The men had fled or been killed. Many of the women had also gone.

Those who were left, where rounded up. They were divided into groups: women with young children; boys, girls and women without children.

The boys were taken into the village square, stripped and divided into two groups. Those that had reached puberty had their hands tied above their heads to one of the branches of the large tree.

The others of us were allowed to pick up our clothes and herded aside.

Then came two older soldiers. The took out their swords and walked round the dozen boys tied to the tree. At opposite sides of the tree, they walked up to a boy, grabbed his penis and scrotum and sliced it off. No amount of kicking or screaming stopped them. Each boy was dealt with in the same way. They worked their way round the tree until all had been castrated.

They left the several genitals lying on the floor and the new eunuchs still tied by their hands to the branches.

The women with young children were forced to display their children. A crone with the soldiers examined them. When they were girls, they were allowed to go. Some of these women let the castrated boys down and tended their wounds.

Where they had male children, she took out a small sharp knife, openned up their scrotums and cut off their balls. After this, they were allowed to go and tend their sons’ wounds.

As for the rest of us, both male and female, we were marched off as captives. A future in slavery awaited us.