THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE., MAY 21, 1916.
WEETHEART PR
IMEVA!
V
:
HERE were forty of
them, mighty men,
y Edgar Rice Burroughs
Illustrated by Dorothy Dulin.
mightily muscled. In
their strong1 hands -
they grasped their for- Sne nad not eaten for twenty-four gesture of appeal and supplication. She
midable spears and nours vet she felt no hunger every other was directly In Tur's path. The man
heavy axes. In their Bense anJ emotion was paralyzed by the stopped and looked at her for an instant,
loin cloths rested-their P'son ' Jealousy and hate. Gron slunk then with a sneer that was half snarl he
stone knives for the moment when they about the outskirts of the crow d that raised his hand and struck her in the face,
closed in hand-to-hand combat with their pressed around the figure at the stake. "Get out of my way, woman 1" he
foos. Ah, they were about to torture the growled, and passe'd on.
In tnefr savage brums was but a Bin- Prisoner! A group of women standing near had
gle idea to kill, to Ml, to kill! What pleasure they would derive from seen. They laughed boisterously -at the
To the outer rim of fires they came, ,nat! Gron raised herself on tiptoe to- discomfiture of their sister. Gron went
and yet the excited populace within had look ovcr the shoulder of a woman, cold and hot and cold again,
not discovered them. Then a girl, re- Tne later turned and, recognizing her, She burned with rage and humiliation,
momberlng tardily her duties at the fires, grinned. Her long black hair streaming about her
turned to throw more brush upon the "Tur enjoy the death agonies of face and across her shoulders, she ran to
blaze and saw them saw a score of hand- the mate of the woman he is going to the outskirts of the crowd that was
some, savage faces just beyond the tako m our stead, Gron," taunted her watching the victim who obstinately re-
Bameg friend. " fused to gratify their appetite for human
With a scream of terror and warning Gron made no reply. It was not the suffering Nu would not wince. Already
he turned and scurried among the vil- wav of ner period to betray the emotions the heat of tho flames must have caused
lagers. For an instant the hubhub was of tne heart. She would rather have died him excruciating agony, yet nojt by the
only to break out anew at the ieimis wum&n Know mai sne sui- busuiest luuveiucm 01 a muscie cua ne
fered. admit knowledge of either the surround-
"That is why he was so angry," con- ing fires or the savage, eager spectators.
men were among tinued the tormentor, "when you tried Gron watched him for a moment. And'
to rob him of this pleasure." now there sprang to Gron's mind a recur-
tilled
girl's frightened cry of:
riors:
Then Nu and his
them.
The warriors of the Boat Builders ran
forward to meet the attackers. The
women and children fled to the opposite
side of the inclosure.
Hoarse shouts and battle cries rang out
as the Cliff Dwellers hurled themselves
pon the Boat Builders.
A shower of long slim spears volleyed
from one side, to be answered by the
rence of the thought that the taunting fe
male's words had implanted there earlier
With the woman's words a sudden In- m tne evening.
How could she compass this last stroke
of revenge? It seemed practically impos-
spiration flashed into the mind of Gron.
Yes, Tur would be made mad if the pris
tribesmen-
Then the warriors rushed to closer con
Diet
first
tie in question; the fiercer tribe of Nu
the hunters of beasts of prey, the war
rlor
turn.
Back, back they forced the Boat Build
ers, until the defenders had been driven dark yes
across the inclosure upon tneir women ana
children.
And now the Inner circle of fires was
aurrendered to the Invaders, and as Nat
Mi sprang between the warriors of her
oner escaped. So would Scarb. the chief Bibie. The stake was hemmed in unon all
who had commanded Tur. to beat her and ddes by the clustering horde of eager
10 taxe anotner mate.
uron raisea nerseu again upon her toes Gron turned and ran to the opposite
and looked Ion? and earn put lv at th ftttn .u. ... j -. - ...
short, stout harpoons of the villagers. ' " " 0,uo ueyona me sneuers.
of the man bound to too stake. Already t.
tied to closer con- . ,, , " BUVugu.c,,, i-u iu sins
the flames of tho encircling Area illumined tn,iir. v.i .
with their axes. Never after the... - . 6 1 c r su
first assault wa, the outcome of tho bat- , to witness the last agonies of the prisoner.
