Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

THE SON wide brook, and here the beast had stopped; beyond it the forest stood fresh and green. And an equal distance to their right this same brook, turning, had halted his march. To the left, and above them as well, the beast had not gone, and here, too, the forest was unharmed. But in the space between! Not a tree was left standing save as a blackened stump, not a bush: was to be seen, not a leaf nor a plant of any sort; all was black desolation, with here and there a red glow in the trunk of a tree, where the beast had not quite finished his terrible work. Long and silently En-ro looked out over the ruin, then shook his head and whis- pered: “Va-m’rai, this is no beast. Look! Do-m’rai himself, the Hill That Walks, could not have wrought such destruction. See where stood that great pine! Could any beast have destroyed it so utterly? He has devoured everything! No, this is no beast; it is—”’ and his voice fell lower still as, awestruck and reverent, he whispered: “it is a god!” Va-m’rai, her left arm about his shoulder, her right hand clasping his, her eyes follow- ing his pointing finger, whispered. in a shak- ing voice: “The Red God!” All the rest of the day En-ro sat thought- ful before the cave, and would not speak. When Va-m’rai asked questions he only grunted impatiently, till at last she feared that he had sickened from the bite of the strange god, and queried: “En-ro, are you sick? Do you feel pain?” But he only shook his head. ‘‘ What is it, my love? Have I angered you?”’ And she knelt beside him, but he shook his head again and snapped: “Be quiet! JI wish to think.” And when night came he lay down to rest, still wrapped in his unaccustomed silence. Early the next morning he rose and, go- ing to the mouth of the cave, looked about till he found the hammer-stone he had been using when the Red God was born. Va- m’rai watched him curiously, but said nothing, and by and by he turned to her and spoke: OF THE RED GOD. 203 ‘““T am going to try if I can bring the Red God to life again,” he said. The girl looked at him in horror; she was sure his mind was gone—probably the terrible expe- rience had turned his brain and he would be like Ken-so-man of the Ta-an, whom all feared and shunned. But she hid the sick fear that filled her heart and spoke gently: ‘““ Bring the Red God to life again?” And she managed a twisted smile. ‘“ Have you not seen Him enough? Look about you!” ‘“Do you remember that He was warm, when not too near? And that He lives on wood and leaves, but does not eat the rocks? I am going to try to make Him my slave!” And now Va-m’rai was sure her lover was insane, and she sank down in despair on the ground and drew the leopard-skin over her head and wept. : En-ro took the hammer-stone and a flint and turned away through the woods, skirt- ing around the burned part till he came to the stream that had stopped the Red God. He climbed up on a great flat rock and in fear and trembling struck the flint with the hammer-stone, a shower of sparks following the blow. A dozen times he did this, then sat and thought a while, summoning his courage for the next step. Laying aside the stones, he climbed down and gathered a handful of dry leaves, spread them on the rocks, and again struck sparks. The fourth time a red glow ap- peared on one of the leaves, and a little curl of smoke drifted and swirled upward. En-ro shrank back, but watched eagerly as the Red God devoured the leaves, and once more he tried. This time he dared hold out his hand toward the pile, and found it warm; he laid the ends of his fin- gers on the leaves and jerked his arm back with a yell—the Red God had bitten him again; and Va-m’rai heard the yell and shuddered where she crouched. He found a stick, held the tip among the burning leaves, and a yellow tongue licked up from it. Again and again he tried, lighting a small heap of leaves, feeding the Red God with fresh leaves, twigs, branches - of the trees, laying stones on it, blowing on it, spitting on it, carrying water from the brook to pour on it, relighting it, scat- EConniciooks (C@)