CHAPTER XII
KIDNAPED!
I searched about the spot carefully. At last I was rewarded by thediscovery of her javelin, a few yards from the bush that had concealedus from the charging thag--her javelin and the indications of astruggle revealed by the trampled vegetation and the overlappingfootprints of a woman and a man. Filled with consternation and dismay,I followed these latter to where they suddenly disappeared a hundredyards from where the struggle had occurred. There I saw the hugeimprints of a lidi's feet.
The story of the tragedy was all too plain. A Thurian had either beenfollowing us, or had accidentally espied Dian and taken a fancy to her.While Juag and I had been engaged with the thag, he had abducted her.I ran swiftly back to where Juag was working over the kill. As Iapproached him I saw that something was wrong in this quarter as well,for the islander was standing upon the carcass of the thag, his javelinpoised for a throw.
When I had come nearer I saw the cause of his belligerent attitude.Just beyond him stood two large jaloks, or wolf-dogs, regarding himintently--a male and a female. Their behavior was rather peculiar, forthey did not seem preparing to charge him. Rather, they werecontemplating him in an attitude of questioning.
Juag heard me coming and turned toward me with a grin. These fellowslove excitement. I could see by his expression that he was enjoying inanticipation the battle that seemed imminent. But he never hurled hisjavelin. A shout of warning from me stopped him, for I had seen theremnants of a rope dangling from the neck of the male jalok.
Juag again turned toward me, but this time in surprise. I was abreasthim in a moment and, passing him, walked straight toward the twobeasts. As I did so the female crouched with bared fangs. The male,however, leaped forward to meet me, not in deadly charge, but withevery expression of delight and joy which the poor animal could exhibit.
It was Raja--the jalok whose life I had saved, and whom I then hadtamed! There was no doubt that he was glad to see me. I now think thathis seeming desertion of me had been but due to a desire to search outhis ferocious mate and bring her, too, to live with me.
When Juag saw me fondling the great beast he was filled withconsternation, but I did not have much time to spare to Raja while mymind was filled with the grief of my new loss. I was glad to see thebrute, and I lost no time in taking him to Juag and making himunderstand that Juag, too, was to be Raja's friend. With the femalethe matter was more difficult, but Raja helped us out by growlingsavagely at her whenever she bared her fangs against us.
I told Juag of the disappearance of Dian, and of my suspicions as tothe explanation of the catastrophe. He wanted to start right out afterher, but I suggested that with Raja to help me it might be as well werehe to remain and skin the thag, remove its bladder, and then return towhere we had hidden the canoe on the beach. And so it was arrangedthat he was to do this and await me there for a reasonable time. Ipointed to a great lake upon the surface of the pendent world above us,telling him that if after this lake had appeared four times I had notreturned to go either by water or land to Sari and fetch Ghak with anarmy. Then, calling Raja after me, I set out after Dian and herabductor. First I took the wolf dog to the spot where the man hadfought with Dian. A few paces behind us followed Raja's fierce mate.I pointed to the ground where the evidences of the struggle wereplainest and where the scent must have been strong to Raja's nostrils.
Then I grasped the remnant of leash that hung about his neck and urgedhim forward upon the trail. He seemed to understand. With nose toground he set out upon his task. Dragging me after him, he trottedstraight out upon the Lidi Plains, turning his steps in the directionof the Thurian village. I could have guessed as much!
Behind us trailed the female. After a while she closed upon us, untilshe ran quite close to me and at Raja's side. It was not long beforeshe seemed as easy in my company as did her lord and master.
We must have covered considerable distance at a very rapid pace, for wehad reentered the great shadow, when we saw a huge lidi ahead of us,moving leisurely across the level plain. Upon its back were two humanfigures. If I could have known that the jaloks would not harm Dian Imight have turned them loose upon the lidi and its master; but I couldnot know, and so dared take no chances.
However, the matter was taken out of my hands presently when Rajaraised his head and caught sight of his quarry. With a lunge thathurled me flat and jerked the leash from my hand, he was gone with thespeed of the wind after the giant lidi and its riders. At his sideraced his shaggy mate, only a trifle smaller than he and no whit lesssavage.
