This is Chapter 12 of Who Brought the Steak Tartare?, you may want to go back to Chapter 11 or start at the beginning.
12
Back was famous for his curious survival of so many freakish accidents. The Martians were a very warlike people, when they had no wars to fight, they entertained themselves by killing their own soldiers with training exercises. Back had survived a great number of these, despite odds that were strongly against him.
Back was descended of a long line of Martian oligarchs, and could have had the choicest of positions in the Martian government, but being a stubborn young man, he decided to make his own way in the world. He chose to do so in the military, and ascribed his freakish survival of so many terrific accidents to his excellent physical condition. On board the Investigator, he was most often found on the exercise equipment.
In addition to the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, the Martian medical establishment had also determined that violent physical activity helped to reduce the loss of bone density that comes from long periods in microgravity. In order to achieve the necessary intensity of impact, they developed a running machine not unlike a conveyor belt, but with elastic straps that attached to the runners shoulders and brought them abruptly back to the belt with every step. The force of these impacts reverberated through the runner’s body with every footfall. The purpose was to imitate the force exerted by Earth’s gravity. In Greenstockings’ case, the elastic straps had the additional effect of making her breasts bounce wildly.
Much of a critical nature has been said of the Martian women of this time. Indeed, some have said that the men and women were so alike that you could not know a man from a woman but by their breasts, which among the women were very long, hanging down low like the udder of a goat.1 There are even cases of women having such exceedingly long breasts that some of them laid their breasts on the ground before lying down next to them.2 They considered that it was childing, and their breasts always pendulous, that stretched them to so unseemly a length and bigness,3 that they hung down below their navels, so that when they stooped to pick something up, they hung almost down to the ground. In such a posture, it is believed that they resembled a creature with six legs.4 No inconsiderable effort was invested in developing various assemblages, termed brassieres, made of fabric and wire, and many other materials, to restrain these impressive organs.
I may here remark, in describing the action of Greenstockings’ breasts while harnessed to the exercise machine, that her breasts were by no means of sufficient length to throw over her shoulders, as has been asserted of other Martian women.5 On the contrary, Greenstockings’ very large breasts stood strutting out so hard and firm, as no leaping, jumping, or stirring—save for that imposed by the violence of the exercise machine—could have caused them to shake any more than the brawn of her arms.6 However, Greenstockings had chosen this day to attend to her exercises without the support of a brassiere.
Back was overcome. His aroused state quickly became impossible to hide beneath his flimsy workout shorts. He stopped jogging and stood still beneath the pull of the elastic straps, foolishly trying to cover his erection with his hands.
‘I don’t mind, you know,’ said Greenstockings, still running. ‘It’s kind of hot to see you running with it like that.’
Chapter 13 tomorrow, same time, same place.
Footnotes
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The men and women goe so alike, that one cannot know a man from a woman but by their breastes, which in the most part be very foule and long, hanging downe low like the udder of a goat. William Towrson, “The first voyage made by Master William Towrson Marchant of London, to the coast of Guinea in the yeere 1555” in Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations Voyages Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation, Made by Sea or Over-land to the Remote and Farthest Distant Quarters of the Earth at any time within the compasse of these 1600 Yeeres, 1598 ↩
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Diverse of the women have such exceeding long breasts, that some of them wil lay the same upon the ground and lie down by them. William Towrson, “The first voyage made by Master William Towrson Marchant of London, to the coast of Guinea in the yeere 1555” in Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations Voyages Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation, Made by Sea or Over-land to the Remote and Farthest Distant Quarters of the Earth at any time within the compasse of these 1600 Yeeres, 1598 ↩
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The Women are not nigh so well shaped as the Men: Childing, and their Breasts always pendulous, stretches them to so unseemly a Length and Bigness, that some, like the Aegyptians, I believe, could suckle over their Shoulders. John Atkins, A Voyage to Guinea, Brasil, and the West-Indies; in His Majesty’s Ships, the Swallow and Weymouth, 1735 ↩
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But when they come to be old, and have had five or six Children, their breasts hang down below their Navels, so that when they stoop at their common work of weeding, they hang almost down to the ground, that at a distance, you would think they had six legs. Richard Ligon, A True & Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes, 1673 ↩
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I may here remark, that their breasts, though very long and flaccid, are by no means of sufficient length to throw over their shoulders, as some have asserted. Thomas M’Keevor, A Voyage to Hudson’s Bay, during the summer of 1812: containing a particular account of the icebergs and other phenomena which present themselves in those regions: also, a description of the Esquimeaux and North American Indians, their manners, customs, dress, language, &c. &c. &c., 1819 ↩
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The young Maids have ordinarily very large breasts, which stand strutting out so hard and firm, as no leaping, jumping, or stirring, will cause them to shake any more, than the brawns of their arms. Richard Ligon, A True & Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes, 1673 ↩