10
THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, MAY 7, 1916.
over the edge of the cliff, clutching: at the could regain the mainland she had not black
top as she went, and thus further diuain- the faintest belief
ishing her speed. That she cpuld long aulY9 the dan.
Directly below the summit hiy a nar- gers of the mysterious country she doubt -row
ledse. L'ikmi this Nat-ul came almost ed Evm, mih -i..- ,
- - - - - .ub "ill i , iuil U 1IIKU.
hair a single long feather rose familiar with, this custom, and she kn
to a full stop, but there was nothing there
upon which she could gain a hand-hold,
and so she toppled slowly over the edge
Into the arms of another of the man-apes.
Close beside him was one of his feUows,
and a little way below the third who re
mained of the original six.
The nearer clutched at Nat-ill, to drag
straight and defiantly aloft. the utilitarian origin of it.
smee glance revealed to Tur the fact Women were the least valuable asset
that this was no member of his tribe. of a tribe.
It was a etransrer. And sn an rmv ti? immiM i. j .
... .... . . .uv.j uvsi w h larca in case or
ou, rare ... m this Place of terror. What, Nat-ul recognized Nu at ence. She gave sudden onslaught bv
a little cry of delight at sifrht of him. a nisrht: it was th vmin. ,..v, '
' ' J O W BWU
cry that was answered by a shout of en- were to become warriors, that must be
preserved. The death of a single rlr
into the would count for little her
indeed, was to become of a girl armed
only with a knife!
That Nu already was searching for her couragement from Nu
sue aid not doubt; but long ere this the Tur threw the girl rourhlv
. . . . . . - , - .wr,,WJ, llllu tIle vtuuiu rauni ior nine ner purpose would
tide had washed the imprints of her san- bottom of the boat, holding her there with have been served If the screams of herseli
TZ 7l' . ndna' inoun n fought bitterly to and her companion aroused the warrior
her from the arms of her captor, who drew h. w ZZlJT. I . . - T ha Present the nt to
back with bared fangs and menacing erased it how Z7a then Nu'8 Ut hlch ur1 -4
denTy t d"l, her. r interpret theudden end- "T h. r J E aTo
ae wt nadtaTned t " 1.1 f V ? ked rapld' in the He strode across the interior and knel
closer. The ledge upon which they stood
was very narrow. A battle there" would
have meant death for all three.
With n catlike leap the creature that
- ' ' - vi a.u LlltS HQ LVn,
The stranger had seen the winged rep- surf, and wonderfully proficient in the beside her.
hold
Nat-ul in his arms sprang to one was the way of strangers then?
- ' - juuviouk 1U U1Q
tile pounce upon her and bear her away; handling of the cumbersome craft of his
but even if Nu should come upon him how tribe even under the most adverse condl-
could he learn the truth, since the mo- tlons.
rri onf it-mi- V a il. m -, .
upon one another in mortal combat, as boat into the grip of a receding roller that M me that you will not resist or attemp
was the wav of strangers thn? . ij i. . ' aivouip
"I have kept the women from you." hi
said. "Gron would have torn you V
pieces, and the others would have helped
side, turned, and with the etrength and Or if by an chance Tnu discover, 'SST t0 . "d i
agility of a chamois leaped down the steen h h,rt v .rT,".",UB wn inrou permanently,
f " " - ura uoicr, leaping into it with his captive,
Otherwise
cliff face
In his path was the remaining tree
man. T,o have met that charge would
have meant being catapulted to the bottom
of the ravine. '
Wisely the man-ape sidestepped, but
Immediately the two had passed he fell
country how could he follow, even though
w - ' j w iici Auea
he believed, against all reason, that she calling aloud to Nu. and striving des
still lived 7 perately to throw herself overboard; but
There was nothing left for her but to Tur held her fa,.t miin,, .i.
battle for survival, pitting her wits and and when Nu reached the water's edge
l. A : ... , j i "
her agility against the brute force and
cunning of the brutes that would menace
into pursuit of them. Behind him came her to the end of her days-the end that
the other that Nat-ul's captor had eluded, could not bo far distant.
There ensued a mad chase that often The windings of the gorge as she trav
blanched the cheeks of the almost fearless ersed It downward had shut off the loud
cave girl. er goundg o( the mt raging behind
From the base of the cliffs the man- her. though stfll she could hear an occa-
ape leaped across the intervening jungle sional roar, or shrillf-r rr,m
- v.fc LKUU.
Bhall have to tie vou nn vln t ?;'
Nat-ul fought her way to her knees, away, and then there Is no telling whaf
Ulng aloud to Nu. and striving rimn mo a J
""j euim juu win om aeienses
less and I not here to keep her from yov
What do you say?"
