by J. T. Edson
‘Greetings, Lord Gromart, Lady Fabia,’ Hulkona answered just as formally and, although he wished that it could have been avoided, went on in the conventional fashion. ‘We hope that you have come for a long visit.’
‘I wish we could stay,’ the Administrator answered. ‘But we are on our way to raid in the Amazon country and have only time to pay our respects in passing. Our warriors are waiting for us to the south-east.’
‘But surely you’ll have time to eat with us?’ Hulkona suggested, knowing that the invitation would be expected. ‘It has been long since we last saw you and there must be much for us to talk about.’
‘One should always find time to eat and talk with friends,’ Gromart declared in tones of a sincerity that he was far from feeling. He knew that none of the people in front of him came into that category.
During the exchange of greetings, Dryaka had been studying the newcomers. While he found the attitude of the banar and ocha-gatah riders annoying, he was mainly concerned with how the Administrator was behaving. Of course, Gromart would be likely to pay his respects to the Elders as he was in the vicinity of the hunting camp. It was always in the same place at this time of the year. For him to have failed to put in a token appearance would have shown a lack of respect which he clearly did not feel himself sufficiently powerful to make. Naturally, seeing the signs of damage, he would be curious.
Suddenly a thought struck the High Priest as though he were touched by a cold hand. It was so disturbing that it drove all the other considerations from his mind.
Gromart had said that his raiding party was waiting for him to the southeast. That was the direction in which Dawn of the Apes had fled after their first meeting when an attempt to capture her had failed. She had finally been caught in the jungle and, according to Dryaka’s adherents who had brought her to him, she had shown signs of being at home in such terrain.
On being questioned by the High Priest in the privacy of his pavilion, Dawn had claimed to belong to a nation of riders. In spite of that, he now felt sure that the ‘Apes’ did not dwell on the plains. Although the loss of the entire riding stock of the hunting party had ruled out the possibility of an organized pursuit, some of the warriors had followed the erstwhile prisoner’s tracks for about an hour shortly after daybreak. They had been travelling in a southeasterly direction when the men had turned back.
What if the Administrator had captured Dawn and Bunduki of the Apes?
Chapter Two – It’s Too Late for Second Thoughts
Long-legged, slender and graceful, with a reddish coat that became lighter on the flanks until the belly was almost white, each of the thirty or so impala had ringed black lyrate horns which proved they were rams. It was the habit of the species Aperyceros Melampus (on Zillikian as well as in their native Africa) that having been driven from their respective family groups by the dominant males and being unable for the moment to gather harems of their own, they had banded for mutual protection into a ‘bachelor’ herd.
With the sun not long risen above the eastern horizon, the group was indulging in the usual activities of their kind. There were no family parties in the immediate vicinity to cause distractions by encouraging the unattached young rams to mingle with and attempt to steal ewes. Relieved of such distractions, they grazed on the grass, browsed from the bushes and Acacia Tortilis trees, or engaged in lengthy horn clashing, pushing, head twisting, but rarely injurious fights to establish precedence and status within the group.
Although the rams in the centre of the group applied themselves whole-heartedly to such pastimes, those on the fringes remained constantly on the alert for danger. Living in the fairly open bush country which separated the plains from the woodland fringes of the jungle, there were many enemies to contend with. In addition to the predators which preyed upon their kind on Earth—lions, leopards, cheetahs, Cape hunting dogs, hyenas and large eagles—there were tigers in the Zillikian jungles to make occasional forays against the herds. So the price of survival was vigilance, particularly on the part of the rams whose status caused them to be on the more exposed flanks of the group.
Grazing on the up-wind side of the group, a young ram was attracted by a slight movement among the bushes some distance away. Lifting its head, its nostrils quivered as the gentle breeze carried the scent of something living to them. The aroma was puzzling. It had the unmistakable tang of a flesh-eating predator, but was neither feline nor canine. However, it was not originating from sufficiently close to demand instant flight. Dropping its head and burying its muzzle in the lush grass, the ram gave the impression that it had dismissed the danger from its mind. Nothing was further from the truth. After a few seconds, it looked up again and gave the bushes another examination. Despite its failure to locate the source of the mysterious scent, it was still far from satisfied. So it kept repeating the process of grabbing a couple of mouthfuls of grass, then staring out in the hope of gaining more definite information.
