As she peered anxiously through the last curtain of foliage she saw a
single body lying quiet and still upon the sward, and an instant later
recognized it as Korth's. For several minutes she watched it before she
became convinced that the man who had so terrorized her whole childish
life could never again offer her harm.
She looked about for Thandar, but he was nowhere to be seen. Nadara
could scarcely believe that her eyes were not deceiving her.
It was incredible that the yellow one could have gone down to
unconsciousness before her unintentional blow and yet have mastered the
mighty Korth; but how else could Korth have met his death and Thandar
be gone?
She approached quite close to the dead man, turning the body over with
her foot until the throat was visible. There she saw the finger-marks
that had done the work, and with a little thrill of pride she turned
back into the forest, calling Thandar's name aloud.
But Thandar did not hear. Half a mile away he lay weak and unconscious
from loss of blood.
Morning found Nadara sleeping in a sturdy tree upon the trail along
which Waldo had followed Korth. She had discovered the footprints
of the two men the evening before while she had been searching
unsuccessfully for the trail which Waldo had followed after the battle.
She hoped now that the spoor might lead her to Thandar's cave, to which
she felt it quite possible he might have returned by another way.
When the girl awoke she again took up her journey, following the tracks
as unerringly as a hound up through the hilly country, across the
divide and down into the jungle to the very watering place at which her
tribe had drank a few days earlier. Here she made a brief stay.
Then on again down the river, back through the jungle and onto the
divide once more. She was much mystified by the windings of the trail,
but for days she followed the fading spoor until, becoming fainter and
fainter as it grew older, she lost it entirely at last.
She was quite sure by now, however, that it led from her tribe's former
territory, and so she kept on, hoping against hope, that soon she would
come across the fresh track of Thandar where he had passed her on his
return journey to his home.
Nadara had eluded the old man when she started upon her search for
Thandar, so it was that the old fellow returned to the dwellings of
his people alone the following day.
Flatfoot was the first to greet him.
"Where is the girl?" he growled. "And where is Korth? Has he taken her?
Answer me the truth or I will break every bone in your carcass."
"I do not know where the girl is," answered the old man truthfully
enough, "but Korth lies dead in the little glade beyond the three great
trees. A mighty man killed him as he was dragging Nadara off into the
thicket----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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