Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

THE SON “ But, Carver of Tusks,” asked the girl, doubtfully, “ will not the Red God turn on you, His master? And His wrath is ter- rible!_ Remember what He did to the for- est, that night!” “ No, Swift Runner,” answered the war- rior. “It is but when the Red God is strong and large that we need fear Him. When small and weak He is easily slain. Tem, the water, will slay Him, and he can be beaten to death with green branches. Va, the wind, helps him grow, but he grows only if we feed him much food. By giving him small branches we can keep him small and weak. “No, Va-m’rai, have no fear; the Red God is my slave, to do my bidding, now and forever, to bring us warmth and com- fort and safety; he is stronger than lance or dart or ax, and it may be that we shall find other things He can do for us—I have not tried more than to find how I may com- mand and rule Him; the rest is for the future.” The words were no more than out of his mouth when there came a rush of feet through the forest, and Meng, leading a band of negroes, broke into the open space where En-ro and Va-m’rai stood, and the two were seized. En-ro caught without his weapons, laid about him fiercely with a flaming stick, and shrieks and cries of pain rose from the burned attackers, but the ne- groes were no cowards and they came again and again to the fight, despite the strange new weapon the artist wielded. Va-m’rai fought like a wildcat, desper- ately, with tooth and fist and claw—the Bison himself received a long and bloody gouge from a thumb-nail that barely missed his eye—but it was of no avail, and shortly the fugitives from the Ta-an were bound hand and foot and carried back to their cave, where they were roughly flung on the ground while the negroes seized the store of meat and gorged themselves, all but Meng lying down to sleep. Meng, full-fed, walked over to where the captives lay; and looked down at them, an evil smile on his thick lips. In pure venom, he jabbed En-ro with his lance, and the blood started from the wound. “You thought to escape me!”’ snarled OF THE RED GOD. 205 the Bison in ‘his own tongue. “ You shall not do so again. Day and night shall you be watched, and daily shall you be beaten with rods till you die! Ax@ you shall chip no more flints; no weapon shall reach your hand for the few more days you have to live. And Va-m’rai shall see you die, she shall see you beaten daily, and when you are dead she shall be my woman, and, at your dying moment, you shall see her in my arms!” And once more he drove his spear into En-ro’s thigh. ‘ Beast!’ answered the Carver of Tusks. “ Foul beast! Child of a hyena! Misbe- gotten son of the Devils of the Air! Black of skin and blacker of soul, do you think to frighten a warrior of the Ta-an? Fool, even yet shall you die at my hand! And Va-m’rai shall never be yours; a girl of the Ta-an would die rather than be your woman —know you what the maidens of the tribe call you? ‘Ape-man’! Ho, ho! Ape- man!” Bristling and foaming at the insult, Meng raised his lance to slay, but En-ro only laughed. Slowly, reluctantly, the Bison . lowered the weapon, saying: ‘It will be more pleasant to see you die through days than to end you quickly. What is this strange new weapon you have found? It was the clouds rising from the mountain and the gleam ofthe weapon that guided us to you.” ‘What is it? It is your death! Find out for yourself what it is—Ape-man! You shall know it soon enough!” Snarling, Meng raised his lance again, but lowered it and turned to the cave, where he prodded one of his men awake with the butt of his spear, gave a few orders, and lay down. The negro, yawning and stretch- ‘ing, took ax and lance and went to watch En-ro and Va-m’rai, not taking his eyes from them during the long night. In the morning the negroes awoke, ate, unbound the feet of the captives, and jerk- ed them upright, then prodded them with lances, and the procession started for Meng’s camp, Va-m’rai ahead with a negro on each side and one behind; then, guarded in the same manner, En-ro, and the other negroes closing up the rear. Gomicbook (C@