bridge. Conan cursed with passion andran for the other side also. He doubted if he could climb the stair tothe higher arch in time to catch the brute before it could plunge intothe labyrinth of tunnels on the other side.
But the monster was slowing, like clockwork running down. Blood gushedfrom that terrible gash in his breast, and he lurched drunkenly fromside to side. Suddenly he stumbled, reeled and toppled sidewise--pitchedheadlong from the arch and hurtled downward. Girl and jewel chest fellfrom his nerveless hands and Muriela's scream rang terribly above thesnarl of the water below.
Conan was almost under the spot from which the creature had fallen. Themonster struck the lower arch glancingly and shot off, but the writhingfigure of the girl struck and clung, and the chest hit the edge of thespan near her. One falling object struck on one side of Conan and one onthe other. Either was within arm's length; for the fraction of a splitsecond the chest teetered on the edge of the bridge, and Muriela clungby one arm, her face turned desperately toward Conan, her eyes dilatedwith the fear of death and her lips parted in a haunting cry of despair.
Conan did not hesitate, nor did he even glance toward the chest thatheld the wealth of an epoch. With a quickness that would have shamed thespring of a hungry jaguar, he swooped, grasped the girl's arm just asher fingers slipped from the smooth stone, and snatched her up on thespan with one explosive heave. The chest toppled on over and struck thewater ninety feet below, where the body of the servant of Bit-Yakin hadalready vanished. A splash, a jetting flash of foam marked where theTeeth of Gwahlur disappeared for ever from the sight of the man.
Conan scarcely wasted a downward glance. He darted across the span andran up the cliff stair like a cat, carrying the limp girl as if she hadbeen an infant. A hideous ululation caused him to glance over hisshoulder as he reached the higher arch, to see the other servantsstreaming back into the cavern below, blood dripping from their baredfangs. They raced up the stair that wound from tier to tier, roaringvengefully; but he slung the girl unceremoniously over his shoulder,dashed through the tunnel and went down the cliffs like an ape himself,dropping and springing from hold to hold with breakneck recklessness.When the fierce countenances looked over the ledge of the aperture, itwas to see the Cimmerian and the girl disappearing into the forest thatsurrounded the cliffs.
'Well,' said Conan, setting the girl on her feet within the shelteringscreen of branches, 'we can take our time now. I don't think thosebrutes will follow us outside the valley. Anyway, I've got a horse tiedat a water-hole close by, if the lions haven't eaten him. Crom's devils!What are you crying about now?'
She covered her tear-stained face with her hands, and her slim shouldersshook with sobs.
'I lost the jewels for you,' she wailed miserably. 'It was my fault. IfI'd obeyed you and stayed out on the ledge, that brute would never haveseen me. You should have caught the gems and let me drown!'
'Yes, I suppose I should,' he agreed. 'But forget it. Never worry aboutwhat's past. And stop crying, will you? That's better. Come on.'
'You mean you're going to keep me? Take me with you?' she askedhopefully.
'What else do you suppose I'd do with you?' He ran an approving glanceover her figure and grinned at the torn skirt which revealed a generousexpanse of tempting ivory-tinted curves. 'I can use an actress like you.There's no use going back to Keshia. There's nothing in Keshan now thatI want. We'll go to Punt. The people of Punt worship an ivory woman, andthey wash gold out of the rivers in wicker baskets. I'll tell them thatKeshan is intriguing with Thutmekri to enslave them--which is true--andthat the gods have sent me to protect them--for about a houseful ofgold. If I can manage to smuggle you into their temple to exchangeplaces with their ivory goddess, we'll skin them out of their jaw teethbefore we get through with them!'
Jewels of Gwahlur Page 10
