Part 4 (1/2)
As the Kezankian tumbled to earth, there came the flat snap of bows and the whistle of arrows Sassan's horse leaped as an arrow struck it in the neck and bolted for theat his sleeve as he struck in the spurs and fled after Sassan, as unable to control his beast
As they swept towards thebroad-bladed tulwars Sassan, abandoning his effort to check his maddened mount, drove his lance at the nearest The spear transfixed the man and hurled him out of the saddle
The next instant Conan was even with a second swords the heavy tulwar The Cimmerian threw up his sciether breast to breast Conan, rising in his stirrups, s down the tulwar and splitting the skull of the wielder Then he was galloping up the gorge with arrows screeching past him Sassan's wounded horse stumbled and went down; the Iranistani leaped clear as it fell
Conan pulled up, snarling: ”Get up behind me!” Sassan, lance in hand, leaped up behind the saddle A touch of the spurs, and the heavily-burdened horse set off down the gorge Yells behind showed that the tribese otten back to Keraspa,” panted Sassan
”They want blood, not gold Do you suppose they have wiped out Zyras?”
”He ht have passed before they set up their a him when they turned to trap us I think he's still ahead of us”
A mile further on they heard faint sounds of pursuit Then they came out into a natural boalled by sheer cliffs From the midst of this bowl a slope led up to a bottleneck pass on the other side As they neared this pass, Conan saw that a low stone wall closed the gut of the pass Sassan yelled and juht of arrows screeched past One struck the horse in the chest
The beast lurched to a thundering fall, and Conan jumped clear and rolled behind a cluster of rocks, where Sassan had already taken cover
More arrows splintered against boulders or stuck quivering in the earth The two adventurers looked at each other with sardonic humor
”We've found Zyras!” said Sassan
”In an instant,” laughed Conan, ”they'll rush us, and Keraspa will co voice shouted: ”Coir with you, Sassan? I thought I had brained hiht!”
”My name is Conan,” roared the Cimht have known! Well, we have you now!”
”You're in the saorge?”
”Aye; we heard it e stopped to water the horses Who's chasing you?”
”Keraspa and a hundred Kezankians! When we are dead, do you think he'll let you go after you tortured one of his men?”
”You had better let us join you,” added Sassan
”Is that the truth?” yelled Zyras, his turbaned head appearing over the wall
”Are you deaf, e reverberated with yells and hoofbeats
”Get in, quickly!” shouted Zyras ”Tiet out of this alive”
Conan and Sassan leaped up and ran up the slope to the wall, where hairy arriuise; Arshak, still dapper after leagues of riding; and three swarthy Za Zyras and Arshak each wore a shi+rt of chain mail like those of Conan and Sassan