In the novel, Graham introduced rigid wooden horse collars to Makassar to improve the efficiency of her commissary with the limited number of horses she had. Although this seemed like a trivial improvement, this was a disruptive technology on Makassar, because Makassar society still used slaves as draft animals.
Graham included robust wooden horse collars in the novel's setting of Makassar to boost her commissary’s efficiency with the constrained number of horses she had. Despite seeming insignificant, this technological change was disruptive in Makassar, where slavery continued to be used for pulling carts and plows.