"I say that the moment my hands ar
freed I shall fight until I kill or ai
killed," replied the girl; "and when m
feet are loosed I shall run away as fast a
I can."
Ktura. fivery very well," ne said. "It will profs
,oslanl was carrjnng ner away from him. you nothing unless yon enjoy being af
The troglodyte scarce hesitated. With ways tied In this uncomfortable position S
a swift movement he threw off his lion He stooped and cmm.no J
- v , fcu vUl
BKin ana aiscaraea his stone ax;
they were well beyond his reach.
So, too, was his own tree-trunk.
Between him and Nat-ul the sea
swarmed with carnivorous reptiles. J-Tvery
tv. .v.. . . . , " u-iuc ma eione ax; men, upon tne knots that held her tt ,i
To the lower branches She hoped that they would tight until all naked but for a loin cloth, and armed only klVs.
Outside the shelter something slun!
stealthily In the shadows. Tur did n
r,t , . . r ' uuui mi naKea oui xor a loin ciotn, and armed onlv
mese ne iook without lessening his were dead. Otherwi
eDeed in the i,t w o, . ...... uove mrougn tne pound-
-. wiuuoi new, i.Tjjiiiiue me pursuit.
swiruy ne passed through the tangled
maes of the primeval forest.
Close behind him, screaming and roar
ing, came his
ing surf into the frightful sea.
robbing him of his prey.
He carried Nat-ul across one shoulder,
as sne stopped once to listen, that she As Nat-ul witnessed hi.
might knjw tike three were still engaged doubled her efforts to retard Tur. Crawl -in
battle, she turned her eves bac.kwnrri in n u v. .
- vico, i in v. w ix) in arms
him
hear the faint scraping sound of the cretj
two fellows, intent upon up the gorge, so that, for the moment, she about her captor's neck, dragging
ture's wary advance
His back was toward the entrance 4
the shelter as he knelt low over the hart
knots In the bullock sinews. I
Already he had released the cords thtv
failed to see that she bad reached the end down until he ouirf
- - ti itm ana
of tne narrow r n vAn nnri tvot j . m
rrriro v, . . . . . ' uule- lougnt to disengage himself.
' ' whu a gigantic nand. and the sea lay before her rta. am t s . , ,,, . . . "
si---:-"r:-..- ss3s3
. i..x. uirtuuitiiy r,u was overnaunnff them, the man wna hnwi i,m v t
-w fcv. M.it ner,
to clutch the girl.
projecting boulder.
XT' t .111 KttlTvfl mil. r. . .
Her captor shooting a quick glance Satisfied that she was not as yet being every" ounce of her s renVT,, b In- aWar ;
rearward discovered the imminence of his pursued Nat ul resumed her T 7 strength to hamper darker shadow of a form blotting a pol
despoilment. Wheeling suddenly Toon the ZZL Ml .T J!" f tota Rt th on of the dark entranceway. The crtf
despoilment. Wheeling suddenly upon the
me rocKV trail. As she iur-noA n ttt. . ... . . '
precarious. trail, he snapped viciously at the sea. and. fa, v "7,7" " " w not large enough to be of t
the nearer pursuer, who. with bared fangs across the wa er. -- camlVora. though
. nun wa riuaiuff nnn iap rvr ft mi-k v. n . v .
.v. ""6" iiaro utra m nvens. or n -nrii
and growling horribly, retreated out of
reach.
Then the cifeature recommenced his
flight, only to be at once pursued again by
his two kinsmen.
"" utiwaru iQwarq tne Deach. With a Riiridon n-ronh T. t a tst. ... .. T
. i , . . ot ma i-iu waa ou tne Point Of Wflmlno-
that she miht rach a point as close as right hand. Nat-ul strove to regain it. but man. when it occurred to L7ho
nossible to hir he nrul nnnni,.,. .u. . w tnai ne
possible to her beloved country
As she passed the boulder behind which
the man hid the scraping of a pebble be
Oftener the captor was forced to halt neath his sandal attracted her attention,
with his prize and fight off first fene of Sh whwW.l tr.,.Jr,i v.i .
w u mill BUU Vil Til I UII If LI
them and then the other.
At last, at the edge of the jungle closa
to the mouth of a narrow, rocky gorge,
the beast went mad with rage. He
wheeled suddenly upon his pursuers,
hurled Nat -til heavily to the ground, and
charged, roaring and foaming,. .upon them.
They were running side by side, and so
to fly, but he was too close.
