They paused neither to eat nor drink, to rest themselves nor to relieve nature, but continued with all possible speed. But the River People had an hour’s start on them, and they were moving with great rapidity, too, although their motive was one of superstitious terror, rather than revenge.
The territory of the River People lay among the low hills and fields which bordered the southeastern corner of the plateau, near the great waterfall. Their huts were clustered on both sides of the River of the Groack. It was towards this haven that Charak was leading his men with all haste.
By late afternoon, Thadron believed that he had almost managed to catch up with the hunting band. He was very near the edge of the jungle by now, and between it and the shore of the great lake called the Cor-Az there would be no cover for concealment.
Suddenly there dropped lithely from the branches above the gigantic figure of a bearded warrior of mature years. So swiftly had he appeared directly in their path that some of the men started, as at some apparition.
But it was no apparition. It was Jugrid. Arms folded upon his mighty breast, the deposed chief of the Cave People stood eyeing them calmly as Thadron came up to him, a spear ready in his hands.
Ignoring the spear, Jugrid gestured behind him.
“They have taken my daughter among the huts,” he said bleakly. “The band is led by one Charak, leader of a faction who desires to foment war between our two tribes. Zuruk the Peace-Maker, my father-in-law, still lives, but has lost much of his authority due to his years. Charak will use Ylana as a pretext for war.”
Thadron listened thoughtfully to his words, then shrugged.
Handing over his spear to Jugrid, he said simply: “Then we must get her back. What are your commands, my Chief?”
Chapter 15
A VOICE IN THE DARK
YLANA had been fed and given fresh water to assuage her thirst; albeit these small amenities were given grudgingly, she accepted them with gratitude. Now, tethered by a thong to the centerpost of one of the huts, her wrists and feet unbound at last, she was permitted to rest and recover her strength while under the glory of the moons her fate was being decided in tribal council. She could overhear some of the louder voices, but so exhausted was she from the long trek upon which she had been forced at breakneck speed and with many cruel blows, that she was content merely to rest and await whatever decision might be the outcome of the council.
Charak, in a bold, blustering manner, had given out that they had surprised her in spying upon the territory of the River People. Slanting his words with instinctive cunning, he made it seem as if a war party had been lurking in the underbrush, studying the defenses of the encampment. In this manner he explained the missing members of his hunting-band, claiming them to have been cruelly murdered from ambush by the marauding band of Cave People. He had hustled the girl out of sight before she could be questioned. Luckily, Zuruk did not seem to have recognized her, having not seen her since she was a small child.
The surviving members of his band of huntsmen, who were all supporters of his drive for war, loudly backed him in these lies, and those among the tribe who favored, for one reason or another, a return to the conditions of warfare that had long existed between the two tribes, were vociferous and insistent in calling upon Zuruk for a swift decision to attack the cavedwellings of their enemies in reprisal for this heinous betrayal of the peace.
The chief temporized, called for calmness, strove to discuss alternative courses of action in a sane and reasonable manner, but Charak’s hotheads raised a clamor and shouted him down. Zuruk was old, but he was not infirm. His mane and beard were gray as iron, and the years had lined his face with care. But still he retained considerable vigor and the light of the several moons gleamed along the great thews of his chest and shoulders and mighty arms.
At length he rose to his full height, commanding silence. Reluctantly, those of Charak’s faction who had hoped to outweigh the arguments of caution by sheer lungpower, fell silent one by one to let the old chief speak.
“We have heard much of spies and skulkers among the bushes,” Zuruk said quietly. “But no one has yet told us what there is to spy upon, or for what reason the skulkers skulk. Do not our friends, the Cave People, know full well the location of our village? They are aware from of old that no earthwork or palisade guards the approaches to the settlement. What, then, were they looking for? 1, for one, will refuse to believe they entertain any desire to renew the age-old conflict that once burned between our peoples, until I have better reason to suppose it to be the truth. For they, like us, will have discovered in these recent years of peace the fruitful rewards thereof. No more are wives left husbandless, no longer do children go hungry, not now do the young men die terribly in the full flower of their strength…”
Charak sprang to his feet, a sneer of derision on his coarse features.
“These are the words of a woman, or of a man who has lived so long that he has left manhood behind!” he bellowed. “What of the young warriors with me who fell this day to treachery and ambush? Their blood cries out: for vengeance…”
“Treachery and ambush, you say?” demanded Zuruk. “Mayhap those who slew the warriors you spoke of but sought to wrest free from your captivity the young woman you so cowardly seized( Since when do women spy on the encampment of the enemy? Since when do men fight with young girls? You will find, Charak, before the world is very much older, that Zuruk of the River People yet retains enough of the vigor of his youth to deal honorably with those who jeer insults at him.”
Charak glowered and looked disgruntled, but lapsed into a surly silence. The discussion continued, while the fate of Ylana hung in the balance.
FROM the wall of thick underbrush at the edge of the jungle, Jugrid and Thadron observed the village of the River People. They were too distant to make out what was being said, but it was obvious from the commotion and excitement that a heated argument was under way.
Since Thadron had vowed his allegiance to the former chief, Jugrid had been in a position to command the entire company. For when Thadron had picked his warriors for this expedition, he had, as was only natural, chosen those of his friends whom he knew to be honorable and brave, trustworthy, and of a similar disposition and outlook as himself. They were, therefore, for the most part, young men of the tribe who disliked Xangan and disapproved of his judgements and opinions. One and all, they would have preferred to have Jugrid as their chief again, and now that this was an accomplished thing, they were content to obey his orders without question.
The only member of the band who had any doubts about this was Pandan, the young warrior who had questioned Thadron’s kindness in giving food and water to Tomar. Pandan was no crony of Xangan, but was a cautious fellow who always liked to examine both sides of any course of action, before making up his mind which to follow. His fault seemed to lie in that he had an imagination which was too active. Where most of the tribesmen chose instinctively the path to which honor or loyalty or friendship bade them, Pandan would hesitate and temporize, to see which course held the least peril or the most personal advantage for himself. He had held his tongue when Thadron impulsively yielded command to Jugrid, but those who had observed him had noticed that the expression on his face was thoughtful, sly, and cunning. And he had carefully avoided the proximity of Jugrid or Thadron ever since.
TOMAR felt rather out of things, restless and uneasy. Younger than the jungle warriors, more rash and impulsive than they, and less given to thoughtful ponderings, his anxiety over Ylana’s safety by now chafed at the bonds of restraint. It began to look as if Thadron, and even Jugrid, were going to leave Ylana where she was, and wait for a more fortunate turn of events that would afford them an opportunity to strike.