Part 36 (1/2)
Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror The clamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and went swiftly toward the rie ofso that she could not walk; so he carried her, and her heart cal arms
They passed under the shadowy forest, but the clusters of blackness held no terrors, the rifts of silver discovered no grisly shape Night-birds hter dwindled behind them, masked in the distance to a confused jumble of sound Sokoolan yok tha, xuthalla!” So they ca at anchor, her sail shi+ning white in thefor dawn
In the ghastly whiteness of dawn a handful of tattered, blood-stained figures staggered through the trees and out on to the narrow beach There were forty-four of the haste they plunged into the water and began to wade toward the galley, when a stern challenge brought the sky they saw Conan the Ci in the boord
204in hand, his blackin the daind
”Stand!” he ordered ”Cos?”
”Let us co a bloody stuone from this devil's island”
”The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,” promised Conan
They were forty-four to one, but he held the whip-hand The fight had been haood Conan,” whined a red-sashed Za fearfully over his shoulder at the silent woods ”We have been so mauled, bitten, scratched, and rended, and are so weary fro, that not one of us can lift a sword”
”Where is that dog Aratus?” demanded Conan
”Dead, with the others! It was devils fell upon us! They were rending us to pieces before we could awake a dozen good rovers died in their sleep The ruins were full of flas and sharp talons”
”Aye!” put in another corsair ”They were the dees, to befool us Ishtar! We lay down to sleep a as ainst the powers of darkness Then we broke away and left the at the corpses like jackals But surely they'll pursue us”
”Aye, let us come aboard!” clamored a lean Shemite ”Let us coh we be so weary you will doubtless slay ainst us many”
”Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,” answered Conan grimly A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced with a lion-like roar
”Dogs! Must I aid my enemies? Shall I let you come aboard and cut out erly ”Friends friends, Conan We are thy coether We hate the king of Turan, not each other”
Their gaze hung on his brown frowning face
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”Then if I arunted, ”the laws of the Trade apply to ht, then I am your captain!
There was no dissent The pirates were too cowed and battered to have any thought except a desire to get away froht out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian”How, Ivanos!” he challenged ”You took ain?
””Aye, by Mitra!” The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to ingratiate hiht, lads; he is our lawful captain!
Aenthusiasm perhaps, but with sincerity accentuated bythe feel of the silent woods behind the ebony devils with red eyes and dripping talons
”Swear by the hilt,” Conan demanded
Forty-four sword-hilts were lifted toward him, and forty-four voices blended in the corsair's oath of allegianceConan grinned and sheathed his sword ”Come aboard, my bold swashbucklers, and take the oars