Adventure stories; Islands -- Fiction; Love stories; Shipwrecks -- Fiction
As if by magic two long rows of immutable boulders wabbled for a second
and then thundered down the hillside, while ten score of wild, naked
human beings sent up yells of horrid glee to the unveiling dome above.
No pen can describe the flight of those death-dealing rocks as they
bounded over the sharp declivities, gaining speed with each revolution,
scattering earth, gravel and underbrush with the force of a cyclone,
leaping at last with a crushing roar into the very midst of the
stupefied army. There was a sickening, grinding crash, an instant of
silence, then the piteous wails and groans and the spectacle of a
writhing, rolling, leaping, struggling mixture of human forms. Almost as
the first volley of rocks left its position to roll upon the vanguard of
the ambushed horde, the howling devils on the hill tops were scurrying
toward the second row, farther to the right. Down poured this second
storm of rocks, increasing the panic below, literally slaughtering the
helpless wretches by the score.
Ridgeway looked upon this scene of destruction as if fascinated. He was
powerless to move. He had not dreamed that his trap could produce such a
havoc. The bottom of the pass was strewn with grovelling, shrieking
bodies, trampled beneath the feet of their uninjured but insane
companions. Dead and wounded, crushed and maimed, made up the surging
humanity in the fatal pass. The rocks had mowed them down. Devastation
had come like lightning from the skies. It was horrible!
Closing his eyes, he turned away, utterly sick. A moment later he
glanced about, hearing the victorious, eager savages on the heights
screeching like madmen. From all sides they were swarming toward him,
concentrating for the swoop down the hillside at his command. He was
awakened to action, his mind grasped the importance of immediate
decision and he was entirely recovered from his momentary palsy. One
particular feature of the horrid scene lingered in his memory till his
dying day. The surprised Oolooz men, not knowing whence came the foe or
the nature of the charge down the hills, had quietly turned their spears
to receive the onslaught, expecting men instead of rocks. He never
forgot the brief stand they made.
At first he believed that all had been killed--that the battle was over
before it began. But even as he turned for another pitying glance below,
the recovered foemen started up the hillside, shouting and screaming
with rage. The ground was covered with prostrate or crawling forms, yet,
to his amazement, there still seemed to be thousands of vigorous,
uninjured warriors.
"Good Lord! There are a million!" he shouted. Leaping forward, he swung
his sword on high and with every nerve aquiver he cried:
"Fire!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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