Ahead we neither saw nor heard any sign which might betoken2 the success of Hooja's mission. By now he should have reached the outposts of the Sarians, and we should at least hear the savage3 cries of the tribesmen as they swarmed4 to arms in answer to their king's appeal for succor5. In another moment the frowning cliffs ahead should be black with primeval warriors6. But nothing of the kind happened—as a matter of fact the Sly One had betrayed us. At the moment that we expected to see Sarian spearmen charging to our relief at Hooja's back, the craven traitor7 was sneaking8 around the outskirts9 of the nearest Sarian village, that he might come up from the other side when it was too late to save us, claiming that he had become lost among the mountains.
Hooja still harbored ill will against me because of the blow I had struck in Dian's protection, and his malevolent10 spirit was equal to sacrificing us all that he might be revenged upon me.
As we drew nearer the barrier cliffs and no sign of rescuing Sarians appeared Ghak became both angry and alarmed, and presently as the sound of rapidly approaching pursuit fell upon our ears, he called to me over his shoulder that we were lost.
A backward glance gave me a glimpse of the first of the Sagoths at the far end of a considerable stretch of canyon through which we had just passed, and then a sudden turning shut the ugly creature from my view; but the loud howl of triumphant11 rage which rose behind us was evidence that the gorilla-man had sighted us.
Again the canyon veered13 sharply to the left, but to the right another branch ran on at a lesser14 deviation15 from the general direction, so that appeared more like the main canyon than the lefthand branch. The Sagoths were now not over two hundred and fifty yards behind us, and I saw that it was hopeless for us to expect to escape other than by a ruse16. There was a bare chance of saving Ghak and Perry, and as I reached the branching of the canyon I took the chance.
Pausing there I waited until the foremost Sagoth hove into sight. Ghak and Perry had disappeared around a bend in the left-hand canyon, and as the Sagoth's savage yell announced that he had seen me I turned and fled up the right-hand branch. My ruse was successful, and the entire party of man-hunters raced headlong after me up one canyon while Ghak bore Perry to safety up the other.
Running has never been my particular athletic17 forte18, and now when my very life depended upon fleetness of foot I cannot say that I ran any better than on the occasions when my pitiful base running had called down upon my head the rooter's raucous19 and reproachful cries of "Ice Wagon," and "Call a cab."
The Sagoths were gaining on me rapidly. There was one in particular, fleeter than his fellows, who was perilously20 close. The canyon had become a rocky slit21, rising roughly at a steep angle toward what seemed a pass between two abutting22 peaks. What lay beyond I could not even guess—possibly a sheer drop of hundreds of feet into the corresponding valley upon the other side. Could it be that I had plunged23 into a cul-de-sac?
Realizing that I could not hope to outdistance the Sagoths to the top of the canyon I had determined24 to risk all in an attempt to check them temporarily, and to this end had unslung my rudely made bow and plucked an arrow from the skin quiver which hung behind my shoulder. As I fitted the shaft25 with my right hand I stopped and wheeled toward the gorilla-man.
In the world of my birth I never had drawn26 a shaft, but since our escape from Phutra I had kept the party supplied with small game by means of my arrows, and so, through necessity, had developed a fair degree of accuracy. During our flight from Phutra I had restrung my bow with a piece of heavy gut27 taken from a huge tiger which Ghak and I had worried and finally dispatched with arrows, spear, and sword. The hard wood of the bow was extremely tough and this, with the strength and elasticity28 of my new string, gave me unwonted confidence in my weapon.
Never had I greater need of steady nerves than then—never were my nerves and muscles under better control. I sighted as carefully and deliberately30 as though at a straw target. The Sagoth had never before seen a bow and arrow, but of a sudden it must have swept over his dull intellect that the thing I held toward him was some sort of engine of destruction, for he too came to a halt, simultaneously31 swinging his hatchet32 for a throw. It is one of the many methods in which they employ this weapon, and the accuracy of aim which they achieve, even under the most unfavorable circumstances, is little short of miraculous33.
My shaft was drawn back its full length—my eye had centered its sharp point upon the left breast of my adversary34; and then he launched his hatchet and I released my arrow. At the instant that our missiles flew I leaped to one side, but the Sagoth sprang forward to follow up his attack with a spear thrust. I felt the swish of the hatchet as it grazed my head, and at the same instant my shaft pierced the Sagoth's savage heart, and with a single groan35 he lunged almost at my feet—stone dead. Close behind him were two more—fifty yards perhaps—but the distance gave me time to snatch up the dead guardsman's shield, for the close call his hatchet had just given me had borne in upon me the urgent need I had for one. Those which I had purloined36 at Phutra we had not been able to bring along because their size precluded37 our concealing38 them within the skins of the Mahars which had brought us safely from the city.
With the shield slipped well up on my left arm I let fly with another arrow, which brought down a second Sagoth, and then as his fellow's hatchet sped toward me I caught it upon the shield, and fitted another shaft for him; but he did not wait to receive it. Instead, he turned and retreated toward the main body of gorilla-men. Evidently he had seen enough of me for the moment.
