A warrior stepped forward. "I will take her as my mate," he said, "and teach her a woman's place. What she needs is a beating."
O-aa's lip curved in scorn. "Try it, bowlegs," she said.
The warrior flushed, for he was very bowlegged and was sensitive about it. He took another step toward O-aa, threateningly.
"Stop, Zurk!" commanded Jalu. "The girl may remain here for thirty sleeps without mating. If she stays longer, you may take her-if you can. But I think she will kill you."
Zurk stood glaring at O-aa. "When you are mine," he snarled, "the first thing I will do is beat you to death."
Jalu turned to one of the women. "Hala," he directed, "show this woman a house in which she may sleep."
"Come," said Hala to O-aa.
She took her to a house at the far end of the village. "No one lives here now," she said. "The man and the woman who lived here were killed by a tarag not long ago."
O-aa looked at the ladder and up at the doorway. "How can my jalok get up there?" she asked.
Hala looked at her in surprise. "Jaloks do not come into the houses," she explained. "They lie at the foot of the ladders to warn their owners of danger and to protect them. Did you not know this?"
"We do not have tame jaloks in my country," said O-aa.
"You are lucky that you have one here, now that you have made an enemy of Zurk. He is a bad man; not at all like Jalu, his father."
So, thought O-aa, I have made an enemy of the chief's son. She shrugged her square little shoulders.
Ah-gilak had bowled along in a southwesterly direction for some time before a good wind. Then the wind died. Ah-gilak cursed. He cursed many things, but principally he cursed O-aa, who had brought all his misfortunes upon him, according to his superstition.
When the wind sprang up again, it blew in the opposite direction from that in which it had been blowing before the calm. Ah-gilak danced up and down in rage. But he could do nothing about it. He could sail in only one way, and that was with the wind. So he sailed back in a north-easterly direction. He lashed the wheel and went below to eat and sleep.
IX
AS THE LO-HAR and John Tyler approached one another, the former made no effort to avoid the larger ship. Her guns were loaded and manned, and she was prepared to fight.
It was Raj who first noticed something peculiar about the strange ship. "There is no one on deck," he said. "There is no one at the wheel. She is a fine ship," he added half to himself. Then an idea popped into his head. "Let's capture her," he said.
"No! No!" cried Gamba. "They haven't seen us. Sail away as fast as, you can."
"Can you bring the Lo-har alongside her?" asked Dian.
"Yes," said Jav. He summoned his men from below and gave them their orders.
The Lo-har came about ahead of the John Tyler which was making far better headway than the smaller vessel. As the John Tyler overhauled her, Jav drew in closer to the other ship. As their sides touched, the agile Mezops swarmed aboard the John Tyler with lines and made the Lo-har fast to her.
The impact of the two ships as they came together awoke Ah-gilak. "Dod-burn it! what now?" he cried, as he scrambled up the ladder to the main deck. "Tarnation!" he exclaimed as he saw the score of Mezops facing him. "I've gone plumb looney after all." He shut his eyes and turned his head away. Then he peeked from a corner of one eye. The copper colored men were still there.
"It's the little Ah-gilak," said one of the Mezops. "He eats people."
Now Ah-gilak saw more people coming over the side of his ship, and saw the sail of the little Lo-har. He saw Raj and Hodon, and a beautiful girl whom he had never seen before. With them was a yellow man. But now Ah-gilak realized what had happened and the great good luck that had overtaken him at the very moment when there seemed not a ray of hope in all the future.
"Gad and Gabriel!" he exclaimed. "It never rains but they's a silver lining, as the feller said. Now I got a crew. Now we can get the hell out o' this here Korsar Az an' back to Sari."
"Who else is aboard?" asked Hodon.
"Not a livin' soul but me." He thought quickly and decided that perhaps he had better not tell all the truth. "You see we had a little bad luck-run ashore in a storm. When the crew abandoned ship, I guess they plumb forgot me; and before I could get ashore, the wind changed and the tide came in an', by all tarnation, the first thing I knew I was a-sailed off all by myself."
"Who else was aboard?" insisted Hodon.
"Well, they was Ja, and Jav, and Ko, an' a bunch of other Mezops. They was the ones that abandoned ship. But before that O-aa got a yen to go ashore-"
"O-aa?" cried Hodon. "She was aboard this ship? Where is she?"
"I was just a'tellin you. She got a yen to go ashore, and jumped overboard."
"Jumped overboard?" Hodon's voice rang with incredulity. "I think you are lying, old man," he said.
"Cross my heart, hope to die," said Ah-gilak.
"How did she get aboard this ship?" continued Hodon.
"Why, we picked her up out of a canoe in the nameless strait; and she told us where David was, an' we went back an' rescued him."
"David?" exclaimed Dian. "Where is he?"
"Well, before the John Tyler went ashore, David an' Abner Perry an' Ghak an' all his Sarian warriors decided they could get back to Sari quicker across country than they could by sailin' back. Course they was plumb looney, but-"
"Where did they go ashore?" asked Dian.
"Gad an' Gabriel! How'd I know? They ain't no charts, they ain't no moon, they ain't no stars, and the dang sun don't never move; so they ain't no time. They might o' went ashore twenty years ago, for all a body can tell."
"Would you recognize the coast where they landed?" persisted Dian.
"I might an' I might not. Reckon as how I could though."
"Could you recognize the spot where O-aa jumped overboard?" asked Hodon.
"Reckon not. Never seed it. She jumped over in a fog."
"Haven't you any idea?"
"Well, now maybe." Ah-gilak being certain that O-aa had drowned or been eaten by one of the reptiles that swarm the Korsar Az, felt that it would he safe to give what information he could. "As a matter of fact," he continued, "'t warn't far from where the John Tyler went ashore."
"And you would recognize that spot?"
"I might an' I might not. If I recalls correctly they was an island 'bout a mile off shore near where the John Tyler hit."
"Well, let's get going," said Hodon.
"Where?" demanded Ah-gilak.
"Back along the coast to where O-aa 'Jumped overboard' and to where David Innes went ashore."
"Now wait, young feller," remonstrated Ah-gilak. "Don't you go forgettin' that I'm skipper o' this ship. It's me as'll give orders aboard this hooker."
Hodon turned to Raj. "Have your men bring all the water, provisions, ammunition, and personal belongings from the Lo-har; then set her adrift."
Ah-gilak pointed a finger at Hodon. "Hold on young feller-"
"Shut up!" snapped Hodon, and then to Raj. "You will captain the John Tyler, Raj."
"Gad and Gabriel!" screamed Ah-gilak. "I designed her, I named her, an' I been skipper of her ever since she was launched. You can't do this to me."
"I can, I have, and I'll do more if you give me any trouble," said Hodon. "I'll throw you overboard, you old scoundrel."
Ah-gilak subsided and went away and sulked. He knew that Hodon's was no idle threat. These men of the Stone Age held life lightly. He set his mind to the task of evolving a plan by which he could be revenged without incriminating himself. Ah-gilak had a shrewd Yankee mind unfettered by any moral principles or conscience.
He leaned against the rail and glared at Hodon. Then his eyes wandered to Dian, and he glared at her. Another woman! Bad luck! And with this thought the beginnings of a plan commenced to take shape. It was not a wholly satisfactory and devastating plan, but it was better than nothing. And presently he was aided by a contingency which Hodon had not considered.