_The Arrival of the Beast-Men_
When the multitude stormed and crowded out of the narrow rocky doorway,
there was at first nothing to be seen. Just beneath them the cliff
walls shot almost perpendicularly for perhaps two hundred feet.
Above them the rocky ledges slanted for other hundreds of feet, with
projecting crags interspersed with a few dwarfed trees and stunted
shrubs. At their feet the river curved tortuously through a wilderness
of reeds, bushes and dense woods, while not very far away the opposite
cañon walls arose in bare and beetling magnificence. But not a living
thing was to be seen in all those desolate expanses; and the beast-men
that Mumlo had reported might have been the figments of a nightmare.
But so excited were the people that at first they did not observe how
still and unperturbed was the scene before them. Surging through the
cave entrance like stampeding cattle, they literally fell over one
another in their eagerness for a glimpse of the beast-men; on and on
they pressed, on and on in an insistent stream, those in the rear
pushing so frantically to be first that those in front could not
remain on the narrow ledge, but were crowded off, and, with horrible
screams, pitched into the abyss.
Not until five or six had plunged to their death did the madness of the
mob begin to subside. Then by degrees the furious pressure subsided;
the cries of the throng grew somewhat less tempestuous, the crowding
slowly relaxed; several who had been clinging to an overhanging spur of
the rock were rescued; and the people began to glance into the cañon a
little in the manner of reasonable beings.
It was at about this point that Grumgra arrived. "Let me see! Let me
see! Let me see!" he bawled, shoving his way to the front; and only by
the exercise of rare agility were two tribesmen saved from toppling
over the precipice at the chieftain's heedless approach.
Long and severely did Grumgra stare into the wooded wilderness, while
his people watched expectantly, as though confident that his eyes would
see that which none of them had been able to discern.
But apparently even his vision had its limitations. "There are no
beast-men!" he growled, as he turned angrily back toward the cave.
"Where is Mumlo the Trail-Finder? Why is it that he tells us lies?" And
his little ferret eyes gleamed with a vengeful fire.
"If Mumlo had not told us lies," his kinsmen heard him mutter,
ruefully, "I would have tasted the Sparrow-Hearted's blood!" There were
none who wished to be in the Trail-Finder's place just then.
But as Grumgra went slouching back into the cave, low cries of surprise
and fear burst from the watchers on the ledge. And before the chieftain
had had time to wheel about and return, there rang forth from below a
yell so blood-curdling and ferocious that the people could only shiver,
and stare in blind consternation. At first Grumgra thought it was
the call of some wild animal, so shrill and cat-like and altogether
unearthly did it sound; but in a moment he had learned his mistake; for
once more, as the people pressed close to the precipice, a terrorized
chorus shook the air, "The beast-men! The beast-men! The beast-men!"
Now, as Grumgra strode again to the verge of the precipice, he forgot
his anger against Mumlo. Certainly, here were the beast-men after all!
At the edge of the woods, almost directly below, he could see them
screaming: two or three huge thick-set stooping shapes, taller than his
own people by nearly half a foot, and mantled--in place of clothes--in
shaggy black hair as thick as the fur of a wolf.
As he watched, those two or three were increased to six or eight, then
to dozens, then to scores, then to a rabble that seemed innumerable.
Screeching and shouting with a fierceness that made even Grumgra
shudder, they came pouring out of the woods: brawny club-wielding
men whom Grumgra himself would not lightly have opposed; women borne
down by great bundles of fagots and the limbs of slaughtered beasts;
children of all sizes, rushing about like frenzied animals, and
shrieking insanely. As if nature had not made them hideous enough,
with their baboon-like furry faces dominated by bony eye-ridges, many
of the men wore crowns of bears' teeth or of eagles' feathers, of the
skulls of wolves or the horns of the aurochs; and, across their ox-like
chests, not a few of the males had painted stripes and patches of a
bloody red.
Directly beneath the cave entrance the multitude halted, while their
howls and yells rose to a pitch of frenzy surpassing that of a chorus
of hyenas. Meanwhile, with agitated, angry gestures, many of them were
pointing upward, pointing significantly and menacingly upward.
At this evidence of the beast-men's wrath, terrified murmurs trembled
from the lips of the watchers on the cliff.
"This is the beast-men's cave!" they whispered, confusedly, in
excitement that was a compound of astonishment, fear, and rage. "This
is the beast-men's cave! They come back from the hunt--see the meat
they carry! They want their cave back! But we will not give it to them!
It is ours! We took it! They cannot get it now! We will fight for it!
We will fight for it!"
The watchers on the cliff had spoken truly.... Even while they stood
gaping in expectant horror, the first stone was thrown in one of the
earliest of all human wars.
The beginning was as much a challenge as an attack. One of the
beast-men, taller and stouter even than his giant fellows, stepped out
from the throng with defiant screams and howls, picked up a rock the
size of a small apple, and hurled it toward the crowd on the cliff. His
aim was good; the initial speed of the stone was prodigious; but the
distance was too great; and the missile, stopping many feet short of
its goal, did a graceful about-turn and plunged back to earth with such
force that the beast-men scattered before it in terror.