Once more I took up my flight, nor were the Sagoths apparently39 overanxious to press their pursuit so closely as before. Unmolested I reached the top of the canyon where I found a sheer drop of two or three hundred feet to the bottom of a rocky chasm40; but on the left a narrow ledge41 rounded the shoulder of the overhanging cliff. Along this I advanced, and at a sudden turning, a few yards beyond the canyon's end, the path widened, and at my left I saw the opening to a large cave. Before, the ledge continued until it passed from sight about another projecting buttress42 of the mountain.
Here, I felt, I could defy an army, for but a single foeman could advance upon me at a time, nor could he know that I was awaiting him until he came full upon me around the corner of the turn. About me lay scattered43 stones crumbled44 from the cliff above. They were of various sizes and shapes, but enough were of handy dimensions for use as ammunition45 in lieu of my precious arrows. Gathering46 a number of stones into a little pile beside the mouth of the cave I waited the advance of the Sagoths.
As I stood there, tense and silent, listening for the first faint sound that should announce the approach of my enemies, a slight noise from within the cave's black depths attracted my attention. It might have been produced by the moving of the great body of some huge beast rising from the rock floor of its lair47. At almost the same instant I thought that I caught the scraping of hide sandals upon the ledge beyond the turn. For the next few seconds my attention was considerably48 divided.
And then from the inky blackness at my right I saw two flaming eyes glaring into mine. They were on a level that was over two feet above my head. It is true that the beast who owned them might be standing49 upon a ledge within the cave, or that it might be rearing up upon its hind12 legs; but I had seen enough of the monsters of Pellucidar to know that I might be facing some new and frightful50 Titan whose dimensions and ferocity eclipsed those of any I had seen before.
Whatever it was, it was coming slowly toward the entrance of the cave, and now, deep and forbidding, it uttered a low and ominous51 growl52. I waited no longer to dispute possession of the ledge with the thing which owned that voice. The noise had not been loud—I doubt if the Sagoths heard it at all—but the suggestion of latent possibilities behind it was such that I knew it would only emanate53 from a gigantic and ferocious54 beast.
As I backed along the ledge I soon was past the mouth of the cave, where I no longer could see those fearful flaming eyes, but an instant later I caught sight of the fiendish face of a Sagoth as it warily55 advanced beyond the cliff's turn on the far side of the cave's mouth. As the fellow saw me he leaped along the ledge in pursuit, and after him came as many of his companions as could crowd upon each other's heels. At the same time the beast emerged from the cave, so that he and the Sagoths came face to face upon that narrow ledge.
The thing was an enormous cave bear, rearing its colossal56 bulk fully29 eight feet at the shoulder, while from the tip of its nose to the end of its stubby tail it was fully twelve feet in length. As it sighted the Sagoths it emitted a most frightful roar, and with open mouth charged full upon them. With a cry of terror the foremost gorilla-man turned to escape, but behind him he ran full upon his on-rushing companions.
The horror of the following seconds is indescribable. The Sagoth nearest the cave bear, finding his escape blocked, turned and leaped deliberately to an awful death upon the jagged rocks three hundred feet below. Then those giant jaws57 reached out and gathered in the next—there was a sickening sound of crushing bones, and the mangled58 corpse59 was dropped over the cliff's edge. Nor did the mighty60 beast even pause in his steady advance along the ledge.
Shrieking61 Sagoths were now leaping madly over the precipice62 to escape him, and the last I saw he rounded the turn still pursuing the demoralized remnant of the man hunters. For a long time I could hear the horrid63 roaring of the brute64 intermingled with the screams and shrieks65 of his victims, until finally the awful sounds dwindled66 and disappeared in the distance.
Later I learned from Ghak, who had finally come to his tribesmen and returned with a party to rescue me, that the ryth, as it is called, pursued the Sagoths until it had exterminated67 the entire band. Ghak was, of course, positive that I had fallen prey68 to the terrible creature, which, within Pellucidar, is truly the king of beasts.
Not caring to venture back into the canyon, where I might fall prey either to the cave bear or the Sagoths I continued on along the ledge, believing that by following around the mountain I could reach the land of Sari from another direction. But I evidently became confused by the twisting and turning of the canyons69 and gullies, for I did not come to the land of Sari then, nor for a long time thereafter.
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1
canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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2
betoken
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| v.预示 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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7
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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8
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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9
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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10
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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14
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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deviation
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| n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题 | |
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ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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forte
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| n.长处，擅长；adj.(音乐)强音的 | |
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raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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abutting
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| adj.邻接的v.（与…）邻接( abut的现在分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠 | |
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23
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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26
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 | |
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elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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29
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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36
purloined
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| v.偷窃( purloin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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38
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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39
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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40
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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41
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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42
buttress
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| n.支撑物；v.支持 | |
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43
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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44
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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45
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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46
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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47
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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48
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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49
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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50
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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51
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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52
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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53
emanate
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| v.发自，来自，出自 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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57
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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58
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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60
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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61
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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66
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
exterminated
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| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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canyons
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| n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 ) | |
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