![]() ![]() “I will bind her and flay thongs for my garments from her white skin soft and tender are the thongs made from the hide of a maiden!”Īnd he grinned again in anticipation, while Ta-nu-ko looked at him with a shudder of repulsion, disgusted at the thought of such deliberate cruelty. “It shall be done,” repeated Gur, licking his lips with an evil grin. “Slay her as you will young and strong is she, and should make good sport ere her spirit passes into the Long Dark.” “As I speak, so shall you do, else A-ta comes not!” flamed the priest, leaning forward with a hard stare, from which Gur shrank back, muttering: “It shall be done!” “May I not keep her as my slave, to do my bidding?” Do with her as you will, save only that she must not live.” Both spoke in the same tongue-that of the Little Hairy Men. “At sunset, then, shall A-ta, the Girl of the Mountain Caves, daughter to Ban-tu-v’rai of the Ta-an, come to the Great Rock. Seeing the two in converse, none could have doubted that they were of different race his only wonder would have been that the priest of the Taan should be speaking in friendship with an enemy. Also, Gur’s sole garment was roughly shaped from the hide of a wild horse, worked and dressed with little skill. ![]() His face, with broad, low forehead, flattened nose and outward-pointing nostrils, with retreating chin and prominent cheekbones, marked him as one of a race lower than the Ta-an-a race not too far removed from the great apes, the resemblance being heightened by the thin growth of hair that covered his features.Īnd even in the garments and weapons of the two men was an equal difference, for Ta-nu-ko, clad in finely worked clothing of leopard’s hide, bore well-chipped ax and dagger of flint beside which those of the Little Hairy Men were rude and ill-formed, and carried also a bow and quiver of arrows, Gur’s chief weapon being a long and heavy club of oak, air-dried and seasoned in the sun. During fifteen years had they warred with the Little Hairy Men, and now for the first had one of the Ta-an spoken in peace to one of the olden-time dwellers in that land.Ī strange contrast the two made as they faced each other, concealed in a deep thicket that nestled high above the river, clinging to the face of the hill, for the chief priest was tall and straight, long of limb and smooth of face, with a noble head, albeit his countenance was somewhat marked with lines of selfishness and deceit, whereas Gur was short and squatty, with stooping shoulders and long arms, so that his hands, hanging half-closed, reached nearly to his knees. Fifteen years before, led by T’san-va-men, Lord of the Winged Death, the Ta-an had come to the Land of the Dying Sun and had there made their homes, stretching for miles along a fair valley. The speaker was Ta-nu-ko, chief priest of the Ta-an, and the one to whom he spoke was Gur, chieftain of the Little Hairy Men. ![]() Be you at the great rock by the river, two thousand paces downstream, to-morrow at sunset, and you shall see her come by her yellow hair may you know her for the one you seek, though in truth no sign is needed, for alone will she come.” “Into your hands, then shall she be delivered. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. They cannot be sold, shared or given away. To find more titles in the genres you love most, including sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction, visit us at eBooks are NOT transferable. At eStar Books, we specialize in the unique and unusual. The publishers at eStar Books are proud to provide this quality title for your reading pleasure. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. This edition published in 2013 by eStar Books, LLC.
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