And from the watchers on the cliff came a low cackling of derisive
laughter.
But Grumgra, not content with such mild ridicule, shouldered his way to
the edge of the precipice, flung both his great arms high in air, and
let forth such a bellow as must have strained even his powerful lungs.
While the woods rang with the echoes of his wrath, there sounded from
beneath him an equally loud bellow; then other bellowings in a chorus
fit to rival a thunderstorm. Stones in a shower leaped into air,
although always to fall back without reaching their mark.
As Grumgra watched these futile missiles, a new idea dawned in his
mind. Seizing a huge rock, he flung it downward with terrible force;
and it came to earth among the beast-men with a thud that might well
have alarmed them.
But no one was injured; and the low-voiced laughter of the savages,
evil-sounding and sibilant almost to the point of hissing, broke forth
in a harsh and demonic chorus.
That laughter was soon to end. A second rock from the hand of Grumgra
went hurtling downward, straight toward a dense little knot of men and
women. This time the watchers heard no thud of the striking missile;
but there came a frightful moan, followed by terrified shrieks; and one
of the great shaggy forms was seen to slump to earth, where it lay in
an inert mass.
While howls of rage and yells of dismay broke forth among the
beast-men, the little band on the cliff joined voices in a tremendous
shout, a long-drawn scream of exultation.
Profiting from the example of Grumgra, all the men now picked up
stones and pebbles and flung them downward. Whether their aim was good
they never learned, for the beast-men, hearing the missiles thudding
and clattering about them, showed no desire to face the onslaught.
Squealing and bawling in a panic-stricken mob, they made for the
shelter of the woods. In less than a minute, the last of them had
disappeared into the concealing foliage--and thus was the first round
in the fight won by the Umbaddu.
From the cries of glee and the roars of derision with which they
watched their fleeing foe, one might have thought that the contest was
now over. Indeed, the Umbaddu did believe that the contest was over.
Gibbering in the happy consciousness of victory, they strutted back
into the cave, where they entertained their women with tales of how
their bravery had frightened away the beast-men.
Meanwhile Grumgra, in a more amiable mood than before, returned to the
pursuit of Ru. But he was without success; nowhere could he catch a
sign of the Sparrow-Hearted, and nowhere find anyone who could tell him
of the Sparrow-Hearted's whereabouts.
It was perhaps an hour later when one of the tribesmen, venturing down
the cliff wall just below the cave, stopped short with a piercing
scream. From beyond a projection of rock some twenty or thirty yards
beneath, he caught a glimpse of two furtive black eyes staring from a
face as hairy as a bear's; then of two other apelike eyes; then again
of two eyes; until he was conscious of a multitude crawling beneath,
crawling toward him slyly and silently up the precipitous ledges.
"The beast-men! The beast-men!" he cried, scrambling back into the
cave. And once more his fellows rushed forward in a tumultuous mob to
confront the foe.
They were barely in time. As the foremost tribesman dashed out upon the
ledge before the cave entrance, two heavy gnarled hands were reaching
above the shelf of rock, and a bulky form was projecting itself over
the edge.
A vigorous blow from a club served to dislodge the intruder, who went
plunging with a terrible howl to the boulders beneath. At the same
time, two other hairy faces protruded, two other clubs came down with
murderous intent--and hideous screams rent the air as the aggressors
vanished, to be replaced by others, who likewise disappeared without
being able to lift an arm in their own defense.
After five of the beast-men had thus been vanquished, the rest appeared
to lose heart. At a greater speed than one would have imagined
possible, the huge stooping forms began to slide down the cliff, while
after them came rocks in a shower. How the Umbaddu yelled and clamored
at their foes' retreat! How gaily and energetically they let loose the
torrents of stones! The swift pebbles did far less execution than the
boulders which the defenders rolled to the rim of the cliff, and which
went roaring and rumbling down amid a cloud of dust, crushing the bones
of more than one unfortunate.
How many of their foes were slain the Umbaddu never knew. But whether
five perished or five score, it was at least certain that the victory
had gone for a second time to the Umbaddu!
Torn and bedraggled, the surviving beast-men went rushing toward the
woods as though beset by wolves; while from the successful little
band on the cliff there came another concerted long-drawn scream of
exultation, and the victors returned once more to report to their women
how the enemy had fled before their prowess.
Not least conspicuous among the conquerors was Grumgra, who announced
that the foe had fallen terrorized over the cliff at the very sight
of him--and who saw to it that his fellows confirmed his story. Yet,
though he gloated as warmly as any, the first ghost of apprehension
began to stir in his mind. "The beast-men came, and then came again,"
he was heard to mutter to Zunzun. "What if they come once more? They
are big and strong--their clubs could kill many men. Should we not
watch to see that they cannot get near?" And after a hasty conference
with the Marvel-Worker, Grumgra commissioned two of his followers to
serve as sentinels on the ledge just outside the cave.
