“I have seen no animals here like them,” I replied, “but there are many
kinds unlike us, so that we do not have to eat flesh of our own race.”
“Then you have all the flesh that you want?”
“All that we can eat,” I replied. “We raise these animals for their
flesh.”
“Where is your country?” he demanded. “Take me to it.”
I smiled. “I cannot take you to it,” I said. “It is upon another world.”
It was quite evident that he did not believe me, for he scowled at me
ferociously.
“Do you wish to die?” he demanded.
I told him that I had no such longing.
“Then you will lead me to your country,” he said, “where there is plenty
of flesh for everyone. You may think about it until I send for you
again. Go!” And thus he dismissed me. Then he sent for Orthis, but what
Orthis told him, I never knew exactly, for he would not tell me, and as
our relations, even in our captivity, were far from friendly, I did not
urge him to any confidences. I had occasion to notice, however, that
from that time Ga-va-go indicated a marked preference for Orthis, and
the latter was often called to his hut.
I was momentarily expecting to be summoned in to Ga-va-go’s presence,
and learn my fate, when he discovered that I could not lead him to my
country, where flesh was so plentiful. But at about this time we broke
camp, and in the press of other matters, he evidently neglected to take
any further immediate action in my case, or at least, so I thought,
until I later had reason to suspect that he felt that he need no longer
depend upon me to lead him to this land of milk and honey.
The Va-gas are a nomadic race, moving hither and thither, either as they
are pressed by some foes, or till their victories have frightened away
the other tribes from their vicinity, in either of which events, they
march in search of fresh territory. The move that we made now was
necessitated by the fact that all the other tribes nearby had fled
before the ferocity of the No-vans, whose repeated and successful raids
had depleted the villages of their neighbors and filled them with
terror.
The breaking of camp was a wonderfully simple operation. All their few
belongings, consisting of extra clothing, trappings, weapons, and their
treasured skulls and bones of victims, were strapped to the backs of the
women. Orthis and I each bestrode a warrior detailed by Ga-va-go for the
purpose of transporting us, and we filed out of the village, leaving the
huts behind.
Ga-va-go, with a half-dozen warriors, galloped far ahead. Then came a
strong detachment of warriors, with the women folks behind them, another
detachment of warriors following in the rear of the women and children,
while others rode upon either flank. A mile or so in the rear, came
three warriors, and there were two or three scattered far out on either
flank. Thus we moved, thoroughly protected against surprise, regulating
our speed by that of the point with which Ga-va-go traveled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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