The People the Time forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs (best free ereader .TXT) 📖

rendered him, whereupon they showered
us with the most well-meant attentions, for Chal-az, it seemed,
was a most popular member of the tribe. Necklaces of lion and
tiger-teeth, bits of dried meat, finely tanned hides and earthen
pots, beautifully decorated, they thrust upon us until we were
loaded down, and all the while Al-tan glared balefully upon us,
seemingly jealous of the attentions heaped upon us because we had
served Chal-az.

At last we reached a hut that they set apart for us, and there we
cooked our meat and some vegetables the women brought us, and had
milk from cows--the first I had had in Caspak--and cheese from
the milk of wild goats, with honey and thin bread made from wheat
flour of their own grinding, and grapes and the fermented juice
of grapes. It was quite the most wonderful meal I had eaten since
I quit the _Toreador_ and Bowen J. Tyler's colored chef, who could
make pork-chops taste like chicken, and chicken taste like heaven.


Chapter 6


After dinner I rolled a cigaret and stretched myself at ease upon
a pile of furs before the doorway, with Ajor's head pillowed in my
lap and a feeling of great content pervading me. It was the first
time since my plane had topped the barrier-cliffs of Caspak that I
had felt any sense of peace or security. My hand wandered to the
velvet cheek of the girl I had claimed as mine, and to her luxuriant
hair and the golden fillet which bound it close to her shapely
head. Her slender fingers groping upward sought mine and drew them
to her lips, and then I gathered her in my arms and crushed her to
me, smothering her mouth with a long, long kiss. It was the first
time that passion had tinged my intercourse with Ajor. We were
alone, and the hut was ours until morning.

But now from beyond the palisade in the direction of the main gate
came the hallooing of men and the answering calls and queries of
the guard. We listened. Returning hunters, no doubt. We heard
them enter the village amidst the barking dogs. I have forgotten
to mention the dogs of Kro-lu. The village swarmed with them,
gaunt, wolflike creatures that guarded the herd by day when it
grazed without the palisade, ten dogs to a cow. By night the cows
were herded in an outer inclosure roofed against the onslaughts of
the carnivorous cats; and the dogs, with the exception of a few,
were brought into the village; these few well-tested brutes remained
with the herd. During the day they fed plentifully upon the beasts
of prey which they killed in protection of the herd, so that their
keep amounted to nothing at all.

Shortly after the commotion at the gate had subsided, Ajor and
I arose to enter the hut, and at the same time a warrior appeared
from one of the twisted alleys which, lying between the irregularly
placed huts and groups of huts, form the streets of the Kro-lu
village. The fellow halted before us and addressed me, saying
that Al-tan desired my presence at his hut. The wording of the
invitation and the manner of the messenger threw me entirely off
my guard, so cordial was the one and respectful the other, and the
result was that I went willingly, telling Ajor that I would return
presently. I had laid my arms and ammunition aside as soon as we
had taken over the hut, and I left them with Ajor now, as I had
noticed that aside from their hunting-knives the men of Kro-lu
bore no weapons about the village streets. There was an atmosphere
of peace and security within that village that I had not hoped to
experience within Caspak, and after what I had passed through, it
must have cast a numbing spell over my faculties of judgment and
reason. I had eaten of the lotus-flower of safety; dangers no
longer threatened for they had ceased to be.

The messenger led me through the labyrinthine alleys to an open
plaza near the center of the village. At one end of this plaza was
a long hut, much the largest that I had yet seen, before the door
of which were many warriors. I could see that the interior was
lighted and that a great number of men were gathered within. The
dogs about the plaza were as thick as fleas, and those I approached
closely evinced a strong desire to devour me, their noses evidently
apprising them of the fact that I was of an alien race, since
they paid no attention whatever to my companion. Once inside the
council-hut, for such it appeared to be, I found a large concourse
of warriors seated, or rather squatted, around the floor. At
one end of the oval space which the warriors left down the center
of the room stood Al-tan and another warrior whom I immediately
recognized as a Galu, and then I saw that there were many Galus
present. About the walls were a number of flaming torches stuck
in holes in a clay plaster which evidently served the purpose of
preventing the inflammable wood and grasses of which the hut was
composed from being ignited by the flames. Lying about among the
warriors or wandering restlessly to and fro were a number of savage
dogs.

