Part 24 (2/2)

'Who aa, Laranga!

_Who am I?_'

And frohty roar: 'Amra! It is Aht and understood the burden of that aweso in sudden fear at the wild figure on the bridge Was this in truth that blood-thirsty ogre of the southern seas who had so ory legends? The blacks were frothing crazy now, shaking and tearing at their chains and shrieking the name of Amra like an invocation Kushi+tes who had never seen Conan before took up the yell The slaves in the pen under the after-cabin began to batter at the walls, shrieking like the da the deck on one hand and his knees, livid with the agony of his dislocated ars, before the slaves break loose!'

Fired to desperation by that word, the ed on to the bridge froe and hit like a cat on his feet on the runway between the benches

'Death to the ly full on a shackle-chain, severing it likeslave was free, splintering his oar for a bludgeon

Men were racing frantically along the bridge above, and all hell and bedlam broke loose on the _Venturer_ Conan's ax rose and fell without pause, and with every stroke a frothing, screaiant broke free, eance

Sailors leaping down into the waist to grapple or s like one possessed at the shackles, found theed down by the hands of slaves yet unfreed, while others, their broken chains whipping and snapping about their limbs, ca like fiends, s and rending with talons and teeth In the midst of the ing up on the decks, and with fifty blacks freed of their benches Conan abandoned his iron-hewing and bounded up on the bridge to add his notched ax to the bludgeons of his partisans

Then it was , sturdy, fearless like all their race, trained in the brutal school of the sea But they could not stand against these erish barbarian

Blows and abuse and hellish suffering were avenged in one red gust of fury that raged like a typhoon from one end of the shi+p to the other, and when it had blown itself out, but one white man lived aboard the _Venturer_, and that was the blood-stained giant about whoed to cast themselves prostrate on the bloody deck and beat their heads against the boards in an ecstasy of hero-worshi+p

Conan, his ripped in his blood-sht have glared in some primordial dawn, and shook back his black ain lord of the black corsairs, who had hacked his way to lordshi+p through flame and blood

'Amra! Amra!' chanted the delirious blacks, those ere left to chant 'The Lion has returned! Noill the Stygians howl like dogs in the night, and the black dogs of Kush will howl! Noill villages burst in fla of women and the thunder of the spears!'

'Cease this yas!' Conan roared in a voice that drowned the clap of the sail in the wind 'Ten of you go below and free the oarsmen who are yet chained The rest of you man the sweeps and bend to oars and halyards Cro the fight? Do you want to run aground and be retaken by the Argosseans?

Throw these carcasses overboard Juues, or I'll notch your hides for you!'

With shouts and laughter and wild singing they leaped to do his commands The corpses, white and black, were hurled overboard, where triangular fins were already cutting the water

Conan stood on the poop, frowning down at the black men atched him expectantly His heavy brown ars, blew in the wind A wilder and e of a shi+p, and in this ferocious corsair few of the courtiers of Aquilonia would have recognized their king

'There's food in the hold!' he roared 'Weapons in plenty for you, for this shi+p carried blades and harness to the Sheh of us to work shi+p, aye, and to fight! You rowed in chains for the Argossean dogs: will you row as free men for Amra?'

'_Aye!_' they roared 'We are thy children! Lead us where you will!'

'Then fall to and clean out that waist,' he commanded 'Free men don't labor in such filth Three of you come with me and break out food from the after-cabin By Crom, I'll pad out your ribs before this cruise is done'

Another yell of approbation answered hi The sail bellied as the wind swept over the waves with renewed force, and the white crests danced along the sweep of the wind Conan planted his feet to the heave of the deck, breathed deep and spread hisof the blue ocean he was still

16

Black-Walled Khe, her oars pulled now by free and willing hands She had been transforalley, insofar as the transformation was possible

Men sat at the benches noith swords at their sides and gilded hel the rails, and sheafs of spears, bows and arrows adorned the mast Even the elements seemed to work for Conan now; the broad purple sail bellied to a stiff breeze that held day by day, needing little aid froh Conan kept a , low, black galley fleeing southward ahead of them Day by day the blue waters rolled e-craft which fled like frightened birds before the the rail The season for trading was practically over for the year, and they sighted no other shi+ps