Part 14 (1/2)
”There are the baboons of the hill country,” suggested another ”They are as ani They love to fight They are very savage Let us ask theani in the jungle” He rose and growled horribly, bristling his stiff hair
”That is the way to talk,” cried The Killer, ”but we do not need the baboons of the hill country We are enough It will take a long time to fetch them Meriem may be dead and eaten before we could free her Let us set out at once for the village of the Go to reach it Then, all at the sa The Gohtened and will run away While they are gone we can seize Meriem and carry her off We do not have to kill or be killed-all that Korak wishes is his Merieain
”Yes, we are too few,” echoed others
Korak could not persuade theladly; but theythe services of their kinsive in All he could do for the present was to urge the baboon with a dozen of his o to the hill country with Korak, leaving the balance of the herd behind
Once enlisted in the adventure the baboons becaation set off immediately They traveled swiftly; but the ape- up with theh the trees in an endeavor to suggest to ene, for when the baboons travel in large nule creature who cares to molest them When the nature of the country required much travel upon the level, and the distance between trees was great, theythat the lion and the leopard would not be fooled by noise when they could see plainly for themselves that only a handful of baboons were on the trail
For two days the party raced through the savage country, passing out of the dense jungle into an open plain, and across this to timbered mountain slopes Here Korak never before had been It was a new country to hie frole was pleasing But he had little desire to enjoy the beauties of nature at this tier Until she was freed and returned to hiht else
Once in the forest that clothed the mountain slopes the baboons advanced ue to a plaintive note of calling Then would follow silence while they listened At last, faintly froht ahead came an answer
The baboons continued to travel in the direction of the voices that floated through the forest to the and listening, they came closer to their kins to reat numbers; but when, at last, the baboons of the hill country caered at the reality that broke upon his vision
What appeared a solid wall of huge baboons rose froh the branches of the trees to the loftiest terrace to which they dared entrust their weight Slowly they were approaching, voicing their weird, plaintive call, and behind them, as far as Korak's eyes could pierce the verdure, rose solid walls of their fellows treading close upon their heels There were thousands of them The ape-man could not but think of the fate of his little party should soe of fear of a single one of all these thousands
But nothing such befell The two kings approached one another, as was their custo They satisfied themselves of each other's identity Then each scratched the other's back After a ether Korak's friend explained the nature of their visit, and for the first ti behind a bush The exciteht of him For a moment Korak feared that he should be torn to pieces; but his fear was for Meriem Should he die there would be none to succor her
The two kings, however, ed to quiet the multitude, and Korak was permitted to approach Slowly the hill baboons cale When he spoke to theht They talked to him and listened while he spoke He told thele where they were the friends of all the ape folk froani, who are keeping Meriem from me, are no friends of yours,” he said ”They kill you The baboons of the low country are too few to go against them They tell me that you are very many and very brave-that your nurasses upon the plains or the leaves within the forest, and that even Tantor, the elephant, fears you, so brave you are They told e of the Goani and punish these bad people while I, Korak, The Killer, carry awayape puffed out his chest and strutted about very stiff-legged indeed So also did reat bulls of his nation They were pleased and flattered by the words of the strange Tare of the hairy progenitors of hty fighters Tantor fears us Nuani of the hill country are glad to pass us by in peace I, for one, will coani of the low places I aani of the low country,” and he swelled his chest and strutted proudly back and forth, until the itching back of a comrade commanded his industrious attention
”I a They are sharp They are strong Into the soft flesh of ani have they been buried Alone I slew the sister of Sheeta Goob will go to the low country with you and kill so ani that there will be none left to count the dead,” and then he, too, strutted and pranced before the ad
Korak looked at the king, questioningly
”Your bulls are very brave,” he said; ”but braver than any is the king”
Thus addressed, the shaggy bull, still in his prirowled ferociously The forest echoed to his lusty challenges The little baboons clutched fearfully at their h in air and took up the roaring challenge of their king The din was terrific
Korak ca and shouted in his ear, ”Coh the forest toward the plain that they e of Kovudoo, the Go, wheeled and followed him In their wake came the handful of low country baboons and the thousands of the hill clan-savage, wiry, dog-like creatures, athirst for blood
And so they cae of Kovudoo It was reat equatorial sun-heat The hty herd traveled quietly now Beneath the thousands of padded feet the forest gave forth no greater sound than er breeze through the leafy branches of the trees
Korak and the two kings were in the lead Close beside the village they halted until the stragglers had closed up Now utter silence reigned Korak, creeping stealthily, entered the tree that overhung the palisade He glanced behind him The pack were close upon his heels The ti march that no harm e All others were their legitiave voice to a single cry It was the signal
In response three thousand hairy bulls leaped screae of the terrified blacks Warriors poured froathered their babies in their arates as they saw the horrid horde pouring into the village street Kovudooto arouse their courage, offered a bristling, spear tipped front to the charging horde