The warriors eyed me curiously as I entered, especially the Galus,
and then I was conducted into the center of the group and led forward
toward Al-tan. As I advanced I felt one of the dogs sniffing at
my heels, and of a sudden a great brute leaped upon my back. As
I turned to thrust it aside before its fangs found a hold upon me,
I beheld a huge Airedale leaping frantically about me. The grinning
jaws, the half-closed eyes, the back-laid ears spoke to me louder
than might the words of man that here was no savage enemy but
a joyous friend, and then I recognized him, and fell to one knee
and put my arms about his neck while he whined and cried with joy.
It was Nobs, dear old Nobs. Bowen Tyler's Nobs, who had loved me
next to his master.

"Where is the master of this dog?" I asked, turning toward Al-tan.

The chieftain inclined his head toward the Galu standing at his
side. "He belongs to Du-seen the Galu," he replied.

"He belongs to Bowen J. Tyler, Jr., of Santa Monica," I retorted,
"and I want to know where his master is."

The Galu shrugged. "The dog is mine," he said. "He came to
me _cor-sva-jo_, and he is unlike any dog in Caspak, being kind and
docile and yet a killer when aroused. I would not part with him.
I do not know the man of whom you speak."

So this was Du-seen! This was the man from whom Ajor had fled. I
wondered if he knew that she was here. I wondered if they had sent
for me because of her; but after they had commenced to question me,
my mind was relieved; they did not mention Ajor. Their interest
seemed centered upon the strange world from which I had come,
my journey to Caspak and my intentions now that I had arrived. I
answered them frankly as I had nothing to conceal and assured
them that my only wish was to find my friends and return to my own
country. In the Galu Du-seen and his warriors I saw something of
the explanation of the term "golden race" which is applied to them,
for their ornaments and weapons were either wholly of beaten gold
or heavily decorated with the precious metal. They were a very
imposing set of men--tall and straight and handsome. About their
heads were bands of gold like that which Ajor wore, and from their
left shoulders depended the leopard-tails of the Galus. In addition
to the deer-skin tunic which constituted the major portion of their
apparel, each carried a light blanket of barbaric yet beautiful
design--the first evidence of weaving I had seen in Caspak. Ajor
had had no blanket, having lost it during her flight from the
attentions of Du-seen; nor was she so heavily incrusted with gold
as these male members of her tribe.

The audience must have lasted fully an hour when Al-tan signified
that I might return to my hut. All the time Nobs had lain quietly
at my feet; but the instant that I turned to leave, he was up and
after me. Du-seen called to him; but the terrier never even so
much as looked in his direction. I had almost reached the doorway
leading from the council-hall when Al-tan rose and called after
me. "Stop!" he shouted. "Stop, stranger! The beast of Du-seen
the Galu follows you."

"The dog is not Du-seen's," I replied. "He belongs to my friend,
as I told you, and he prefers to stay with me until his master is
found." And I turned again to resume my way. I had taken but a
few steps when I heard a commotion behind me, and at the same moment
a man leaned close and whispered "Kazar!" close to my ear--_kazar_,
the Caspakian equivalent of _beware_. It was To-mar. As he spoke,
he turned quickly away as though loath to have others see that
he knew me, and at the same instant I wheeled to discover Du-seen
striding rapidly after me. Al-tan followed him, and it was evident
that both were angry.

Du-seen, a weapon half drawn, approached truculently. "The beast
is mine," he reiterated. "Would you steal him?"

"He is not yours nor mine," I replied, "and I am not stealing him.
If he wishes to follow you, he may; I will not interfere; but if
he wishes to follow me, he shall; nor shall you prevent." I turned
to Al-tan. "Is not that fair?" I demanded. "Let the dog choose
his master."

Du-seen, without waiting for Al-tan's reply, reached for Nobs and
grasped him by the scruff of the neck. I did not interfere, for
I guessed what would happen; and it did. With a savage growl Nobs
turned like lightning upon the Galu, wrenched loose from his hold
and leaped for his throat. The man stepped back and warded off
the first attack with a heavy blow of his fist, immediately drawing
his knife with which to meet the Airedale's return. And Nobs would
have returned, all right, had not I spoken to him. In a low voice
I called him to heel. For just an instant he hesitated, standing
there trembling and with bared fangs, glaring at his foe; but he
was well trained and had been out with me quite as much as he had
with Bowen--in fact, I had had most to do with his early training;
then he walked slowly and very stiff-legged to his place behind
me.

Du-seen, red with rage, would have had it out with the two of us
had not Al-tan drawn him to one side and whispered in his ear--upon
which, with a grunt, the Galu walked straight back to the opposite
end of the hall, while Nobs and I continued upon our way toward
the hut and Ajor. As we passed out into the village plaza, I saw
Chal-az--we were so close to one another that I could have reached
out and touched him--and our eyes met; but