. stood out a distinctly aa by sunlight. Gron seized a leafv branch ft,. i n
The man was very handsome. the firewood, that as to replenish the
There waa no man among- the tribe of m.
rlor people-were the masters at every
ger in physical perfection and beauty. A leaving an open avenue Into the inclosure
gleam of pleasure shot through Gron's though which savage beasts might rea-'
sonably be expected to renture. Then she
If she could only find such another back to the rinc of watch.
man and run off with him, then Indeed era
would she bo revenged upon Tur. If it As Bhe approached them she cried out
could be this very man! , m apparenUy incoherent terror. Those
Ah. then indeed would Scarb and Tut . i . . . . . .
people to be first to the side of Nu and ' ounished, Rut that - mnrfUk uraCu. wirueu oy ner snrieas.
Builders turned and fled )nto the outer ,n a - nnrm ana rour or 1116111 nave iered tho shel-
darkness alone the beach to where their ters' wher5 th are devouring tho babes.
CarKness. along "tne Deacn 10 wnere meir Gron wandered about th HMt . r.
- un Laai siue, ana -sne poiniea to tne op
filled with her hate to remain lone- tn una t m '
chief leaped though the Like an angry tigress sh. paced InRtantlv tna wholft tHh. fn
to and fro. Now and again some other ot huts-first the warriors, then
woman of the tribe hurled a taunt or a women and children.
boats were drawn up beyond the tide.
Nu, the
flames upon the heels of Nat-ul
In the terrible heat within the two
came side by side before the stake. The
girl gave a single glance "at the bare and
smoking pole and at the ground around
reproach at her.
The victim at the stake was deserted.
ft before she turned and threw herself hw aheiter in her restless rounds she
It would be ever thus. How she hated Scarce was every back turned toward the
them-erery one of them! As she passed pHsoner than Gron leaped through the
Into Nu's arms
Nu, the son of Nu, was not there, nor
was his body within the inclosure!
CHAPTER XL
Gron's Revenge.
I RON, suffering and exhausted from
heard the plaintive wailing of "her child.
She had almost forgotten him.- She
hurried within, snatching up the infant
from where it lay upon a pile of otter and
fox skins.
fiery girdle to his side.
Nu saw the woman and recognized her.
He saw the knife in her hand. She had
tried to kill him the previous night, and
now she waa going to have her way.
Well, it was better than the slow death
This was Tur's child his man-child.
RON, suffering and exhausted from Already it commenced to resemble the
VJ the effects of the cruel beating Tur father. How proud Tur was of it! Gron by fire!
had administered, lay all the following gasped at the hideous thought that fol- But Gron's knife did not touch Nu. In
day in her shelter. lowed remorselessly upon the heels of this stead, it cut Quickly through the bulloek
Tur did not molest her further. Ap- recollection. sinews that bound him to the stake. As
parently be had forgotten her a sug- She held the child at arm's length and the last strand parted, the woman seized
gestlon which aroused all her primitive tried to scrutinize its features in the dim him by the hand.
'savagery and jealousy as no amount oTmterior of the hut. "Come!' she cried. "Quick, before they
Brutal punishment might have done. How Tur would suffer if harm befell return there are no Zors in the Tillage.'
All day she lay suffering and hating his first man-child his only offspring! Nu did nt pause to question her or her
Tur. Gron almost threw the -wee bundle of hu- motives.
