"Come," said Loralie, tugging at me arm. "That creature is as swift on land as in the water. Let us get out of its sight before it takes a notion to follow us."
"With pleasure," I responded, and together we hurried up the bank and plunged into the fern forest.
For some time we ran forward, side by side, sinking ankle-deep in the soft moss that carpeted the forest floor.
"I'm thirsty," said Loralie, "and hungry. Aren't you?"
"Ravenous. Nothing will satisfy me but a good big steak. Spore pods are all right for appetizers, but to satisfy, hunger there is nothing like meat."
"I've lost my bow and arrows," she said, ruefully, "along with that clip of explosive projectiles you gave me. I dropped everything when the boat tipped over."
"Never mind. I still have my bow, plenty of arrows, and another clip of explosive projectiles. It's a man's place to bring in the game, anyway, while the woman looks after the home."
"The home? What do you mean?"
"Why—er—that is, I was just drawing a comparison— between ourselves and primitive people. The man went hunting, you know, while his mate looked after the cave, or tree, or whatever they lived in."
"His mate? I fail to see the comparison."
"Well, you know we're leading a rather primitive existence just now, and . . ."
"Prince Zinlo," she said, suddenly stopping and facing me,
"will you cease talking generalities and tell me just what you mean?"
"Yes," I cried vehemently. "I'll tell you what I mean. I hadn't intended to, but it seems my words betray my thoughts. I love you, Loralie. I want you for my mate—my princess. But as you so plainly dislike me I shall probably go on desiring you until the destroyer of all desires puts an end to my existence."
"I was beginning to wonder," she said softly, "if I would ever get you to say it."
Before I realized the purport of her words her arms were around my neck—her warm red lips upturned, inviting. I crushed her to me, and found her a new Loralie—tender, yielding, passionate.
"I've loved you since the very hour we met," she said, "when you tossed my presuming cousin into the shrubbery."
Her hand caressed my cheek, roving softly over my rugged face. But as I bent to claim the sweetness of her lips, I heard a twig crack behind me, and I whirled about, hand on hilt.
To my amazement I beheld Prince Gadrimel, standing only a short distance from us. "A thousand pardons for this intrusion," he lisped. "By the beard of Thorth, I could not find the heart to disturb so pretty a love scene, were it not that darkness approaches and the camp is a considerable journey from here."
Too astonished to reply, I could only stare at him as he stood with a mocking smile on his effeminate features, toying with a jeweled pendant on his breast and ogling Loralie.
"No doubt you are glad to see me, fair cousin," he continued in his mincing patoa, grinning at the princess, "so glad that the joy of my coming overwhelms you—renders you speechless. Come, haven't you at least a little cousinly kiss for your deliverer who has come so far to rescue you? You appear to lavish your caresses quite generously outside the family."
My blood boiled, at his studied insolence, his air of proprietorship, yet I strove to control my feelings as I answered him. "The kisses of the Princess Loralie are her own to bestow. You will do well to remember that, Prince Gadrimel."
"And you, Prince Zinlo, will do well to speak only when spoken to." Gadrimel held out a hand to Loralie. "Come, cousin, let us get to camp before darkness falls. By tomorrow we will be aboard my flagship and well on our way to my father's palace."
The princess drew closer to me and looked up into my face as she answered, "Prince Zinlo is my fiance. I'll go where he goes."
"This nonsense has gone far enough," said Gadrimel, sharply. "Ho, warriors!"
Scarcely had he uttered his call ere there closed in on us from the surrounding fem brakes a full hundred armed men of Adonijar.
"Seize and bind this interloper," he commanded, pointing to me.
When this had been done, Gadrimel stationed a stalwart soldier at my side. "Remain here with the prisoner, until we have passed out of earshot. Then . . ." He stepped close to the soldier and whispered something to him. "For which," he concluded, as he stepped back, "you may have his weapons, accouterments and anything else of value he may have with him."