The young male’s agitation began to effect first its immediate neighbors, then the rest of the group. Infected by its perturbation, its companions began to move away from the possible source of danger. As yet, they were not particularly frightened; merely taking sensible precautions.
Suddenly an awesome bellow rose at the place from which the scent was coming. It was a sound hardly ever heard at close quarters by the dwellers of the bush country, but one so menacing that all hesitation left the impala. Instantly, the group disintegrated, each individual selecting its own line of flight. As they went, often rising in bounds that covered up to thirty feet, passing over bushes of almost ten feet in height, the black streaks on their white hindquarters combined with the white tufts of their tails to signal a warning in case other members of the group were unaware of the danger.
Although the as yet unseen creator of the disturbance appeared to have made an error in tactics by giving such notice of its presence, that was not the case. In fact, it had caused the impala to stampede towards where another of its predatory kind was waiting in unsuspected concealment.
At that moment, working in conjunction with Bunduki to obtain a meal of meat, Dawn Drummond-Clayton was every bit as much a predator as the fiercest carnivorous beast on Zillikian. In fact, crouching behind a bush with the sambur horn ‘finger grip’ hilt of the Randall Model 1 ‘All Purpose Fighting’ knife grasped firmly in her right hand, she had the appearance of a super-predator. So did her adoptive cousin who, having stampeded their quarry by giving the thunderous challenge of a bull-Mangam, was springing from his hiding place to help drive the fleeing animals towards her. Where the blond giant displayed the massive and majestic bulk of a lion, the girl exuded the lithe, graceful power of a leopardess.
Five foot eight inches in height, Dawn was graced by the kind of figure that many a ‘sex symbol’ movie star on Earth required artificial aids to attain. Her short, sleeveless, one-piece dress was made from the soft hide of a cow eland. It clung to her thirty-eight inch bust, twenty-inch waist and thirty-six inch hips as if molded to them. Laced by leather thongs from the belt to its extremely low neckline, the garment allowed no doubt that what lay underneath was as nature had made it. In fact the tunic, a pair of leopard skin briefs and—although she was not carrying her bow and arrows—a brown leather archer’s armguard on her left wrist formed her entire raiment. Kept short for convenience, her tawny hair formed a curly halo around classically beautiful features. Tanned to a rich golden bronze, like all the exposed portions of her body, her face denoted breeding, self-reliance and intelligence well above average. Enhancing rather than detracting from her femininity, power packed muscles rippled under her smooth skin. Everything about her suggested that she could move with the fluid speed and precision of a trained athlete.
By birth and upbringing, even more than Bunduki, Dawn was ideally suited to the primitive environment of Zillikian and the part she was playing in their quest for food. Although she was not directly descended from Lord Greystoke, xiv her paternal grandparents, Sir John
and Lady Menem Drummond-Clayton had acquired a knowledge of jungle survival second only to his. xv In addition, as the exploits of Sir John’s elder brother, Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond proved, xvi she sprang from a stock noted for a love of adventure and great courage in the face of personal danger. That had certainly been “the case with her parents, Armand John and Hazel Drummond-Clayton. They had been espionage agents in German-occupied Europe through much of World War II, doing useful work and living constantly under the shadow of a very painful death if they should have been captured.
Until Dawn was transported to Zillikian, circumstances had never required her to display her hereditary courage. For all that, as she had proved since her arrival, she had been well prepared mentally and physically to do so when the need for it had arisen.
Always something of a tomboy as a child, Dawn had insisted upon duplicating the lessons in self-defense and weapon handling that her—at the time—almost inseparable companion, Bunduki, had been receiving. What was more, she had gained considerable proficiency in them. Even during her formal and conventional education, she had contrived to continue practicing much of what she had been taught. In addition, while attending Roedean, xvii she had taken part in every permissible sporting activity and had excelled in all of them. Since then, she had kept up her training as an all round athlete, swimmer and gymnast, ensuring that she remained at the peak of physical fitness.