But the day passed without further sign of danger. The cañon depths
remained unruffled and tranquil; no voice was to be heard from the
thick, secluding woods, save the occasional grunt of a prowling beast
or the querulous cry of a bird; no moving thing was to be seen except
the waters that foamed impetuously from the gray rocks, and now and
then an antlered shape that emerged shadowlike from the woods, and
shadowlike vanished. By the time twilight fell, Grumgra was convinced
that the beast-men had gone never to return.
And now, forgetting the foe altogether, he set about to look once more
for Ru. But no Ru was to be seen among the throng by the fire, and
no Ru could be detected even in the black cavern recesses; nor could
anyone say where Ru had been seen; while of Wuff, likewise, there was
no sign. Although the chieftain growled and grumbled a great deal, he
could gain nothing by threatening Kuff and Woonoo and their fellow
tribesmen; and finally, muttering that the following day should see the
Sparrow-Hearted's end, he abandoned the quest and settled himself down
to sleep.
It was sometime in the depths of the night that Grumgra awoke. About
him on all sides sounded the rhythmic breathing of his people; between
him and the cave entrance the fire, burning to a dull red glow, cast
feeble shadows. Instinctively Grumgra reached for his club--although
his alert eyes had beheld nothing suspicious, he was aware that not all
was well. And as his fingers closed about the oaken cudgel, he caught
sight of that which sent a howl of terror shivering from his throat.
Just beyond the cave entrance there was a light--and the light was not
that of the cavern fire!
In an instant, the place was in an uproar. Aroused by Grumgra's
scream, the people staggered to their feet with confused cries.
Then, panic-stricken, they surged without knowing why through the
semidarkness, stumbling over one another, shoving one another to the
floor, blundering against the walls like lamp-dazzled moths.
Yet at first there was nothing to justify their agitation--nothing,
except the mutterings of Grumgra. "I saw a light," he mumbled, "--a
light as big as a man's hand." But the light had disappeared; and where
it had been there was only blackness.
"There are bad spirits about!" Grumgra called out, when at last he had
collected his wits, and the confusion had begun to subside. "There are
bad spirits about! Listen to me, my people! If you are very quiet, you
may see the spirits!"
Frightened cries burst forth anew; but Grumgra, with a snarl,
threatened whoever should speak again. Very quickly the threat took
effect, and the people lapsed into silence.
A minute dragged by, a slow minute that seemed never-ending. The only
sound was from the suppressed breathing of the multitude; among all
those shadowy shapes, there was no movement. How long they would have
remained thus petrified by terror no one can say; in another moment,
someone might have broken down, and screamed out his fears; but before
the moment could pass, there occurred the event for which Grumgra was
waiting.
In the dark entrance of the cave, a flaring light burst forth, borne
slowly at the height of a man's hand. And, by its sputtering, sallow
illumination, a dim black form was vaguely visible.
For a second the watchers within the cave stood gaping in silence;
then, as by an electrical impulse, the same horrible thought shot
through scores of minds.
"The beast-men! The beast-men!" rang out a chorus of screams; and the
echoes of that cry pealed and reverberated in a deafening din.
Once more the light withdrew.... Murmuring with fear, the people stood
staring toward the point of blackness where it had disappeared.
"The beast-men are coming! We must not let them come! If they come, we
will all die!" howled Grumgra. And, lifting his club pugnaciously, he
started toward the cave entrance.
Encouraged by his lead, most of the men quickly followed. Their clubs
swung angrily; their shouts were threatening and furious....
The sequel was never quite clear to the survivors. To the women,
huddled in a terrified band in the shadows to the rear, all that was
apparent was that pandemonium broke forth. Even as their startled eyes
caught glimpses of new lights that flashed and flickered from the outer
blackness, their ears were assailed by unearthly screams more horrible
even than the bellowing of Grumgra. And while the screams shivered and
died down, there came to them the sound of scuffling, the thunder and
thudding of terrific blows; vaguely they saw dark shapes that whirled
and twisted, heavy arms that brandished mighty weapons, a tumult of
tempestuous forms. As the conflict advanced, with a confusion of growls
and mutterings, and groans, and shrieks, and yells, it seemed to grow
constantly more bitter and violent; and there came a time when some
of the women, screeching and clamoring like the men, seized clubs and
plunged into the affray.
It was not many minutes before all was over. The howls of the
combatants died away, to be succeeded by a series of shrieks and
wailings as of men in retreat; the blur of struggling figures resolved
itself dimly into individuals; and from the black cave entrance came
the shouts of the triumphant and the moans of the wounded....
When the first pale light of morning made it possible to see clearly
the results, it was found that five of the Umbaddu lay dead, their
skulls shattered by the blows of clubs; while two were wounded so
badly that their recovery seemed impossible, and Grumgra ordered them
slain. As for the beast-men--they had left three corpses in the cave,
great hideous corpses with monkeylike faces, bearlike mats of hair,
evil black eyes, and ghastly blackened teeth all sharpened to a fine
point.