Loralie attempted to come to me as I stood there, bound hand and foot, but two soldiers prevented her.
"What are you going to do to him?'' she cried.
"Now, now. Calm yourself, sweet cousin," said Gadrimel. "I am but sending him on a journey. I must insist that you hurry to camp with me at once, or darkness will overtake us on the way; the night-roving beasts will not be pleasant to meet in this forest."
In spite of her struggles he dragged her away. Behind them moved the entire company of warriors with the single exception of the one who had been instructed to remain with me. He stood immobile, listening until the sound of voices and the clank of weapons had died away in the distance. Then he turned to me.
"I have been commanded to kill you, Highness," he said, simply. "Never before have I slain a bound and helpless man, but I am a soldier of Adonijar and may not disobey the command of my prince. However, I was not instructed as to how I should kill you, and I bear you no malice. By what weapon do you choose to die?"
"The sword," I replied, "has ever been my favorite weapon. If I must die now, let it be by the sword."
"The sword?" he asked in puzzlement.
"That long straight-bladed weapon in the sheath at my feet," I answered. "Plunge it into my heart and get it over quickly."
Slowly he bent over and withdrew the sword from its sheath. He examined it curiously, testing the sharpness of its point with his palm and the keenness of its edge with his thumb.
"By the blood of Thorthl" he exclaimed. "This is a beautiful weapon. And it will be mine as soon as I have slain you. Make ready, now, to die."
CHAPTER XH
As I stood there in the fern forest bound hand and foot and helplessly awaiting the death blow at the hands of Prince Cadrimel's henchman, I was suddenly knocked flat by the drop of a huge, furry body from the limbs of the tree above me. Half dazed, I sat up just in time to see a female cave-ape crush the head of my would-be slayer with her saw-edged club.
She turned, and as she did so, I recognized her features. "Chixal" I exclaimed.
"Long have the cave-apes sought their Rogo," she said, "and great will be their rejoicing when he returns."
With her flint knife she quickly cut my bonds, and I stood erect once more, stamping my feet and chafing my wrists to restore circulation, scarcely able, as yet, to understand that I was really alive.
"Do you cave-apes still consider me their king?"
"According to the custom you would lose your kingdom if you remained away for more than one endir. But you have been gone only a few days. As there is much judging to be done, we have been searching for you."
"Where are the other searchers?" I asked.
"Many of them are within call."
"Then call them, and let them call as many others as they can.
With marvelous agility for a creature of such great size, she scampered up to the leaf crown of a tall tree-fern. Then, cupping her paws, she gave utterance to a queer, trilling cry. It was answered, not once, but many times, from various points far and near.
Then she descended the tree and dropped into the glade beside me.
Presently there came swinging through the branches a great, yellow-tusked male who, as soon as he saw me, roared, "Hail, Zinlol" and dropped to the ground near me. Another emerged from the fern brakes, repeating the salute of the first, and it was not long before I was surrounded by more than two score males and about half as many females.
As these shaggy man-beasts sat grouped around me, respectfully waiting for me to speak, their demeanor showed that they recognized me as their king without question.
"My subjec
ts," I said, "I have work for you in which there is much danger and much fighting."
"Will there be food-men?"
"There will be many food-men."
"Good!" This answer was unanimous.
"We will start as soon as I have issued full instructions."
But the great, yellow-tusked male who had first responded to the summons of Chixa protested, "There is judging to be done. Will you not first do the judging, so we may go into the fight with our differences settled?"
"Who are you," I asked, "to question the edicts of your Rogo?"
"I am Griff, mighty warrior, mighty hunter," he replied, puffing out his broad, hairy chest. "But I do not question your edicts. I only ask that you hold the judging now."
Before I could answer him there came a sharp cry from a female who had perched herself in the branches above our heads in order that she might better observe everything that went on.
"Dangerl Danger!" she shrieked. "A silticum!"
