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semblance of life, but those dead eyes could not be changed.
With a horrid, inarticulate scream he leaped for me. I met his rush
with a right to the jaw that would have knocked a living man down for
a long count; and while, of course, I couldn't knock the thing out, I did
knock it overboard.
A quick glance at the two in the water convinced me that my guess had
not been amiss--like their fellows at the castle, the two could not swim
and were floating helplessly down stream with the current. But there
was still another, and it was stepping across the thwarts toward me.
I sprang forward to meet it, ripping in a blow toward the side of the
jaw that would have sent it after the other two had it connected; but it
did not. Our movements caused the boat to rock and threw me off my
balance, and before I could regain my equilibrium the creature seized
me.
It was very powerful, but it fought without fire or enthusiasm just the
cold, deadly application of force. It reached for my throat; to reach for
its throat was useless. I could not choke the life from something that
had no lafe. The best that I could do was to try to evade its clutches
and wait for an opening that might never come.
I am rather muscular myself; and I did manage to push the thing from
me for a moment, but it came right back. It didn't say anything; it
didn't make any sound at all. There was no expression in its glazed
eyes, but its dry lips were drawn back over yellow teeth in a snarling
grimace. The sight of it and the touch of those cold, clammy fingers
almost unnerved me--these and the strange odor that emanated from
it, the strange odor that is the odor of death.
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r r
As it came toward me the second time it came with lowered head and
outstretched arms. I leaped for it, and locked my right arm about its
head from above. The back of its neck was snug against my armpit as I
seized my own right wrist with my left hand and locked my hold
tighter. Then I swung quickly around, straightening up as I did so
and, incidentally, nearly capsizing the boat. The creature lost its
footing as I swung it about; its arms flailed wildly, as with a last
mighty surge I released my hold and sent it stumbling over the
gunwale into the river. Like the others, it floated away.
A few yards away, the raft was drifting with Nalte wide-eyed and tense
with excitement. Seizing an oar I brought the boat alongside and
extending a hand assisted Nalte over the side, I noticed that she was
trembling.
Were you frightened, Nalte?" I asked.
"For you, yes. I didn't think that you had a chance against three of
them. Even now I can't believe what I saw. It is incredible that one
man could have done what you did."
"Luck had a lot to do with it," I replied, "and the fact that I took them
by surprise. They weren't expecting anything of the sort."
"How strangely things happen," mused Nalte. "A moment ago I was
about to drown myself in sheer desperation, and now everything is
changed. The danger is over, and instead of an inadequate raft we
have a comfortable boat."
"Which proves that one should never give up hope."
"I shan't again--while you are with me." I had been keeping an eye on
the Kormor quay rather expecting to see another boat put out in
pursuit of us, but none did.
The fishermen and the sentries on the waterfront of the other city had
all stopped what they were doing and were watching us.
"Shall we row over there and see if they will take us in?" I asked.
"I am afraid," replied Nalte. "We have a saying in Andoo that the
farther strangers are away the better friends they are."
"You think that they would harm ust I asked.
Nalte shrugged. "I do not know, but the chances are that they would
kill you and keep me."
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r r
"Then we won't take the chance, but I would like to remain near here
for a while and search for Duare."
"You can't land on the left bank until we are out of sight of Kormor,"
said Nalte, "or they would be after us in no time."
"And if we land in sight of this other city these people would take after
us, if what you fear be true,"
"Let's go down stream until we are out of sight of both cities,"
suggested the girl, "and then wait until night before coming back near
Kormor to search, for that is where you will have to search for
Duare."
Following Nalte's suggestion we drifted slowly down stream. We soon
passed Kormor, but the white city on the right bank extended on for a
couple of miles farther. I should say that its full length along the river
front was fully five miles, and along all that length was the broad quay
backed by a gleaming white wall pierced by an occasional gate--I
counted six or seven along the full length of the water front.
Just below the city the river turned to the right, and almost
immediately the cliffs shut off our view of both cities. Simultaneously
the aspect of the country changed. The limestone cliffs ended
abruptly, the river running between low banks. Here it spread out to
considerable width, but farther ahead I could see where it narrowed
again and entered a gorge between cliffs much higher than any that
we had passed. They were wooded cliffs, and even from a distance I
could see that they were not of the white limestone that formed those
with which we had now become familiar. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]