Already he had leaped for her. One
brawny hand closed in her flowing hair,
the other grasiped the wrist of the up
raised hand in which the long knife of th
the great, fist rose above her face. might be not onlv th- .i,
W ith terrific impact It fell upon her now craved but at the same time a meal
,u,c'" i,u- weiu "lack before her as of revenging herself upon her captor I
she released her hold upon Tur and sank She lay very quiet while Tur labor',
to the bottom of the boat unconscious. over the last knot.
fellow that they had no time to dodge him. mainland beach and then he drew her
xiis great nanas seizea them and then toward him. Nat-ul fought like a tigress
all three went to the earth, tearing at one and once she screamed,
another, burying their formidable tusks in
throat and breast, and all the while keep- CHAPTER VIII.
ing up a terrinc growling and roaring. Tur
instantly Tur snatched up his paddle Close behind the man crept the silel
and. leaping to his feet, beat furiously at prowler of the night. Nat-ul could im.l
Nu-s head and hands. lne the bared fan&8 and f
Bravely the man strove to force his way jowls. g
into the boat in the, fn r-a nf t T i. .... , k
!,,,., , . . "l ""0 "i-riic jiuijiner instant there wnnw k '
girl had flashed above him with Incredible punishment; but it was too r. .... .. . .W0U,d be l
swiftness mo tning closed with
sutness. npt half stunneH he slinned hnnt- inA swift
e laughed in her face it was thp the water as tw x,t ... J f.
" " 3U 1Jus,BU ln ner lace it was thp the water as Tur drove his Daddla nnr Or won M H . . .
ouick was the offensive movement of their stranger who had pursued her upon the a.ain. and the rude c aft foTged " unpttec d th oat iT
fellow that they had no time to dodge him. mainland beach-and then h w ......o .:,... , S protectea throat? The girl's eyes w'
, " rxr nanus ana reet were securely
Warily .t-tt raised herself upon all rprn carried the girl, still struggling bound ith tough bullock sinews. When
"l"" A find f srh ilntr tnnnxul ki. u i 1 . . . . .... .
v... uiaiinniiu. Wiae in rasr nnt orl 1,-. r.i. . . f
x. . , . M on' snudder.
vvnen Nat-ul regained consciousness once as In the close presence of death I
The last knot loosened beneath Tuf
fingers. He jorked the cord from kJ
the girt's knees with a low exclamation
satisfaction. f
sne round herself lying upon a shaggy
anroch's skin beneath a rude shelter of
thatch and hide.
Her hands and feet were secure! v
she struggled to free herself they cut into
her poft flesh, hurting cruelly. ,
So she lay still, looking straight up at
the funnel -like peak of the shelter's interior.
And then Nat-ul saw the thing behl
me man near itstlf upon its hind lei
spring, and settle full upon Tur back
vage growl no sour
riie silence t the attack rendered it
just been fashioned by others of his own of the strange caves of the people she had
i -11 . .
She knew where she was. This was ona finitely more horrible than would best
tribe.
seen working upon the tree-trunks, for
frtllrt I ...
A ana nghtimg, toward his boat. For
Her eyes were fastened intently upon the first time he saw the boat that had
the three savage beasts. They paid no at- brought Nu, and wondered at the presence
tention to her. It was evident that their of another craft.
every faculty was wholly engaged in the Who could at be? A closer inspection
life and death struggle upon which they revealed that the-boat was one that had
Nat-ul came to her feet and without
another backward c-lanc nA o . . ......
t oumc- ui inei men must nave followed wtiat purpose she now knew.
narrow gorge behind her. She ran as him. Still clasping, Nat-ul firmly, as he She turned her head toward the en-
ewlftly as she could, that she might put stood ankle deep in the water beside the trance. Beyond she saw men and women
am trrAnt n dlnlsnm, n . , ....... "
0 ,uio oetween Boat, he raised his voice in a loud halloo, squatting about small fires, eating. It was ous combat Nat-ul t,wi -v V
herself and the horrid beasts that battled Presently a clattering of falling stones already dark. Beyond them w-fre oZr H.r ZTst.n '
Wher th. rr- u. " " . Ine saage were iree. Here was her opportunity
0 con- tne attention or xur and the girl. carnivora at bay. Tnir.,, , v... . "
- ww un , . , Already halfway down the figure of an Nat-ul watched these people until they she darted from the shelter and
What other horrors lay at its end wo. . .. .. . ...... cr ana WUOf
... --"" '"wiuu wieiu in wnnarew 10 tneir sneuers. uniy two girls luto the near-by jungle -
IZ J?!? Ply kf9W th&t h0 d6scent- hi3 ahouMers fluttered the were left, whose business U was to keep (To be continued nrrt
.... i sne ever skto of a cave lion. From his shock of the fires burning bright! y. Nat-ul was (Copyright, 1916. by W. G. Oupm.aJ
w3 tnai misroi navA n;
-! o i rri 1A m . Si
Tur rolled over upon his side to grapi
witn nis antagonist.
In an Instant they were locked In fi