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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1916)
THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, MAY 21, 1916. overtaking us, ana but for my knife we He knew when to fight and when to are unarmed." flee. At present there was nothing' to flee N'u bent to hi.s paddle. On th . -t from, but a place of safe hiding must be wallowed toward the open sea. was their first concern. He grasped Gron by no chance to elude the pursuers anil turn the wrist north. First they must put sufficient distance between them that the others might not see 'which way they turned. But there seemed little likelihood of their being able to accomplish this, for, strive as they would, they could not shake off the silent twain upon their trail. The darkest hours of the night were upon them those that precede dawn. They struggled to outdistance their pursuers. That they were lengthen ing the distance between the two boats seemed certain. In another few minutes tbey might risk the stratagem. But they had scarcely more than turned when the surge of surf upon a beach rose directly before them. Both were nonplused. What had happened? Where were they? They had been moving straight out to sea for some time, and yet there could be no mistaking that familiar sound land was directly ahead of them. To turn back now would mean to run straight into the arms of their pursuers which neither had the slightest desire to do. Had Nu been armed he would not have hesitated to grapple with the two occu pants of the boat that had clung so tena ciously to their wake, but with only the woman's knife and a couple of wooden paddles it would have been a fruitless thing to do. Exerting all their strength, the two drove the dugout through the surf until Its nose ran upon the sand. Then they leaped out and dragged the boat still far ther up beyond the reach of the mightiest roller. Where were they? Nu guessed a part of the truth. He reasoned that they had fallen upon the same island from which he had seen Nat ul snatched by the Boat Builder, and from which he himself had escaped so. recently, v- But he was not quite right. "Come!" he said. We must find a cave I l, UillU S. II 1 II KUIII til III im 1 Vr'jasSSKKT' tf make the best of It until daylight re turned it would never do to roam through the woods unarmed at night longer than was ab solutely necessary. N u was accus tomed to sleeping In trees. His people often did so when on the when the quarry of the chase led them overfar from their caves by day, necessitating the spending of the night abroad; but Gron was not so familiar with life arboreal. She clung, fearful, to the bole of the tree in a position that precluded sleep. Nu showed her hoy to com pose herself upon a limb with her back to the tree stem, but even then she was afraid of falling should she chance to doze. At last Nu placed an arm about her to support her, and thus she slept, her head pillowed upon the shoulder of tier enemy. The ; sun was high when the sleepers awoke. Gron was the first to open her eyes. For a moment "she was bewildered by the strangeness of her surroundings. Where was she? Upon what was her head pillowed? She raised her eyes. They fell upon the sun tanned, regular features of the godlike Nu. Slowly recollection forced Its way through the misty pall of somnolence. She felt the arm of the man about her, still firmly flexed in protective support. This was her enemy the enemy of her people. She looked at Nu through new eyes. It was as though the awakening day had brought an awakening of her soul. The man was undeniably beautiful of a mas- an should thus flee her own culine beauty that was all strength, people to save him, a stran- Gron closed her eyes again dreamily ger and ap enemy." Again he and let her head sink closer to the strong, raised the question that Gron brown shoulder. had so illy answered. . But presently came entire wakefulness, "Why do you seek to save and with it a full return of actively func- me," he asked, "from your tionlng recollection. own people?" With a sudden intaking of her breath "I do not seek to save that was almost a scream. Gron sat erect, you," replied the woman. "I The movement awakened Nu. He opened wish to make Tur mad that his eyes, looked at the woman, and remov- ls all. He will think I have ing his arm from about her stood upright run off to mate with you. upon the tree branch. When he thinks that, you "First, we must seek food and weap- may die for all I care. I ons," he said, "and then return to the hate you, but not quite so jand that holds my country. Come." much as I hate Tur." His quick eyes had scanned the ground below. There were no beasts of prey in CHAPTER XII. sight. Nu lowered the woman to the base As Nu led Gron through of thei tree, leaping lightly to her side. the dark night Fruits, growing in plentltude, assuaged 2tlkc1-ft y. -r-, j,ki amiUBi me uiatnnrps a - - i'AN-. of tropical plistfea, Nu led the way Inland toward Their strenuous paddling during the or a tree to preserve us until the day forest that clothed the gentle ascent lead- hjgher ground, where he might find grow hours of darkness had carried them to the comes again." ing inland from the beach he grinned at in th harder necessary for a spear- north of the nearer island and beyond It. The woman cast a backward glance the thought: of Tur's discomfiture, as well shaft-; As a matter of fact they had been deposit- over her shoulder a way with women. as at the candor of his rescuer. A fire-hardened point was the best that ed upon the southern coast of the largest "Look!" she whispered, and pointed But now Nu was the protector. He he might hope for temporarily, unless Island of the group, which lay several toward the surf. might have; left the woman to shift for chance should direct him upon a fragment miles northeast of the one with which Nu Nu looked, and there upon the crest of herself, but the Idea of deserting Gron of leek-green nephrite or a piece of flint, had had acquaintance. a great wave, outlined against the dark never occurred to him. Onward and upward 'toiled the search - But what mattered It? horizon, loomed a boat In which sat two She was a woman. She had saved Nu's era, biut though they scaled the low and - One was as bad as another. Both be- figures, plying paddles. One glance was life. Her motive was of negligible lm- rugged mountains that paralleled the, longed to the mysterious country-. They enough. port. coast ithey came upon neither the straight, were Inhabited by hideous flying reptiles. The pursuers were close upon them. In the darkness Nu found a large tree, hard wood that Nu sought nor any sign of and legend held that frightful men dwelt Nu, still holding Gron's wrist, started He entered the lower branches to recon- the prized minerals from which he might upon them. And Nu was without weapons toward the black shadows above the noiter. There were no dangerous foes fashion a spear head, an ax, or a knife, of defense! beach. The woman ran by his side. lurking there, so he reached down and as- Down th further slopes of the moun- Nu was lost, but far from hopeless. Nu wondered not a little that the worn- sisted Gron to his side. There they must tains they made their way, glimpsing at They were not yet out of reach of the weapons. He reached down with his right hand and picked ap a loose bit of rock, hurling it toward the nearest spearman.