They did not give tongue until the lidi itself discovered them andbroke into a lumbering, awkward, but none the less rapid gallop. Thenthe two hound-beasts commenced to bay, starting with a low, plaintivenote that rose, weird and hideous, to terminate in a series of short,sharp yelps. I feared that it might be the hunting-call of the pack;and if this were true, there would be slight chance for either Dian orher abductor--or myself, either, as far as that was concerned. So Iredoubled my efforts to keep pace with the hunt; but I might as wellhave attempted to distance the bird upon the wing; as I have oftenreminded you, I am no runner. In that instance it was just as wellthat I am not, for my very slowness of foot played into my hands; whilehad I been fleeter, I might have lost Dian that time forever.
The lidi, with the hounds running close on either side, had almostdisappeared in the darkness that enveloped the surrounding landscape,when I noted that it was bearing toward the right. This was accountedfor by the fact that Raja ran upon his left side, and unlike his mate,kept leaping for the great beast's shoulder. The man on the lidi'sback was prodding at the hyaenodon with his long spear, but still Rajakept springing up and snapping.
The effect of this was to turn the lidi toward the right, and thelonger I watched the procedure the more convinced I became that Rajaand his mate were working together with some end in view, for theshe-dog merely galloped steadily at the lidi's right about op-positehis rump.
I had seen jaloks hunting in packs, and I recalled now what for thetime I had not thought of--the several that ran ahead and turned thequarry back toward the main body. This was precisely what Raja and hismate were doing--they were turning the lidi back toward me, or at leastRaja was. Just why the female was keeping out of it I did notunderstand, unless it was that she was not entirely clear in her ownmind as to precisely what her mate was attempting.
At any rate, I was sufficiently convinced to stop where I was and awaitdevelopments, for I could readily realize two things. One was that Icould never overhaul them before the damage was done if they shouldpull the lidi down now. The other thing was that if they did not pullit down for a few minutes it would have completed its circle andreturned close to where I stood.
And this is just what happened. The lot of them were almost swallowedup in the twilight for a moment. Then they reappeared again, but thistime far to the right and circling back in my general direction. Iwaited until I could get some clear idea of the right spot to gain thatI might intercept the lidi; but even as I waited I saw the beastattempt to turn still more to the right--a move that would have carriedhim far to my left in a much more circumscribed circle than thehyaenodons had mapped out for him. Then I saw the female leap forwardand head him; and when he would have gone too far to the left, Rajasprang, snapping at his shoulder and held him straight.
Straight for me the two savage beasts were driving their quarry! Itwas wonderful.
It was something else, too, as I realized while the monstrous beastneared me. It was like standing in the middle of the tracks in frontof an approaching express-train. But I didn't dare waver; too muchdepended upon my meeting that hurtling mass of terrified flesh with awell-placed javelin. So I stood there, waiting to be run down andcrushed by those gigantic feet, but determined to drive home my weaponin the broad breast before I fell.
The lidi was only about a hundred yards from me when Raja gave a fewbarks in a tone that differed materially from his hu
nting-cry.Instantly both he and his mate leaped for the long neck of the ruminant.
Neither missed. Swinging in mid-air, they hung tenaciously, theirweight dragging down the creature's head and so retarding its speedthat before it had reached me it was almost stopped and devoting allits energies to attempting to scrape off its attackers with itsforefeet.
Dian had seen and recognized me, and was trying to extricate herselffrom the grasp of her captor, who, handicapped by his strong and agileprisoner, was unable to wield his lance effectively upon the twojaloks. At the same time I was running swiftly toward them.
When the man discovered me he released his hold upon Dian and sprang tothe ground, ready with his lance to meet me. My javelin was no matchfor his longer weapon, which was used more for stabbing than as amissile. Should I miss him at my first cast, as was quite probable,since he was prepared for me, I would have to face his formidable lancewith nothing more than a stone knife. The outlook was scarcelyentrancing. Evidently I was soon to be absolutely at his mercy.
Seeing my predicament, he ran toward me to get rid of one antagonistbefore he had to deal with the other two. He could not guess, ofcourse, that the two jaloks were hunting with me; but he doubtlessthought that after they had finished the lidi they would make after thehuman prey--the beasts are notorious killers, often slaying wantonly.
But as the Thurian came Raja loosened his hold upon the lidi and dashedfor him, with the female close after. When the man saw them he yelledto me to help him, protesting that we should both be killed if we didnot fight together. But I only laughed at him and ran toward Dian.
Both the fierce beasts were upon the Thurian simu-taneously--he musthave died almost before his body tumbled to the ground. Then thefemale wheeled toward Dian. I was standing by her side as the thingcharged her, my javelin ready to receive her.