Every cave-ape instantly took to the trees, and I heard the crashing of a huge creature in the underbrush as it swiftly made its way through the forest. Evidently the silticum which had attacked the Doravian guards had seen us, even as Loralie had feared, and was now on our trail.
Quickly taking the last clip of explosive projectiles from my belt, I removed two of the needle-like missiles and bound each to the head of an arrow. Then I strung my bow and awaited the coming of the monster.
Chixa called to me from the leaf crown of a tall tree-fern. "Come up into the trees, Rogo. You cannot fight a silticum."
"Yes, climb before it is too late," called Griff. "No one has ever slain a silticum."
Although I knew nothing of the ways of this saurian, I had seen its great size and knew that if it had intelligence enough to do so it could pull down any tree within my range of vision. In view of this fact, and also because I could not get about as swiftly as the cave-apes in the trees, I felt safer on the ground.
"Stay up in the trees if you like," I answered them. "I will show you how your king slays a silticum."
In a few moments I saw the huge green head swaying on the snaky neck at a height of about twenty feet above the ground. It was looking this way and that, apparently searching for me. As it drew closer I saw that it was indeed the same monster that had attacked the machine men in the boat, for projecting through its lower jaw was the transparent sword blade where the Doravian guardsman had thrust it, and which the creature had been unable to dislodge.
I fitted an explosive arrow to my bowstring, and' at this moment the monster spied me. With a hiss like steam escaping from a locomotive, it distended its enormous jaws and charged straight for me. Taking careful aim at the cavernous maw, I drew the arrow back to the head and let fly.
The reptile turned slightly so my shaft did not strike the target squarely, but considering the terrific force of the tork projectile this did not greatly matter. For although the missile struck the monster in the comer of the mouth, the explosion tore off the whole side of its head.
I instantly fitted my second arrow to the bowstring, but instead of advancing the great saurian swerved to one side and began threshing about in a circle, striking this way and that with its huge, scaly tail which swept the fem trunks before it, knocking them over as if they had been mere reeds. As the tail now appeared to be the most formidable weapon of the heast, I aimed my second shaft with a view to crippling this appendage, and let fly.
It struck the monster just above one of its thick hind legs, blasting a great hole in the flank and not only crippling the tail but both hind legs as well.
Upon seeing this, the cave-apes instantly descended on the stricken reptile with yells of triumph, and were soon hacking at its heaving sides with their saw-edged clubs and prying up huge scales with their flint knives in order to get at the quivering flesh underneath.
"Hail, Zinlol" the shouted. "Mighty warrior, mighty hunter, mighty sorcererl With his magic he slays even the silticum, the terror of stream and forestl"
As I watched the cave-apes at their bloody feast, I recalled that I, too, was hungry. Elbowing my way through the growling, snarling, milling mob, I carved a steak from the shoulder with my keen Doravian dagger. Then I made a small cooking fire and grilled my slab of meat. It proved tasty enough, although rather tougher than a gourmet would have relished. But with good teeth and an excellent appetite this bothered me not at all.
By the time I had finished, and swallowed a draught from a water fern, my hairy retainers had all gorged themselves.
I arose and called them together. They squatted expectantly around me in a semicircle. "You, Griff," I said. "Bring me that shiny club which sticks in the jaw of the silticum."
After he had brought me the sword of the Doravian boatman, I continued, "You have asked that judging be done before we fight. I have no time for judging now, so I am going to let you do it. This shiny club will be your token of authority, by which you will do judging in my name. Go now, taking the shes with you, back to the caves. And beware that your decisions are just ones, for I will hear of it, and will come and slay you with my magic if they are not."
"But, Rogo," he protested, "I would like to go and fight the food-men with your others."
"You will do as you are bidden without further question. Throw away your old club and take this shiny one which slays with its point as well as its edges."
Silently, and rather sullenly, he removed his club from his belt string and tossed it away. Then he took the sword and lumbered away through the forest, followed by the females.
As soon as they had departed I called the others together and started off on the trail of Prince Gadrimel. But darkness overtook us before we had gone more than five miles, and we were forced to take to the trees to avoid the depredations of the night-roving carmivora.
Propped in a high leaf crown that swayed with each passing breeze, I didn't get much sleep during that noisy night, oppressed by my constant fear for Loralie in the clutches of her unscrupulous cousin.
It was with a sigh of relief that I greeted the dawn and made my way to the ground. Impatient to be off, I stopped only for a drink of water, then started down the well-marked trail with my small but formidable company. The spoor of Loralie's abductors continued to follow the winding course of the River of Life for about six miles to the remains of a large camp which had been completely surrounded by watch fires. Most of these were still smoldering as we came up.
Of the people of Prince Gadrimel we saw no sign, save tracks leading to the river where there were indentations made by the prows of small craft.
I led my ape-men at a trot along the flat, sandy beach for miles. The river bank gradually grew more rugged, and at last we climbed to a rocky eminence commanding a view of both sea and river.
Anchored not more than an eighth of a mile off this point, and rocking in the gently rolling swell, I saw the five ships of Prince Gadrimel. Paddling swiftly toward them from the river mouth were a score of small boats, in the foremost of which were two scarlet-clad figures which I knew must be Gadrimel and Loralie.
Helplessly I watched while his henchmen bundled the princess aboard the flagship, boats were drawn up to their places on the decks, sails were hoisted, and anchors weighed.
So, with straining eyes, a great lump in my throat and a weight in my heart, I saw Gadrimel triumphantly sail away over the bounding, blue-gray Ropok with the only woman I have ever loved.
As I stood there, absent-mindedly watching my subjects scurry through the forest in search of game, I pondered my predicament. The only thing left for me to do, I reasoned, was to follow the coast northward as Loralie and I had planned to do. In order to reach Olba I would pass through Adonijar, but single-handed I could do nothing against an entire nation.
Once in Olba I felt that I could persuade the Torrogo to let his supposed son have an air fleet for the purpose of avenging the attempted murder of the Crown Prince, and with this I could quickly persuade the ruler of Adonijar to give up t
he princess.
I dreamed thus futilely until a great splash of rain struck me in the face, followed by the patter of many more on the leaves around me. Brought to a sudden realization of my surroundings, I noticed that the gentle wash of the waves against the shore had changed to the booming roar of huge breakers, that the trees were bending before a considerable breeze, and that despite the fact that the day was not yet spent it was growing steadily darker.
A terrific peal of thunder, followed by a vivid flash of lightning, made every cave-ape drop the bone he was gnawing and look toward me as if for protection or guidance.
"Zog makes magic in the heavens, Rogo," said Borg, quaking with fear. T'Zog is angry. Let us hide until he goes away. I noticed a great, cave beneath the next cliff when I was hunting."
Glancing around at the other beast-men, I saw that Borg was not the only one who had been frightened by the peal of thunder. Every cave-ape was shivering in abject terror.
"Lead the way to the cave, Borg," I said. "I do not fear Zog, but there is much rain and much wind coming from across the big water, and a cave will be more comfortable."
The frightened cave-ape needed no urging, but hurried off at once, the others after him, while I brought up the rear at a more leisurely pace. Peal after peal of thunder sounded, the lightning flashed almost incessantly, and rain came down in torrents before I reached the cave mouth.
Entering, I beheld my erstwhile fearless fighters huddled together like frightened frellas and shivering as if with the ague.
"Every one fears Zog," explained a young ape.
"Your Rogo does not fear him," I said, "and you should not. Come and help me pile stones in the doorway lest a silticum or some other monster get in tonight."
"We are afraid to go to the doorway," quavered Borg. "Zog will slay us with his magic fire."
"Enough of this. Come over here and help me, every one of you, or I will slay you all with my magic."
Robert Grandon 02 Prince of Peril Page 12
