. This time Matombo was more used to that; he did not prance or buck. Sean smiled to himself and said:
"We will go to town now, Matombo. You are learning fast, I am proud of you!"
They left the farm. It was a ride of some miles until they arrived to the small town. Sean headed for the dairy shop that was selling his females' milk; he wanted to see if they could handle the larger amount he would be sending now. One of the males he had sold was attached to a ring on the pole in front of it. The man dismounted and passed Matombo's reins through another ring on the pole, clipping their ends with a small padlock, as the centaurs had hands and could easily undo a mere knot. He said:
"This is Congo. Now he belongs to another farm. How are you faring there, Congo?"
"Oh, master, it is very good there! I have plenty to eat!"
"Yes, Francisco is a good master," said Sean. Matombo was surprised to discover that he could not walk away from the pole and tried to pull off the collar from his neck.
Sean gave him a hearty slap on the rump. "Don't fumble with your collar, my friend. I attached it to the horse's pole to prevent any other human from taking you away. Now listen: you have to get used to wait for your master, like Congo here," said Sean. He watched the puzzled expression on the black face. "What do you answer - do you remember, Matombo?"
"Yes, master," was the reply. Sean felt his cock bulging in his pants at the vision of the big black male standing still by the pole, his thick neck firmly held by the snug collar, panting a bit from the effort of carrying him in a steady pace.
"You may drink from the horses' trough," said Sean. The centaur put his hands like a shell and drank; he wanted to rest, and soon engaged in a conversation with Congo. Their hoarse voices could be heard as Sean entered the shop. Francisco was going out from it, a bag on his hand. Sean took him aside and told him about the new herd.
"In two or three weeks, I will have mares for you. We have to make some arrangements before you can take them to your farm." He did not mention that the mares had to produce a huge amount of cream before he could dispose of them. "So, please wait for a call." Francisco nodded. He walked down the steps of the shop and patted Congo's rump; the centaur was telling Matombo about his new home, and Francisco heard his excited voice: