As Tanar and Gura had capped the summit of the cliff and disappeared
from view, eighteen hairy men came into view from the forest and
followed their trail toward the foot of the cliff.
They were bushy whiskered fellows with gay sashes around their waists
and equally brilliant cloths about their heads. Huge pistols and knives
bristled from their waist cloths, and cutlasses dangled from their
hips—fate had brought these survivors of The Cid’s ship to the foot of
the cliffs below the village of Carn at almost the same moment that
Tanar had arrived. With sensations of surprise, not unmingled with awe,
they had recognized the Sarian who had been a prisoner upon the ship and
whom they thought they had seen killed by their musket fire at the edge
of the natural well upon the island of Amiocap.
The Korsars, prompted by the pernicious stubbornness of ignorance, were
moved by a common impulse to recapture Tanar. And with this end in view
they waited until Gura and the Sarian had disappeared beyond the summit
of the cliff, when they started in pursuit.
The walls of Carn lie no great distance from the edge of the table-land
upon which it stands. In timeless Pellucidar events, which are in
reality far separated, seem to follow closely, one upon the heels of
another, and for this reason one may not say how long Jude was in the
village of Carn, or whether he had had time to carry out the horrid
purpose which had taken him thither, but the fact remained that as Tanar
and Gura reached the edge of the bushes and looked across the clearing
toward the walls of Carn they saw Jude sneaking from the city. Could
they have seen his face they might have noticed a malicious leer of
triumph and could they have known the purpose that had taken him thus
stealthily to his native village they might have reconstructed the
scenes of the bloody episode which had just been enacted within the
house of the Himean. But Tanar only saw that Jude, whom he sought, was
coming toward him, and that Stellara was not with him.
The Sarian drew Gura back into the concealment of the bushes that lined
the trail which Jude was approaching.
On came the Himean and while Tanar awaited his coming, the Korsars were
making their clumsy ascent of the cliff, while Stellara, sick from
jealousy and unhappiness, leaned disconsolately against the cold stone
of her prison cave.
Jude, unconscious of danger, hastened back toward the spot where he had
left Stellara and as he came opposite Tanar, the Sarian leaped upon him.
The Himean reached for his knife, but he was helpless in the grasp of
Tanar, whose steel fingers closed about his wrists with such strength
that Jude dropped his weapon with a cry of pain as he felt both of his
arms crushed beneath the pressure of the Sarian’s grip.
“What do you want?” he cried. “Why do you attack me?”
“Where is Stellara?” demanded Tanar.
“I do not know,” replied Jude. “I have not seen her.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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