Watching the approaching impala, Dawn felt a growing tension and excitement building inside her. Being aware of the superb speed, agility and reflexes possessed by the antelope, she sought for the most suitable quarry. She knew that she would have to be lucky as well as swift if she hoped to make a kill, but she was determined to succeed. It was a test of survival and she wanted to prove worthy of her heritage. There was also a matter of personal pride involved. As she had insisted upon taking the part she was playing in their attempt to obtain a meal, she was desirous of justifying Bunduki’s faith in allowing her to do so.
After their meeting with a ‘Supplier’, who had explained that they were on Zillikian and why they had brought there, the girl and her adoptive cousin had intended to take the shortest route back to the jungle. While searching for each other, they had met Joar-Fane and At-Vee. The latter had sprained his ankle helping Dawn to deal with a tiger that had attacked them. Then, before Bunduki had located the Telonga hunter, Dawn was captured by a party of Mun-Gatahs who had been hunting her since she had fled after a hectic meeting with them on the plains.
Having re-united At-Vee and Joar-Fane, following a brush with members of the People-Taker’s escort who had tried to recapture her, Bunduki had set off with the intention of rescuing Dawn. At-Vee’s injury was not too serious, but it had prevented him from accompanying and helping the blond giant, or starting to escort Joar-Fane back to their village. So Bunduki had left them, promising that he would return after he had completed his mission.
On their way back, Dawn and Bunduki had been compelled to hide for much of the previous day because of the presence of a large band of Mun-Gatahs. The warriors did not appear to be looking for them, or to know of their existence, but had camped in a position which prevented them from leaving the “kopje” xviii on which they had found concealment. Night had fallen before it was possible for the girl and the blond giant to move on.
At daybreak, being hungry, Dawn and Bunduki had been on the lookout for food. Seeing the impala, they had decided to see if they could catch one. Although both of them had been active in wild life conservation on Earth, they were realistic enough to accept that such considerations did not apply under their present circumstances. There were always a large proportion of surplus impala rams which would never have the opportunity to mate with a ewe and breed, so the death of one would not have any adverse effect on the number of the species. Nor would any of the dead animal be wasted. Everything that they did not eat would be consumed by one kind of scavenger or another. So they felt they could make their meal with clear consciences.
There was, however, one very important problem to solve, How to obtain their food. If either of them had had a bow and arrows the task would have been relatively simple. Dawn was a very fine archer and Bunduki had duplicated most of the feats attributed to Robin Hood. Unfortunately, circumstances had caused both of them to leave their archery equipment in At-Vee’s care.
Considering the difficulties of making a kill with even such fine knives as they were carrying, Bunduki had suggested that they adopted a hunting technique frequently practiced by a pride of lions. Dawn had pointed out that, after the male had driven their prey towards them, the lionesses were responsible for pulling it down. So, in her opinion, that task should fall upon her. Knowing that they might need to employ similar methods in the future, or that an occasion might arise when Dawn had to hunt for food without the benefit of his assistance, the blond giant had agreed. Flinging itself over a bush, one of the younger impala rams was clearly going to alight close to Dawn’s position. Deciding that it offered her the best chance so far presented, she catapulted forward like a sprinter leaving the blocks at the crack of the starter’s pistol. At the sight of the leaping shape, the ram tried to turn aside in mid-flight. All it achieved was to alight awkwardly and stumble. Nor was it granted an opportunity to recover its equilibrium.
