Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 46: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

196 underbrush, and from time to time one or the other ran violently against a tree, with a breath-taking shock, but En-ro had that morning blazed the trees with his ax as he passed, and they could follow the line of white marks that gleamed faintly in the dark woods. At times some beast crashed through the brush, startled by the sound of human be- ings, but for the most part the only noises were those made by the man and girl, or the quiet drip—drip—drip of water from the leaves. All night long they traveled, far past the spot where En-ro had made his sleeping-place in the old oak tree—and the clear dawn found them, leg-weary, bruised, scratched by low-swinging branches, but many miles from the caves of the Ta-an. While still on the mountain En-ro had given the girl a lump of meat, which she had carried in one hand, tearing pieces from it with her teeth and swallowing them as she ran, but now in the morning light they sat down beside a little stream and ate their fill, afterward lifting water from the brook in their hands to drink. While they ate En-ro looked about him and saw that they were in a little glade, some fifty paces across, with long, rich grass covering the ground and bending over the edge of the stream. Rushes grew in the shallow places, and he could see many fish playing, or—the large ones—moving lazily about in the clear water, plainly vis- ible against the gravelly bottom. The character of the forest had changed, for there were more of the soft woods, and fewer, hardly any, pines or firs, and wild flowers made patches of bright color in the grass. One tall tamarack tree grew at the edge of. the open space, towering above the maples and willows, and En-ro, finishing his piece of meat, climbed this and looked about over the forest. Far to the north he could see the hills from which they had come, and far to the south another range, and he knew—as in- deed he had realized during the night— that they had left the slopes, and were now on the floor of the broad valley across which he had so often looked from his home on the mountain. He knew, too, having heard it from the Little Hairy Men, that THE ARGOSY. they must cross this valley, climb the far- ther mountain, then down a slope far longer than the one they had traveled, and then, turning west, make for the Land of the Dving Sun. After many days’ journey they would come in sight of the Great Blue Water, and, following along the shore, at length reach the new home they sought, where honor awaited an.artist and craftsman. For a long time he looked, choosing with practiced eye the easiest route, and fixing the direction in his mind, then climbed down, to find Va-m’rai, worn out with the journey and sodden with sleep, nodding be- side the stream, her hands clasped about her knees, and her long hair, wet and dark and lustrous from the rain, matted about her shoulders. He shook her gently by the arm and she raised her head and blinked at him, then smiled. ‘Get up, Va-m’rai,” he said. ‘ We may not sleep here; it is no safe place.” *“{f can go no farther,” she answered, ris- ing stiffly. ‘Oh, Carver of Tusks, I can indeed go no farther!” And she tottered where she stood, from utter weariness, clutching her lover’s arm to steady herself. En-ro looked at her doubtfully. ‘Indeed, Swift Runner,” he said, “I think you speak the truth! Well, we will rest here, but not on the ground.” And he turned to a tree, climbed it, pulled two branches together, and wattled small branches and withes between them till he had made a platform. In the meantime Va-m’rai had spread out the skins, laying them on bushes to dry in the sun, which was warm and comforting, and had climbed the tree to help in making the resting-place. When it was finished En-ro climbed down and got the skins and other things he had” carried and returned. He spread a lion’s skin on the platform, the two lay down in each other’s arms, pulled the rest of the skins over them, and were instantly asleep. The sun was setting when the Carver of Tusks awoke, waking instantly as does a healthy animal, and he shook Va-m’rai, who sat up and looked about for a moment, puz- zled, then remembered where she was. Her lover kissed her, and she responded, CORICLOOO© (Cc S (C@)