They were all Galus, and I soon
recognized the foremost as Du-seen. He was almost upon Ajor now,
and with a sense of terror such as I had never before experienced,
I saw that he ran with his knife in his hand, and that his intention
was to slay rather than capture. I could not understand it, but
I could only urge Ace to greater speed, and most nobly did the
wondrous creature respond to my demands. If ever a four-footed
creature approximated flying, it was Ace that day.
Du-seen, intent upon his brutal design, had as yet not noticed us.
He was within a pace of Ajor when Ace and I dashed between them,
and I, leaning down to the left, swept my little barbarian into
the hollow of an arm and up on the withers of my glorious Ace. We
had snatched her from the very clutches of Du-seen, who halted,
mystified and raging. Ajor, too, was mystified, as we had come
up from diagonally behind her so that she had no idea that we were
near until she was swung to Ace's back. The little savage turned
with drawn knife to stab me, thinking that I was some new enemy,
when her eyes found my face and she recognized me. With a little
sob she threw her arms about my neck, gasping: "My Tom! My Tom!"
And then Ace sank suddenly into thick mud to his belly, and Ajor
and I were thrown far over his head. He had run into one of those
numerous springs which cover Caspak.
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