Launching herself into the air, Dawn flew on a converging course with the ram. She followed similar tactics to those of an attacking leopard. Using her left shoulder, she charged the animal and knocked it from its feet. Going down on top of it, she grabbed for and caught hold of the nearside horn with her left hand to draw back its head. Working in such perfect co-ordination that she might have practiced regularly, her right fist brought the Randall knife into action. Sweeping around, the eight inch long, clip point blade—which she kept honed as sharp as many a barber’s razor—bit into the ram’s neck. Deeper it went, slicing through the hide, flesh, veins, arteries and windpipe to bring death as swiftly and effectively as the crushing fangs of a carnivore’s jaws. Passing over the stricken animal, Dawn slid free her knife and rolled clear. Legs which were capable of propelling the one hundred and forty pound ram in prodigious leaps could also deliver powerful kicks, no less so because they were the result of its death throes, and she had no intention of remaining in range of the wildly flailing hooves. Coming to her feet with the knife ready to strike again if need be, she knew it would not be necessary. So she turned away as the ram’s movements grew less and died away.
‘Good work,’ Bunduki praised, coming to a halt by his adoptive cousin’s side.
‘Thanks,’ the girl replied. ‘But I think I’ll leave this sort of thing to you in future.’
Grinning sympathetically, Bunduki gripped Dawn’s right bicep and squeezed it gently. Although he had frequently done so in the past, for some reason the gesture felt different. Not for the first time since his awakening in the jungle, he found himself thinking of her less as a well-liked member of his family—even if only by adoption—or as a companion in many a childhood escapade and more in the light of her being a very attractive member of the opposite sex.
‘Let’s take your kill to the stream back there,’ the blond giant offered, removing his hand hurriedly. ‘We’d better not make a fire, though, those Mun-Gatahs might still be around.’
There was a somewhat quizzical expression on Dawn’s face. She had noticed the way in which he was behaving. Without realizing what she was doing, her left hand went to touch the area which Bunduki’s ringers had clasped. Suddenly she found herself remembering how Lady Jane Greystoke, Lady Meriem Drummond-Clayton, her mother and Esmeralda Moreland xix had frequently reminded her that there was no blood relationship between herself and the blond giant. Their comments had never been meant as a warning, but were, she suspected, attempts at matchmaking.
A flush of red crept into the girl’s cheeks and she jerked her eyes from Bunduki.
‘We’ve both ate raw meat before now,’ Dawn pointed out and, wanting to divert her thoughts
, continued at a faster rate than she usually spoke, ‘And don’t get any ideas, the liver’s mine.’
For all her perturbation, in fact adding to it, the girl could not help but think with pleasure of how her hand had found Bunduki’s as they were walking away from the ‘Supplier after having decided to stay and make their new home on Zillikian.
‘The Hon usually has first pick at the choice bits,’ Bunduki protested.
‘Not in this pride, Tar-Numa,’ xx Dawn declared. ‘I’m one lioness who’s all for Women’s Lib.’
‘Have it your way,’ the blond giant grinned. ‘Come on, fungua safari.’
Dawn stiffened slightly at the memory evoked by her adoptive cousin’s last two words. They were in Up-Country Swahili, as opposed to the very correct and grammatical language of the Swahili nation, which was the lingua franca of East Africa. In its simplified form, often derisively termed ‘ki-Settler’, xxi it was understood by the majority of natives no matter to which tribe they belonged. Many was the time she had heard the Waziri warriors’ marching chant as they set off on an expedition under Lord Greystoke’s command.
‘Fungua safari! Fungua safari!
Amri kwa nani? Amri kwa nani?
Amri ya bwana mkubwa,
Amri ya Tarzan.’ xxii
‘Do you wish we’d accepted the “Suppliers” offer and gone back to Earth?’ Bunduki inquired, noticing the girl’s reaction, as he returned the bowie knife to its sheath.
‘Not really,’ Dawn replied, smiling at her adoptive cousin’s obvious concern. ‘As he said, we’d have difficulty explaining why we weren’t killed along with M’Bili when the Land Rover went over the Gambuti Gorge and where we’ve been since it happened. Anyway, what do we have to go back to? It’s not likely that the Ambagasali Government would renew either of our contracts once they ran out and I’m not too keen on joining the rest of the family.’ xxiii
‘Or me,’ Bunduki admitted. ‘Anyway, it’s too late for second thoughts now. So let’s get going.’
