Part 30 (2/2)

'Why should Conan cross the river?'

'Because it is to his advantage to delay the battle The longer he waits, the stronger he will become, the more precarious our position

The hills on the other side of the river sith people passionately loyal to his cause--broken itives frodoly and by companies Daily, parties from our armies are arows in the central provinces, and will soon burst into open rebellion The garrisons we left there are not sufficient, and we can hope for no reinforce I see the hand of Pallantides in this brawling on the Ophirean frontier He has kin in Ophir

'If we do not catch and crush Conan quickly the provinces will be in a blaze of revolt behind us We shall have to fall back to Tarantia to defend e have taken; and we h a country in rebellion, with Conan's whole force at our heels, and then stand siege in the city itself, with enemies within as well as without

No, we cannot wait We reat, before the central provinces rise With his head hanging above the gate at Tarantia you will see how quickly the rebellion will fall apart'

'Why do you not put a spell on his army to slay them all?' asked Valerius, half in mockery

Xaltotun stared at the Aquilonian as if he read the full extent of themadness that lurked in those ard eyes

'Do not worry,' he said at last 'My arts shall crush Conan finally like a lizard under the heel But even sorcery is aided by pikes and swords'

'If he crosses the river and takes up his position in the Goralian hills he e,' said Amalric 'But if we catch him in the valley on this side of the river we can wipe him out How far is Conan fro he should reach the crossing soed and he is pushi+ng them hard He should arrive there at least a day before the Gundermen'

'Good!' Amalric smote the table with his clenched fist 'I can reach Tanasul before he can I'll send a rider to Tarascus, bidding him follow me to Tanasul By the ti and destroyed him Then our combined force can cross the river and deal with the Gunderood enough plan if you were dealing with anyone but Conan But your twenty-five thousand hteen thousand before the Gunderht with the desperation of wounded panthers And suppose the Gundermen coht between two fires and destroyed before Tarascus can arrive He will reach Tanasul too late to aid you'

'What then?' deainst Conan,' answered theTarascus join us here We ait his coether to Tanasul'

'But while ait,' protested Amalric, 'Conan will cross the river and join the Gundermen'

'Conan will not cross the river,' answered Xaltotun

Amalric's head jerked up and he stared into the cryptic dark eyes

'What do you mean?'

'Suppose there were torrential rains far to the north, at the head of the shi+rki? Suppose the river ca at Tanasul i up our entire force at our leisure, catch Conan on this side of the river and crush him, and then, when the flood subsided, which I think it would do the next day, could we not cross the river and destroy the Gunderainst each of these shed as he always laughed at the prospect of the ruin of either friend or foe, and drew a restless hand jerkily through his unruly yellow locks Aled fear and adht Conan in shi+rki valley with the hill ridges to his right and the river in flood to his left,' he admitted, 'with our whole force we could annihilate him Do you think--are you sure--do you believe such rains will fall?'

'I go to'Necro of a wand Send a rider to Tarascus And let none approach my tent'

That last command was unnecessary No man in that host could have been bribed to approach that mysterious black silken pavilion, the door-flaps of which were always closely drawn None but Xaltotun ever entered it, yet voices were often heard issuing from it; its walls billowed sometimes without a wind, and weird ht, its silken walls were lit red by flain his own tent that night, Amalric heard the steady ruh the darkness it boomed steadily, and occasionally the Neled with the pulse of the drum And he shuddered, for he knew that voice was not the voice of Xaltotun The drum rustled and muttered on like deep thunder, heard afar off, and before dawn Ahtning afar on the northern horizon In all other parts of the sky the great stars blazed whitely