As
I searched around in the brush for likely pieces of firewood, my
head bowed and my eyes upon the ground, I suddenly felt a great
weight hurl itself upon me. I struggled to my knees and seized
my assailant, a huge, naked man--naked except for a breechcloth
of snakeskin, the head hanging down to the knees. The fellow was
armed with a stone-shod spear, a stone knife and a hatchet. In his
black hair were several gay-colored feathers. As we struggled to
and fro, I was slowly gaining advantage of him, when a score of
his fellows came running up and overpowered me.
They bound my hands behind me with long rawhide thongs and then
surveyed me critically. I found them fine-looking specimens of
manhood, for the most part. There were some among them who bore
a resemblance to the Sto-lu and were hairy; but the majority had
massive heads and not unlovely features. There was little about them
to suggest the ape, as in the Sto-lu, Bo-lu and Alus. I expected
them to kill me at once, but they did not. Instead they questioned
me; but it was evident that they did not believe my story, for they
scoffed and laughed.
"The Galus have turned you out," they cried. "If you go back to
them, you will die. If you remain here, you will die. We shall
kill you; but first we shall have a dance and you shall dance with
us--the dance of death.
Pages:
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71