I was reading the following sequence in Peter O'Donnell's "Modesty Blaise" novel about a bondage technique and started wondering: what's the minimal amount of bondage necessary to render a ticklee defenseless? The exact method described here is too painful for tickling purposes, but is there something similar anyone has come up with?
[Didi] stuck the knife in the floor and instantly pressed the barrel of the Baretta to Hagan's throat, never taking his eyes from Modesty.
"You move, I kill him," he said simply, and with his free hand threw a twelve-inch length of sisal toward her. "Pick it up ... but very slow. Good. Now turn around, with hands behind you, and make the thumb-tie."
Slowly she turned, knowing that the first hint of a false move would send a bullet through Paul's throat. Behind her back, her fingers gave a twist to the sisal, making a small double-bow in the middle of it. She slipped s thumb through each loop of the double-bow, and waited. Didi wasn't going to make a mistake. She could get him, perhaps, but for the loss of Paul. And in a moment Paul would have the bare chance of a move, but then the bullet would be for her.
"Lie on the couch, face down," Didi said. She moved to the studio couch which stood against one wall, lay down on it, and turned her face. Didi rose, very light on his feet, and moved quickly across the studio, keeping the gun trained on her. Now the switchblade knife was again in the other hand.
Head turned to watch, Modesty saw Paul stir and start to bring his legs round. The gun jabbed into her neck, and Paul froze. Didi stuck his knife in the wall, took the loose ends of the sisal and jerked hard. The bow-knot tightened brutally on her thumbs. He twitched a half-hitch with each loose end and secured the knot.
Now the gun was trained on Paul again.
"The legs," Didi said flatly. She knew what he meant. With this tie-up you could secure a man with six inches of string and hold him more helpless than if you used handcuffs.
She bent her knees, lifting her feet and resting one ankle in the crotch formed by the bent knee of her other leg. Didi gripped the raised foor and forced it down hard, trapping the other foot between the back of the calf and the thigh.
With his gun hand he reached quickly for her bound thumbs, lifted her hands, and hooked them over the instep of the raised foot. When he released the pressure on that foot it sprang up against the thumb-tie, so that her arms and legs were painfully and helplessly locked.
[Didi] stuck the knife in the floor and instantly pressed the barrel of the Baretta to Hagan's throat, never taking his eyes from Modesty.
"You move, I kill him," he said simply, and with his free hand threw a twelve-inch length of sisal toward her. "Pick it up ... but very slow. Good. Now turn around, with hands behind you, and make the thumb-tie."
Slowly she turned, knowing that the first hint of a false move would send a bullet through Paul's throat. Behind her back, her fingers gave a twist to the sisal, making a small double-bow in the middle of it. She slipped s thumb through each loop of the double-bow, and waited. Didi wasn't going to make a mistake. She could get him, perhaps, but for the loss of Paul. And in a moment Paul would have the bare chance of a move, but then the bullet would be for her.
"Lie on the couch, face down," Didi said. She moved to the studio couch which stood against one wall, lay down on it, and turned her face. Didi rose, very light on his feet, and moved quickly across the studio, keeping the gun trained on her. Now the switchblade knife was again in the other hand.
Head turned to watch, Modesty saw Paul stir and start to bring his legs round. The gun jabbed into her neck, and Paul froze. Didi stuck his knife in the wall, took the loose ends of the sisal and jerked hard. The bow-knot tightened brutally on her thumbs. He twitched a half-hitch with each loose end and secured the knot.
Now the gun was trained on Paul again.
"The legs," Didi said flatly. She knew what he meant. With this tie-up you could secure a man with six inches of string and hold him more helpless than if you used handcuffs.
She bent her knees, lifting her feet and resting one ankle in the crotch formed by the bent knee of her other leg. Didi gripped the raised foor and forced it down hard, trapping the other foot between the back of the calf and the thigh.
With his gun hand he reached quickly for her bound thumbs, lifted her hands, and hooked them over the instep of the raised foot. When he released the pressure on that foot it sprang up against the thumb-tie, so that her arms and legs were painfully and helplessly locked.
