Then I heard a movement on the part of the
creature near me, and again it touched me, and I felt something
like a hairless hand pass over my face and down until it touched
the collar of my flannel shirt. And then, subdued, but filled with
pent emotion, a voice cried: "Tom!"
I think I nearly fainted, so great was the reaction. "Ajor!" I
managed to say. "Ajor, my girl, can it be you?"
"Oh, Tom!" she cried again in a trembly little voice and flung
herself upon me, sobbing softly. I had not known that Ajor could
cry.
As she cut away my bonds, she told me that from the entrance to
our cave she had seen the Band-lu coming out of the forest with
me, and she had followed until they took me into the cave, which
she had seen was upon the opposite side of the cliff in which ours
was located; and then, knowing that she could do nothing for me
until after the Band-lu slept, she had hastened to return to our
cave. With difficulty she had reached it, after having been stalked
by a cave-lion and almost seized. I trembled at the risk she had
run.
It had been her intention to wait until after midnight, when most
of the carnivora would have made their kills, and then attempt
to reach the cave in which I was imprisoned and rescue me. She
explained that with my rifle and pistol--both of which she assured
me she could use, having watched me so many times--she planned
upon frightening the Band-lu and forcing them to give me up.
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