All day she planned new and diaboli- inanity back upon its pile of skins, and For a few steps he staggered drunken-
cal schemes for revenge. Close to her leaping to her feet ran from the shelter, ly, for the bonds had stopped the ctrcola-
areast she hugged her stone knife. For half an hour she roamed restlessly tion in his arms and legs. But Gron, half
It was well for Tur that he did not about the camp. supporting, half dragging him, pulled him
chance to venture near her then. Her brain was a whirling chaos f con- across the fires about the stake, orf" past
1 While he had beaten' her the knife had flicting emotions. A dozen times sire ap- the outer circle of the beast-fires toward
remained in her loin cloth; nor had the proached the death fires that were slowly the Stygian blackness that enveloped the
thought to use it against her mate entered roasting alive the man bound to the stake beach toward the sea,
the head of Gron; but now, now that he they encircled. As Nu advanced the blood commenced
had deserted her, now that he was doubt- Ar yet they had not injured him but to circulate once more through the reins
leas thinking of a new mate her thoughts given him a taste of the suffering to come, from which it had been choked, so that by
constantly reverted to the weapon. that was all. . the time they came to the water m was
It was not until after nightfall that Suddenly , she came face to face with almost in perfect command of his muscles,
Gron crawled from, beneath the hides and, Tur. Here Gron led him to a. dugout,
thatch of her shelter. " Involuntarily her hands went trot fa a "Quick!" she urged as the two seized ft
to run it through the surf. "They will V
soon be upon us and "then we shall both
die!" . :
Already angry shouts were plainly dla- 1
tinguishable from the village, and the''
firelight disclosed the tribe running hither
and thither bout the fires that encircled-'
the stake to which Nu had been secured.'-
The boat was through the surf and out
riding the waves beyond. j
Gron had clambered In and Nu was
taking his place in the opposite end of the -craft
when a new note arose from the vil
lage. The savage scouting carried a different
tone. Now there were battle-cries where
before there had been but howls of rage.
Even at the distance a which they were
Gron and Nu could see that a battle was
raging among the shelters of the Boat '
Builders.
What could It mean?
"They have fallen upon one another,"
said Gron. "And while they fight let ns '
hasten to put as great a distance between "
them and ourselves as we can before the
day returns." - v '
But Nu was not so anxious to leave.
He wanted to know more of the cause
af the battle. It was not within the
bounds of reason that the villagers could
have set upon one another with such ap
parent unanimity and without any seem- ;
ing provocation, and, too, it appeared to '
Nu that there were more people in the Til
lage now than there had been before fee
left it.
What did all this mean? Why it meant
t the troglodyte that the .village had
been attacked by enemies, and he wished
to wait until he might discover the iden
tity of the invaders. '
But Gron did not wish to wait. She
seized her paddle and commenced to
Ply it.
"Wait!" urged Nu, but the woman k--"
sisted that they must hasten or be leat,"
Even as they argued Gron suddenly
leaned forward, pointing toward tat
beach.
"See!" she whispered. "They have dis
covered us. We are being pursued."
Nu looked in the direction that site .
pointed, and, sure enough, dimly through
the night he descried two forma ractag
toward the beach. Aa he looked he aenr
them seize upon a boat and start launch,
ing it, and then he knew that only in fca
mediate flight lay safety.
He seized his paddle, and in concert
w9th Gron struck out for the opes sea. '
"We can turn to one side presently and
etude them," whispered the woman.
Nu nodded.
"We will turn north toward ray coon I
try," he said.
Gron did not demur. She might as well V,
go north as south. Her life was spent '
There was to be no more happiness for her
For a while both were silent, paddling' -out
away from shore. Behind them they
now and then discerned the darker blotch,
of the pursuing canoe upon the dark wa-
ters of the sea. - ,
"Why did you save me?" asked Nn at
length. ' . .
"Because I hated Tur," replied the '
woman. i v -
Nu fell silent, thinking. But he waa
not thinking of Gron. His mind waa filled
with speculations as to the fate of Nat-ul.
Whither had she fled when she bad
escaped from the dutches , of the Boat
Builders? Could she hare reached the '
tribe in safety? HH she known that it
was Nn who had entered the shelter where
she lay and rescued her fromTur?
He thought not, for had she known it
he was sure that she would have re- '
mained and fought with him.
(Presently Gron interrupted his reveries.
She was pointing orer the stern of the"
boat. There, not fifty yards awayv Nu"
saw the outline of another raft with two -paddlers
within. "
"Hast en r whispered Gron. "They are