But again Raja was too quick for me. I imagined he thought she wasmaking for me, for he couldn't have known anything of my relationstoward Dian. At any rate he leaped full upon her back and dragged herdown. There ensued forthwith as terrible a battle as one would wish tosee if battles were gaged by volume of noise and riotousness of action.I thought that both the beasts would be torn to shreds.
When finally the female ceased to struggle and rolled over on her back,her forepaws limply folded, I was sure that she was dead. Raja stoodover her, growling, his jaws close to her throat. Then I saw thatneither of them bore a scratch. The male had simply administered asevere drubbing to his mate. It was his way of teaching her that I wassacred.
After a moment he moved away and let her rise, when she set aboutsmoothing down her rumpled coat, while he came stalking toward Dian andme. I had an arm about Dian now. As Raja came close I caught him bythe neck and pulled him up to me. There I stroked him and talked tohim, bidding Dian do the same, until I think he pretty well understoodthat if I was his friend, so was Dian.
For a long time he was inclined to be shy of her, often baring histeeth at her approach, and it was a much longer time before the femalemade friends with us. But by careful kindness, by never eating withoutsharing our meat with them, and by feeding them from our hands, wefinally won the confidence of both animals. However, that was a longtime after.
With the two beasts trotting after us, we returned to where we had leftJuag. Here I had the dickens' own time keeping the female from Juag'sthroat. Of all the venomous, wicked, cruel-hearted beasts on twoworlds, I think a female hyaenodon takes the palm.
But eventually she tolerated Juag as she had Dian and me, and the fiveof us set out toward the coast, for Juag had just completed his laborson the thag when we arrived. We ate some of the meat before starting,and gave the hounds some. All that we could we carried upon our backs.
On the way to the canoe we met with no mishaps. Dian told me that thefellow who had stolen her had come upon her from behind while theroaring of the thag had drowned all other noises, and that the firstshe had known he had disarmed her and thrown her to the back of hislidi, which had been lying down close by waiting for him. By the timethe thag had ceased bellowing the fellow had got well away upon hisswift mount. By holding one palm over her mouth he had prevented hercalling for help.
"I thought," she concluded, "that I should have to use the viper'stooth, after all."
We reached the beach at last and unearthed the canoe. Then we busiedourselves stepping a mast and rigging a small sail--Juag and I, thatis--while Dian cut the thag meat into long strips for drying when weshould be out in the sunlight once more.
At last all was done. We were ready to embark. I had no difficulty ingetting Raja aboard the dugout; but Ranee--as we christened her after Ihad explained to Dian the meaning of Raja and its feminineequivalent--positively refused for a time to follow her mate aboard.In fact, we had to shove off without her. After a moment, however, sheplunged into the water and swam after us.
I let her come alongside, and then Juag and I pulled her in, shesnapping and snarling at us as we did so; but, strange to relate, shedidn't offer to attack us after we had ensconced her safely in thebottom alongside Raja.
The canoe behaved much better under sail than I had hoped--infinitelybetter than the battle-ship Sari had--and we made good progress almostdue west across the gulf, upon the opposite side of which I hoped tofind the mouth of the river of which Juag had told me.
The islander was much interested and impressed by the sail and itsresults. He had not been able to understand exactly what I hoped toaccomplish with it while we were fitting up the boat; but when he sawthe clumsy dugout move steadily through the water without paddles, hewas as delighted as a child. We made splendid headway on the trip,coming into sight of land at last.
Juag had been terror-stricken when he had learned that I intendedcrossing the ocean, and when we passed out of sight of land he was in ablue funk. He said that he had never heard of such a thing before inhis life, and that always he had understood that those who ventured farfrom land never returned; for how could they find their way when theycould see no land to steer for?
I tried to explain the compass to him; and though he never reallygrasped the scientific explanation of it, yet he did learn to steer byit quite as well as I. We passed several islands on thejourney--islands which Juag told me were entirely unknown to his ownisland folk. Indeed, our eyes may have been the first ever to restupon them. I should have liked to stop off and explore them, but thebusiness of empire would brook no unnecessary delays.
