Part 31 (1/2)
”Who are you?” she asked ”Shah Amurath called you a kozak ; were you of that band?”
”I arunted ”I ith the kozaki, as the Hyrkanian dogs called us”
She knew vaguely that the land he named lay far to the northwest, beyond the farthest boundaries of the different kingdo of Ophir,” she said ”My father sold me to a Shemite chief, because I would not runted in surprize
Her lips twisted in a bitter smile ”Aye, civilized es, sometimes They call your race barbaric, Conan of Cirowled, his chin jutting truculently
”Well I was sold But the desert ood will of
181Shah Aht to Akif of the purple gardens Then ”
She shuddered and hid her face in her hands
”I should be lost to all shas me like a slaver's whip I abode in Shah Aone he rode out with his hosts to do battle with a band of invaders ere ravaging the borders of Turan Yesterday he returned in triureat fete was , I found an opportunity to steal out of the city on a stolen horse I had thought to escape but he followed, and about midday came up with me I outran his vassals, but hi hid in the reeds,” grunted the barbarian ”I was one of those dissolute rogues, the Free Co the borders There were five thousand of us, fro as mercenaries for a rebel prince in eastern Koth, n, ere out of e doo Shah Amurath trapped us near the banks of Ilbars with fifteen thousand men Mitra! The skies were black with vultures When the lines broke, after a whole day of fighting, soh to the north, some to the west I doubt if any escaped The steppes were covered with horseitives I broke for the east, and finally reached the edge of the marshes that border this part of Vilayet
”I've been hiding in the morasses ever since Only the day before yesterday the riders ceased beating up the reed-brakes, searching for just such fugitives as I I've squir on ht and ate raw, for lack of fire to cook the the reeds I hadn't intended going out on the sea until night, but after I killed Shah As would be close at hand”
”And what now?”
”We shall doubtless be pursued If they fail to see the marks left by the boat, which I covered as well as I could, they'll guess anyway that we took to sea, after they fail to find us a to haul at these oars until we reach a safe place”
”Where shall we find that?” she asked hopelessly ”Vilayet is an Hyrkanian pond”
”Sorialleys and become pirates”
”But what are your plans?”
182
”The southwestern shore is held by the Hyrkanians for hundreds of o before we pass beyond their northern boundaries I intend to go northward, until I think we have passed them Then we'll turn ard, and try to land on the shore bordered by the uninhabited steppes”
”Suppose we meet pirates, or a storm?” she asked ”And we shall starve on the steppes”
”Well,” he reminded her, ”I didn't ask you to come with me”
”I am sorry” She bowed her shapely dark head ”Pirates, storms, starvation they are all kinder than the people of Turan”
”Aye” His dark face grew soirl Storms are rare on Vilayet at this time of the year If we make the steppes, we shall not starve I was reared in a naked land It was those cursed h unh lands As for pirates ” He grinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars
The sun sank like a dull-glowing copper ball into a lake of fire The blue of the sea ed with the blue of the sky, and both turned to soft dark velvet, clustered with stars and the ently rocking boat, in a state dreamy and unreal