I asked Juag how Hooja expected to reach the mouth of the river whichwe were in search of if he didn't cross the gulf, and the islanderexplained that Hooja would undoubtedly follow the coast around. Forsome time we sailed up the coast searching for the river, and at lastwe found it. So great was it that I thought it must be a mighty gulfuntil the mass of driftwood that came out upon the first ebb tideconvinced me that it was the mouth of a river. There were the trunksof trees uprooted by the undermining of the river banks, giantcreepers, flowers, grasses, and now and then the body of some landanimal or bird.
I was all excitement to commence our upward journey when thereoccurred that which I had never before seen within Pellucidar--a reallyterrific wind-storm. It blew down the river upon us with a ferocityand suddenness that took our breaths away, and before we could get achance to make the shore it became too late. The best that we could dowas to hold the scud-ding craft before the wind and race along in asmother of white spume. Juag was terrified. If Dian was, she hid it;for was she not the daughter of a once great chief, the sister of aking, and the mate of an emperor?
Raja and Ranee were frightened. The former crawled close to my sideand buried his nose against me. Finally even fierce Ranee was moved toseek sympathy from a human being. She slunk to Dian, pressing closeagainst her and whimpering, while Dian stroked her shaggy neck andtalked to her as I talked to Raja.
There was nothing for us to do but try to keep the canoe right side upand straight before the wind. For what seemed an eternity the tempestneithe
r increased nor abated. I judged that we must have blown ahundred miles before the wind and straight out into an unknown sea!
As suddenly as the wind rose it died again, and when it died it veeredto blow at right angles to its former course in a gentle breeze. Iasked Juag then what our course was, for he had had the compass last.It had been on a leather thong about his neck. When he felt for it,the expression that came into his eyes told me as plainly as words whathad happened--the compass was lost! The compass was lost!
And we were out of sight of land without a single celestial body toguide us! Even the pendent world was not visible from our position!
Our plight seemed hopeless to me, but I dared not let Dian and Juagguess how utterly dismayed I was; though, as I soon discovered, therewas nothing to be gained by trying to keep the worst from Juag--he knewit quite as well as I. He had always known, from the legends of hispeople, the dangers of the open sea beyond the sight of land. Thecompass, since he had learned its uses from me, had been all that hehad to buoy his hope of eventual salvation from the watery deep. Hehad seen how it had guided me across the water to the very coast that Idesired to reach, and so he had implicit confidence in it. Now that itwas gone, his confidence had departed, also.
There seemed but one thing to do; that was to keep on sailing straightbefore the wind--since we could travel most rapidly along thatcourse--until we sighted land of some description. If it chanced to bethe mainland, well and good; if an island--well, we might live upon anisland. We certainly could not live long in this little boat, withonly a few strips of dried thag and a few quarts of water left.
Quite suddenly a thought occurred to me. I was surprised that it hadnot come before as a solution to our problem. I turned toward Juag.
"You Pellucidarians are endowed with a wonderful instinct," I remindedhim, "an instinct that points the way straight to your homes, no matterin what strange land you may find yourself. Now all we have to do islet Dian guide us toward Amoz, and we shall come in a short time to thesame coast whence we just were blown."
As I spoke I looked at them with a smile of renewed hope; but there wasno answering smile in their eyes. It was Dian who enlightened me.
"We could do all this upon land," she said. "But upon the water thatpower is denied us. I do not know why; but I have always heard thatthis is true--that only upon the water may a Pellucidarian be lost.This is, I think, why we all fear the great ocean so--even those who goupon its surface in canoes. Juag has told us that they never go beyondthe sight of land."
We had lowered the sail after the blow while we were discussing thebest course to pursue. Our little craft had been drifting idly, risingand falling with the great waves that were now diminishing. Sometimeswe were upon the crest--again in the hollow. As Dian ceased speakingshe let her eyes range across the limitless expanse of billowingwaters. We rose to a great height upon the crest of a mighty wave. Aswe topped it Dian gave an exclamation and pointed astern.
"Boats!" she cried. "Boats! Many, many boats!"
Juag and I leaped to our feet; but our little craft had now dropped tothe trough, and we could see nothing but walls of water close uponeither hand. We waited for the next wave to lift us, and when it didwe strained our eyes in the direction that Dian had indicated. Sureenough, scarce half a mile away were several boats, and scattered farand wide behind us as far as we could see were many others! We couldnot make them out in the distance or in the brief glimpse that wecaught of them before we were plunged again into the next wave canon;but they were boats.
And in them must be human beings like ourselves.
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